CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SIX
THE BANK ACCOUNT
Julian Rossi had spent the entire night staring at one photograph.
His son.
Six years old.
Alive.
Standing beside Elena.
And somewhere behind them—
Camila.
He had barely slept.
By sunrise, his anger had become something colder.
Determination.
There was no point screaming at his father.
No point breaking another phone.
No point chasing shadows.
If Richard had spent six years building a system of lies, Julian would dismantle it one piece at a time.
And the first piece was money.
Because people could lie.
Documents could be forged.
Memories could be manipulated.
But money left footprints.
At 6:14 a.m., Julian entered the private office of Rossi Holdings.
His chief financial investigator, Marcus Hale, was waiting.
Not Victor Hale.
Another Hale.
Julian had deliberately chosen someone with no connection to his father's security network.
Marcus placed a laptop on the desk.
“You said this was urgent.”
“It is.”
Julian closed the door.
“I need every financial record connected to Elena Rossi.”
Marcus frowned.
“Your wife's personal accounts?”
“Everything.”
“Joint accounts?”
“Yes.”
“Trust accounts?”
“Yes.”
“Offshore accounts?”
“Yes.”
Marcus looked at him.
“You think someone moved money?”
“I know someone did.”
“How much?”
“I don't know.”
“From when?”
“The night she disappeared.”
Marcus opened his laptop.
“That's eight months ago.”
“Yes.”
“What am I looking for?”
Julian looked at him.
“Something that shouldn't exist.”
Three hours later, Marcus found it.
He didn't call Julian.
He walked directly into the office.
His expression was different.
“What?”
Marcus placed a file on the desk.
“I found the account.”
Julian opened it.
An account in Elena's name.
At first, nothing looked unusual.
Mortgage payments.
Charity donations.
Household expenses.
Insurance.
Then came the transactions.
Julian leaned closer.
“What's that?”
Marcus pointed.
“A transfer.”
“Amount?”
“Two hundred thousand dollars.”
Julian stared.
“When?”
“The night Elena disappeared.”
“Where?”
Marcus clicked the transaction.
“An offshore account.”
“Whose?”
“That is the problem.”
Julian's eyes narrowed.
“Explain.”
“The account was opened using Elena's identification.”
“Then it's hers.”
“No.”
Marcus shook his head.
“The identification was copied.”
Julian stared at him.
“How do you know?”
“Because Elena's passport number was used.”
“So?”
“She still had the physical passport when she disappeared.”
Julian froze.
He remembered the bedroom.
Elena's passport.
Still in the drawer.
“So someone opened an account using a copy.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Marcus turned the screen.
A name appeared.
CAMILA MORETTI.
Julian stopped breathing.
“No.”
Marcus looked at him.
“There's more.”
Another transaction.
Then another.
Then another.
Every month.
The same amount.
The same destination.
For eight months.
Julian counted them.
Eight transfers.
Two hundred thousand dollars each.
One million six hundred thousand dollars.
His wife's account had been drained while she was supposedly missing.
Julian's jaw tightened.
“Where did the money go?”
Marcus enlarged the destination.
A company.
MORROW CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION.
Julian stared.
“What is that?”
“It's registered as a nonprofit.”
“Children's foundation?”
“Yes.”
“Who owns it?”
Marcus hesitated.
“You're not going to like this.”
“Tell me.”
“Richard Rossi is listed as a principal donor.”
Julian's blood ran cold.
His father.
Again.
But there was something else.
“Who runs it?”
Marcus clicked.
A photograph appeared.
Julian stared.
The woman in the photograph was smiling.
She looked older.
Different hair.
Different clothes.
But he recognized her.
Elena.
Julian stood abruptly.
“No.”
Marcus looked confused.
“You know her?”
“That woman is my wife.”
Marcus turned pale.
“But the organization was established six years ago.”
Julian stared at the screen.
Six years.
The same year his first child was born.
The same year Elena supposedly lost the baby.
He whispered:
“She's been involved with this foundation.”
Marcus nodded.
“Apparently.”
Julian looked at the financial records again.
“Where does the money go?”
Marcus opened another file.
“Medical expenses.”
“For whom?”
“Children.”
“Which children?”
Marcus hesitated.
“One particular child appears repeatedly.”
Julian's heart began pounding.
“Name?”
Marcus clicked.
A patient ID appeared.
E-0714.
No surname.
“That's not a name.”
“It's a protected medical identity.”
“Why?”
“Because the child is under a confidential guardianship order.”
Julian stared.
“Age?”
“Six.”
His entire body went cold.
“Where?”
Marcus looked at him.
“A private pediatric facility.”
“Address?”
Marcus gave it.
Julian grabbed his coat.
“Come with me.”
The facility was hidden behind a private medical center.
No sign.
No public entrance.
