Chapter 11 - The Second Plan
Nathan’s cooperation included one sentence that made every person in the room move.
“If the cake didn’t work, there was another plan.”
I stood.
“What plan?”
Detective Ellison held up hand.
“You’re done speaking to him directly.”
I had not realized I had stepped forward.
I sat.
Nathan explained.
The “second plan” was not another attempt to poison food.
It was insurance.
If Lily interfered.
If cake was rejected.
If Gavin panicked.
Dominic wanted evidence planted strongly enough to blame Sophia.
Then he intended to push for her immediate removal before police could examine other access.
The silver case.
Cash.
Cloned card.
Already in her cabinet.
That was the second move.
Not another attack on Ethan.
Relief hit me so hard I almost laughed.
Then shame.
Sophia was supposed to carry attempted murder charge.
A widowed housekeeper with a child.
Dominic assumed social bias would do the rest.
Why Sophia?
Because she had access.
Because she was poor compared to everyone in ballroom.
Because she would be easier to isolate.
Because people would ask why a housekeeper resented wealthy employer before asking why an executive brother wanted revenge.
Lily had ruined that too.
She saw Gavin.
Then Dominic.
Then told us.
A three year old prevented not only Ethan’s injury but her own mother’s framing.
I went to Sophia’s apartment.
Not unannounced.
I called.
She agreed.
When I told her, she sat at kitchen table with both hands around coffee.
“So if Lily hadn’t run…”
“You might have been investigated.”
“Arrested?”
“I don’t know.”
“Would you have believed it?”
I answered honestly.
“I hope not.”
“That isn’t answer.”
“No.”
I looked down.
“I don’t know.”
She nodded.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Not lying.”
Lily entered carrying a toy horse.
“Mr. Moretti.”
“Alessandro.”
She ignored correction.
“Is Ethan okay?”
“Yes.”
“Can he eat cake?”
“Not that cake.”
She smiled.
“Good.”
Then:
“Mom says I’m not allowed to call people monsters.”
Sophia closed eyes.
I almost laughed.
“Your mom is right.”
“But that man…”
“You can say he did something terrible.”
Lily thought.
“That’s longer.”
Fair.
The prosecutor’s case against Dominic strengthened.
But he was not arrested immediately.
That infuriated me.
Why?
Because conspiracy cases require corroboration.
Nathan was compromised.
Gavin was compromised.
Paul’s role uncertain.
Dominic had money, counsel, and no reason to flee.
Police obtained warrants.
House.
Office.
Devices.
His phone contained almost nothing.
Too clean.
His laptop was wiped three days after birthday.
He claimed routine security reset.
Forensics recovered fragments.
A deleted search:
severe pediatric allergy response time.
Another:
family trauma parental incapacity board succession.
The second worried corporate counsel.
“What board succession?”
If I became incapacitated emotionally or medically, Dominic as COO had expected to act as interim chief executive under old continuity plan.
There.
Revenge was core.
Control was bonus.
If Ethan died and I stepped away, Dominic would run Moretti Holdings.
The board had power to override.
But in immediate chaos, he expected control.
So he had two reasons:
Make me suffer what he suffered.
Protect and extend his corporate position before audit removed him.
Not inheritance.
Emotion plus opportunity.
Then police found the most important file.
Not on Dominic’s laptop.
On Noah’s old phone, preserved in family cloud storage.
A text from Noah sent eleven days before his death.
Dad keeps saying Uncle Alessandro is going to catch the fake maintenance stuff. He’s freaking out.
Noah knew.
May you like
He had overheard.
Dominic’s story that I caused his son’s death was beginning to collapse from inside his own family.
