Chapter 27: The Investigation

I stood in Bella's trashed office at 3 AM, taking it all in. My blood pressure was heading for the roof. I'd spent 23 years in military intelligence, but nothing prepared me for seeing my sister's space violated like this.

The cleaning crew tried to tidy up, but I could still spot the signs of a pro search. Files were out of place. Computer cables had tiny scratches from being messed with. Even Bella's family photo was a couple of degrees off.

"They were after something specific," I told Mikel. He stood next to me, jaw so tight I thought his teeth would crack. This wasn't just random vandalism or some amateur messing around. Someone knew what they were doing.

"How long were they here?" he asked, his voice flat with rage.

I checked my watch against the building's security logs. According to Maya's info on the elevator records, at least two hours. Enough time to photograph everything, copy hard drives, and hunt for hidden stuff.

"Hidden stuff?"

I pointed out the subtle signs. They checked behind pictures, under drawers, inside books. Someone taught them the typical executive hiding spots.

Bella slumped in her chair, staring at the empty space where her client files used to be. "Those files had private info on lots of families. Medical stuff, money details, custody stuff. If someone leaks that..."

"They won't," I said, trying to sound confident. "This is about getting info, not embarrassing people. Someone wanted to get a feel for how your business runs, who your clients are, where you're weak."

"Blackmail?" Mikel asked.

"Or leverage. Corporate spying is usually about finding where to put the squeeze." I opened my tablet and brought up some initial reports my team put together. "Which brings me to what we found at the estate."

They both looked up, quickly.

"We found seventeen spy devices planted around Elena's property over the last month and a half," I said. "Audio recorders, GPS trackers, even tiny cameras watching the family."

Bella's face went white. "Seventeen? How is that even possible? The estate's got security."

"Top-grade gear, probably military stuff. You need special training to spot it." I showed them pictures of the tiny devices. "Whoever planted these knew our security setup, shift changes, where the cameras couldn't see."

"Someone on the inside," Mikel said, sounding grim.

"Had to be. But it gets worse." I pulled up the next set of photos. "We found similar devices at your place, Mikel. And at Emma's school. Someone's been watching our whole family for over a month."

The silence was heavy. Someone had been watching Emma play in her backyard. Listening to private talks between her parents. Recording dinners and bedtime stories.

"My baby," Bella whispered, her hands shaking before she made fists. "They've been watching my baby."

"We got rid of all the devices," I said quickly. "Elena's security is doing extra sweeps every twelve hours. Emma's safe."

"But they heard everything," Mikel said, his voice hollow. "Every talk we had about the past, about getting back together, about Emma's health. They know how to hit us where it hurts."

I nodded. "The audio logs show they were really interested in talks about business weaknesses, family problems, and anything about Emma's custody."

"Someone's building a case," Bella said, her lawyer instincts kicking in, even upset. "Making a profile to use against us in court, in the news, or in business deals."

"That's what I think too." I closed the tablet and looked at them. "This kind of spying takes money. We're talking hundreds of thousands for gear and people. Pro surveillance teams, data experts, the works."

"So, not just Sophia," Mikel said.

"Sophia couldn't afford this. She doesn't have the right to hire this level of expertise. Someone with real money and connections is backing her."

Bella stood up and looked out at the Seattle skyline. "The media attacks, the business problems, the spying, even going after Emma at school—it's all planned. Someone's trying to take our family down."

"Any idea who?" I asked, though I had my thoughts.

"Someone who benefits from Romano Enterprises and Sterling Industries being weaker," Mikel said slowly. "Someone who wins if Bella and I are fighting. Someone with the money and connections to pull this off..."

"A competitor?" Bella guessed.

I shook my head. "Feels personal. Business rivals want to beat you, not destroy your family. This feels like a personal grudge with business stuff mixed in."

My phone buzzed with a message from my security lead: *Important info. I need to talk ASAP.*

"I need to take this," I told them. "Don't touch anything until forensics is done."

I stepped out and called Marcus, my most trusted guy.

