Chapter 143 Rosalina
CHAPTER 143
Rosalina.
ROMAN – POINT OF VIEW
“Do you still want me to make the announcement, Roman?” Elena asks me cautiously.
The AC is on, yet sweat beads on my forehead. We are still in my office, holed in, trying to get to the bottom of this, once and for all.
“What announcement?” Damian looks at her.
“The wedding date.” She explains, referring to our previous conversation.
It’s hard for me to think right now when everything is breaking apart.
“Why was she, Elena Rossi? That’s a very unique name. I thought she was Spanish, but Rossi is an Italian name. Were we wrong all along?” Luca pulls off his jacket and loosens his tie.
My head is a jumbled mess. Caleb’s phone beeps, and we look at him.
“It’s Eve. She wants me to pick her up.” He explains, frowning.
“Go.” I nod, then add, “Don’t take her home. Don’t tell any of the security team where you are going. Just … be safe.”
“You think there’s a mole?” He asks, and I nod, “I think there are moles. Don’t tell any of them, not even Rick. We need to be safe, rather than sorry.”
He nods and slips out.
I turn to Bastain and exhale deeply, “Anything for me? We need to get to the bottom of this today.”
He nods, and stops typing, “I did date reconciliation, pulled passport scan logs and student visa records, and of course, she matched with Elena Rossi, of course. They have the same device fingerprint and login stamps, which overlap, so this is not a case of stolen identity, just dual.”
“Pull her record,” I order, knowing he can.
I have the best technology, and he is currently at the hub. No date is hidden from us. Unable to stay docile anymore, I grab my laptop and work alongside him. Damian and Luca hover over us, tense and impatient.
We focus on the financial trace. We spend the next twenty minutes checking her bank activity and transaction logs. It’s harder to break into than expected, as if she took further steps to protect her finances, which is a red flag. She would only protect it if she knew people would look into her. As if she expected it.
“This is a lot of money.” Bastian whistles, staring at the zeroes.
My heart picks up. “W … she was broke when we met. What the fuck?”
“Scarlett was broke, not Elena.” Luca points out.
“Who was sending her this much money?” Damian mumbles.
We go deeper, tracing her finances. All the payments route through foreign accounts, and somehow lead us back to Mexico.
“Why will a student receive this much money from Mexico?” Luca scoffs in disbelief
I do not know what to think. It’s hard to know what is true and what is not. All I know is Scarlett has been lying to me since the beginning.
Bastian and I continue our search, and soon, we find patterns in payments. The same payment structure is repeated through different names, the same formatting, and the same routing patterns. All are coming from linked companies using different names.
So, we move to shell companies. These companies were constantly sending her money, and I need to know why. It’s another dead end, because the names are all different, but registered in similar regions, same legal agents and same registration style.
Half of it leads us to Mexico, and then the trail goes dead.
“Maybe we are looking at this from the wrong angle,” Damian speaks, cutting through the tension smoothly.
“What do you suggest?” I look at him, running my hands through my hair, frustrated.
“Scarlett’s past is hidden for a reason. Whoever she was, she had the power to make herself untraceable, so why don’t we shift from Scarlett to someone else? Percy Carmichael. We know he is here for a reason. We know he has mysteriously checked out of his hotel room. We know he is earning more money than a professor should. We know he became tenured in two years. All these point to secrets, so maybe we dig into him now, and we might get our answers.” He explains, waving his hand in the air.
Bastian nods, “On it.”
We shift our attention to Percy’s financials, doing in-depth research.
As expected, he is receiving money from shell companies, too. Quiet and periodic payments. Not too much money, but frequent, and it adds up to a large amount of money. Too much money for a professor.
We pull up the shell companies and compare them to Scarlett’s.
“Well, fuck.” Luca mumbles when we find similarities.
“So, they were both receiving money from the same shell companies?” Damian sighs.
“Except, Scarlett was, and it was a large amount of money, which went to designer bags, school expenses, clubbing, partying, cars, just expected stuff from a rich college student, but Percy is still receiving payments from these shell companies.” I point out.
“It has only increased over the years,” Bastian adds.
“And, it is all coming from Mexico.” Luca sighs, frustrated.
“Emiliano?” Damian whispers the dreadful name.
“Only one way to find out.” I pull out my phone, ignore the missed calls from Scarlett, and call Percy.
I put it on the loudspeaker and placed the phone on the table.
I’m worried he won’t pick up, but he does.
“I assume you are not calling me because I checked out of your hotel, Sterling.” He drawls.
Irritation flares in me, “So, you know why I’m calling you.”
“You have questions and I have answers. I know who your darling Scarlett was, all the faces she has worn. You don’t know her. You will never know her. And know this, if you go down this road, she will never forgive you.” He warns.
I scoff, “I’m way past asking for forgiveness. She has lied to me, stolen from me, and sold me out. She will take whatever I give her.”
“That’s what you think now, but even a blind man can see how hard you have fallen.” He mocks, and rage burns through me, “State your fucking terms.”
“I will give you what you want now, and in return, you will owe me a favour, one I can call in at any time.” He bargains coldly.
I lean back and look at the men in the room. I don’t want to owe him anything, and maybe I won’t have to.
“Deal.” I lie through my teeth, and he ends the call.
“What the fuck?” I exhale, my fingers digging into my palm.
A second later, my laptop beeps, and a file enters.
I click on it, and a marriage certificate appears.
“Rosalina Diaz and Emiliano Calderon?” Bastian reads out, confused.