No obvious connection to the Rossi family.
Julian walked through the doors.
The receptionist looked up.
“Can I help you?”
“I'm here to see patient E-0714.”
The woman's face changed.
“You're not authorized.”
“I am his father.”
Silence.
The receptionist looked at the computer.
Then at Julian.
“I'm sorry.”
“Call the administrator.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because the patient's guardian has restricted access.”
“Who?”
The receptionist hesitated.
“Mr. Richard Rossi.”
Julian closed his eyes.
“Of course.”
He pulled out the photograph of the boy.
“Is this him?”
The receptionist looked at it.
Her face went pale.
She stepped backward.
“Where did you get that?”
“Is this him?”
She didn't answer.
Julian leaned forward.
“Is this my son?”
The woman whispered:
“You shouldn't be here.”
Julian's voice became cold.
“I'm not leaving.”
Twenty minutes later, a doctor entered.
Dr. Samuel Grant.
He looked nervous.
“Mr. Rossi.”
“You know me.”
“Yes.”
“You know Elena.”
“Yes.”
“You know the child.”
The doctor hesitated.
“Yes.”
Julian stepped closer.
“Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
Julian's eyes filled with tears.
“Is he mine?”
The doctor looked down.
“I cannot confirm that.”
“Why?”
“Because his records have been sealed.”
“By whom?”
“Your father.”
Julian clenched his fists.
“Open them.”
“I can't.”
“You're looking at his father.”
“I understand.”
“No, you don't.”
Julian's voice broke.
“I was told my son died.”
The doctor looked at him.
“I know.”
“Who told you?”
“Mrs. Rossi.”
Julian froze.
“Elena?”
“Yes.”
“Why would she say that?”
“She didn't.”
Julian's eyes narrowed.
“Then who?”
The doctor swallowed.
“Your father.”
Julian stared.
The doctor continued.
“Mrs. Rossi believed the child had died.”
Julian felt sick.
“She didn't know?”
“No.”
“Then why is she listed as an emergency contact?”
The doctor went silent.
Julian noticed.
“Why?”
“Because she kept trying to see him.”
“When?”
“For years.”
“How many?”
“Every few months.”
Julian's heart broke.
“She knew he was alive?”
“She suspected.”
“And she couldn't reach him?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because she was threatened.”
Julian stepped back.
“By Richard.”
“Yes.”
Then the doctor said something that made Julian stop.
“Mrs. Rossi wasn't the one paying for the child's care.”
“Who was?”
“Someone else.”
“Who?”
The doctor looked at him.
“Camila Moretti.”
Julian's blood ran cold.
“Camila.”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Since the child was a baby.”
Julian stared.
Camila had been paying for his son's medical care.
But why?
If she was part of Richard's plan, why protect his child?
The doctor handed him a file.
“There is something else.”
Julian opened it.
Inside was a series of payment receipts.
All from Camila.
Medical care.
Food.
Education.
Clothing.
Everything.
For six years.
Julian looked up.
“Where is my son now?”
The doctor hesitated.
“His guardian moved him yesterday.”
Julian's heart stopped.
“Where?”
“We don't know.”
“Who moved him?”
“The guardian.”
“Richard?”
The doctor nodded.
Julian's phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A woman's voice whispered:
“Julian.”
“Camila.”
“Yes.”
“Where is my son?”
Silence.
“Camila!”
“I didn't take him.”
“Then who did?”
“Richard.”
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
“You've been paying for him for six years.”
“I was trying to protect him.”
“You lied to me.”
“I had no choice.”
“You always had a choice.”
Camila's voice broke.
“I know.”
Julian closed his eyes.
“Why did you pay for him?”
Silence.
Then:
“Because he is my son too.”
Julian froze.
“What?”
Camila began crying.
“You don't understand.”
“Explain.”
“I was there the night he was born.”
Julian's voice dropped.
“Why?”
“Because Richard brought me to the hospital.”
“Why?”
“To make sure Elena never saw him again.”
Julian felt the world disappear beneath his feet.
“What are you saying?”
Camila whispered:
“Your first child was not taken because he was unwanted.”
“Then why?”
“Because Richard believed the boy was dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“He wasn't supposed to be born.”
Julian gripped the phone.
“Why?”
Camila took a shaky breath.
“Because he wasn't just your heir.”
Julian waited.
“He was the key to something your father had hidden.”
“What?”
“A second trust.”
Julian's eyes narrowed.
“What second trust?”
Camila whispered:
“A trust created by your grandfather.”
Julian froze.
“My grandfather died twenty years ago.”
“I know.”
“What does that have to do with my son?”
“Everything.”
Camila's voice became barely audible.
“The Rossi empire was never supposed to belong to Richard.”
Julian stopped breathing.
“Then who was it supposed to belong to?”
“Your firstborn child.”