"Lucas, we have a problem," he said right away. "I checked the serial numbers on those spy devices."

"And?"

"They were bought through a fake company six months ago. But here's the kicker—the payment came from an account tied to Sterling Industries' directors."

My blood ran cold. "Which directors?"

"That's the thing. The account shows someone with high-level access approved it, but the records have been wiped clean by pros. But I did find some connections."

"Tell me."

"Remember that takeover attempt on Sterling Industries a year and a half ago? The one that failed when someone leaked their plans?"

"Sort of. I was more focused on my family then, but I remember the news."

"The same fake companies that funded that takeover have been paying surveillance guys, media consultants, and private investigators for the last three months. All the stuff we're seeing in attacks on your family."

It was all coming together. So someone with access to Sterling Industries' board info had been planning this for a while. They couldn't take over the company with money, so now they were going after Mikel.

"That's what I think. But there's something else. The fake company that bought the spy gear? It's registered to a branch of Romano Holdings."

I felt like I was going to fall over. "That's not possible. Romano Holdings is Elena's private thing."

"I know. Which means either Elena's playing a game, or someone with access to Romano Holdings' accounts is using them to attack the family."

"Send me everything. Money records, company registrations, equipment buys, everything."

"Already encrypted and going to your server."

I hung up and looked at the mess on my phone. Someone within our inner circle had been attacking the family while using Romano money. Whoever it was required family betrayal or infiltration into our money.

I went back to Bella's office, where she and Mikel were talking about Emma's security. They looked up.

"We have a bigger problem," I said. "The spying was funded through accounts linked to both your companies. Someone with access to both Sterling Industries and Romano Holdings has been running these attacks."

Bella sat down fast. "A board member?"

"Or someone who got into board-level intel. The financial trail says this has been planned for months, maybe years."

"Years?" Mikel said. "You mean before we even got back together?"

"Before Emma got sick. Before you started hanging out again. Someone was planning this."

This wasn't just messing around or jealousy. This was a long-term plan to stop any Romano-Sterling working together.

"Who wins from keeping our families apart?" Bella asked.

I pulled up the money analysis Marcus sent. "According to this, some competitors have been trying to buy parts of both companies over the last year. If Sterling Industries and Romano Enterprises stayed apart, certain investors would have made money."

"But if we teamed up..." Mikel said.

"You'd be too strong to attack. A Romano-Sterling partnership would be too strong."

Bella was reading the money records, her instincts kicking back in. "These companies have been shorting stocks for months. Someone bet we would fail."

"Or that you two would destroy each other," I added. "Either way, they'd get rich."

"But we didn't," Mikel said. "We're working together. Their plan's failing."

"Which makes them desperate," I said. "And desperate people with money get dangerous."

My phone buzzed again. Marcus, with an update.

"Lucas, you need to see this. I found the account access."

"Where?"

"The signatures match someone with access to Elena's private accounts. But it's someone who knows Elena's security really well. Family-level access."

My stomach dropped. "Who?"

"I'm sending you a list, but... only three people have this level of access. You, Elena, and one other person."

I looked at the names and felt sick. It was Thomas Romano. Elena's brother, who'd been kicked out after stealing money. The brother Elena didn't talk about, who'd supposedly gone to Europe.

Thomas had been using old access codes that Elena never cancelled so he could fund attacks on his family.

"Mikel, Bella," I said, feeling rage. "I know who's been running these attacks."

They both looked at me.

"Elena's brother Thomas. He's been using family money to destroy us from the inside."

The silence was heavy. Family betrayal was the worst, but this was brutal.

"Emma," Bella whispered. "He's been watching Emma."

"For months," I said. "Looking for weaknesses, planning to use her against you."

Mikel stood up, looking hard as granite. "Where is he?"

"I don't know. But we can find him." I was already texting Marcus with new search info. "And he's going to learn."

The war Thomas started was getting personal.

First, the priority was to protect Emma against someone who knows her.

The investigation had found the enemy, and we had to take him down.