Julian looked at the financial records on the table.
The transfers.
The foundation.
The medical expenses.
The secret account.
Suddenly the entire plan became clear.
Richard hadn't simply wanted Elena gone.
He wanted the heir erased.
But then why had he kept the child alive?
Julian asked:
“If my father wanted my son gone, why did he keep him alive?”
Camila didn't answer immediately.
Then she whispered:
“Because he needed him.”
“For what?”
“To unlock the trust.”
Julian's blood ran cold.
“And after that?”
Camila's voice broke.
“He planned to make the boy disappear.”
The call ended.
Julian stood motionless.
Then Marcus walked into the room.
“Mr. Rossi.”
Julian turned.
“I found something else.”
“What?”
Marcus handed him a document.
“Those transfers weren't actually payments for the child.”
Julian frowned.
“What?”
“The foundation was laundering the money.”
“Where did it ultimately go?”
Marcus pointed to a final account.
Julian read the name.
R. ROSSI PRIVATE HOLDINGS.
His father's account.
Julian's face hardened.
“So Richard was stealing Elena's money.”
“Yes.”
“And using Camila's name.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did Camila pay the medical bills?”
Marcus looked confused.
“She did.”
Julian stared at the records.
There were two separate streams.
Money taken from Elena.
Money paid by Camila.
Two different accounts.
Two different purposes.
Someone had been hiding the real source of the child's care.
Julian looked at the dates.
Then saw something.
A recurring payment.
Every month.
Exactly the same amount.
From an account that had nothing to do with Elena.
Nothing to do with Camila.
Nothing to do with Richard.
He enlarged the account holder.
His heart stopped.
JULIAN ROSSI PERSONAL RESERVE.
He had never authorized it.
Someone had been using his name.
For six years.
Julian whispered:
“Someone has been paying for my son using my own money.”
Marcus looked at him.
“Without your knowledge.”
Julian's eyes narrowed.
“Then someone had access to my accounts.”
Marcus nodded.
“And there is only one person who could have had that level of access.”
Julian already knew.
His father.
But there was another possibility.
Someone who had been beside him for four months.
Someone who had entered his life at exactly the right moment.
Someone who knew his passwords.
Someone who had access to his phone.
Someone who knew his family secrets.
Camila.
Julian stared at her photograph.
Then he noticed something.
A transaction dated six years ago.
The day his son was born.
The description read:
INITIAL PAYMENT — E. ROSSI CHILD TRUST.
The amount was enormous.
Five million dollars.
Julian's hands began shaking.
His son had not simply been hidden.
Someone had bought his silence.
And then another transaction appeared.
One year later.
Ten million dollars.
Two years later.
Twenty million.
The amounts kept increasing.
Julian looked at Marcus.
“Who received this?”
Marcus checked.
His expression changed.
“Mr. Rossi…”
“What?”
“The account is still active.”
“Whose name?”
Marcus slowly turned the screen.
Julian stared.
BENEFICIARY: ELENA ROSSI.
Julian couldn't speak.
His wife had an account receiving millions of dollars.
An account she had never told him about.
An account that had been active while she was supposedly hiding.
And the latest transaction had been made—
yesterday.
Julian's phone vibrated.
A message appeared.
YOU KEEP LOOKING FOR THE WRONG PERSON.
Then another.
ELENA DIDN'T TAKE THE MONEY.
A third arrived.
SHE WAS HIDING IT FROM YOUR FATHER.
Julian stared at the screen.
His anger shifted into confusion.
Then came the final message.
ASK ELENA WHAT THE MONEY WAS FOR.
Julian looked toward the window.
For the first time, he understood that Elena's disappearance had never been an escape.
She had been building something.
A secret fund.
A hidden protection.
A future for her children.
And perhaps the most shocking discovery was still waiting inside the bank records.
Because the person who had authorized the first transfer six years ago—
was not Richard.
Not Camila.
Not Elena.
It was Julian.
Using a signature he had never written.
And beneath that signature was a note:
FOR MY SON.
Julian stared at the document.
Then whispered:
“Who signed this?”
Marcus looked at him.
“That is what I'm trying to find out.”
Julian's phone rang.
This time, it was Elena.
He answered immediately.
“Elena?”
Her voice trembled.
“Julian…”
“Did you know about the money?”
Silence.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because it was the only way I could protect our children.”
Julian closed his eyes.
“Our children.”
He repeated the words.
Then asked the question that had been haunting him.
“How many children are we protecting?”
Elena didn't answer.
Julian's blood went cold.
“Elena.”
Still silence.
Then she whispered:
“Three.”
The line went dead.
Julian stared at the phone.
Three.
Not one.
Not two.
Three children.
May you like
And somewhere in the world, Elena was hiding more than a son.
She was hiding the truth about an entire family.
