Chapter 159 When Druggies Talk
Alexander's POV:
"It's been five days, sir."
Bill walked into my office, his expression grim as he approached my desk.
"The other side is getting impatient. North Enterprises' system has been attacked again, and their stock has plummeted."
"Only five days and they're already squirming," I remarked, taking another sip of my drink.
"Everyone outside thinks you and Emma are divorced," Bill continued, setting down his tablet. "And according to public knowledge, Emma is in intensive care."
"North Enterprises getting hit at this critical moment is certainly adding fuel to the fire."
"They're striking while they think we're vulnerable," I observed, my voice calm despite the gravity of the situation. This was exactly what I'd anticipated when I had Luca spread those rumors.
Bill pulled up a surveillance video and handed it to me. "They want to capitalize on the chaos."
I studied the footage showing a masked figure sneaking into the CEO's office at North Enterprises, attempting to access the computer.
"Do we know who's behind this?" I asked.
Bill's lips curved into a slight smile. "Sir, do you remember how Emma lured Henry Knight back?"
I nodded.
"The attacks on North Enterprises are coming from Zenith Corporation—the same company that tried to sign Henry," Bill explained. "They somehow discovered Henry was poached by Emma for Sterling Group."
"They're too afraid to target Sterling directly, so they're going after North Enterprises instead." Bill's expression darkened. "And now, believing you and Emma are on the outs, they've become even bolder."
I stood up, straightening my suit jacket. "Tell Vincent to handle it."
Within thirty seconds of my command, the surveillance video showed a group of men storming the office, pinning the intruder to the ground. Vincent, Warren, and Richard entered the frame, standing over the captured man.
---
The next day, Vincent returned to Sterling Group to report back.
"The man confessed everything at the Federal Bureau. It was all orchestrated by Zack Wright, CEO of Zenith Corporation."
Vincent paced as he continued, "They weren't just trying to manipulate North Enterprises' stock—they were after confidential files too."
"They thought with Emma hospitalized and rumors of your marriage falling apart, they had the perfect opportunity."
"What they didn't anticipate was that the news of your marital problems was false," Vincent added. "And while Emma was indeed hospitalized, that information only went public after her recovery."
"Their timeline was off, their intelligence flawed. Zack's scheme was doomed from the start."
Something didn't sit right with me. "We're overlooking something critical."
Vincent tilted his head. "What's that, sir?"
"How did Zack learn about Emma's hospitalization in the first place?"
Information about Emma's condition had been tightly controlled. Someone had leaked it, and that someone was a significant threat.
Our discussion was interrupted by a knock at the door. Bill stepped out and returned a moment later with Luca.
"Mr. Sterling, Mr. Callahan," Luca greeted us with a nod.
"What brings you here?" I asked, studying the usually composed man's unusually serious expression.
Luca Vittori, despite his rugged appearance, had never been one to overstep boundaries or show up at Sterling Group unannounced. Something major must have happened.
"Mr. Sterling, I've identified who leaked the news about Emma's hospitalization in New York," Luca said gravely.
"Who?" My voice was deadly quiet, my eyes fixed on Luca.
"Finn Wright, son of Zack Wright."
"Finn Wright?" Vincent asked, signaling for Luca to elaborate.
"Yes. Jason sent Finn to study in Sicily, but the kid was a lost cause—joined a small-time Sicilian mob as an errand boy." Luca's disgust was evident in his voice.
"Unlike our operations or Emma's, this group is bottom-of-the-barrel. All they do is extort protection money, vandalize, rob, deal drugs, gamble, and visit brothels."
Luca took a breath before continuing. "Their leader has tried to establish connections with the Phoenix family at least ten times, but Emma never allowed them within a mile of Phoenix territory. She despises organizations like theirs."
"By sheer coincidence, Finn overdosed and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. He was discharged the same day Emma had her surgery."
"He spotted Isabella and the team captains in the hallway and put two and two together." Luca shook his head. "Only Emma could command the presence of every Phoenix lieutenant simultaneously. He figured out she was the patient inside."
"Something doesn't add up," I interjected. "If Finn exposed Emma's hospitalization, why didn't Zack learn about Emma's identity in Sicily? If he knew she was the Phoenix family's Donna, he would have spread that information across New York."
"That, Mr. Sterling, we can thank Finn himself for," Luca said with a bitter laugh.
"After leaving the hospital, he went straight to a nightclub and overdosed again that same night. Not as severely as before, but he assaulted someone and got himself beaten up."
"The Italian police arrested him, and he spent three months in jail. He wasn't released until after Emma had recovered."
"And he understood Phoenix's standing and methods all too well." Luca leaned forward. "The smartest thing he ever did was only telling Zack about Emma's hospitalization—not about her being Phoenix's leader."
"He feared saying too much would get him eliminated by Phoenix in Sicily."
"So thanks to Finn's tip, and Zack's discovery that Emma was behind the Henry situation, he decided to make his move in New York," Bill summarized, shaking his head. "Talk about shooting yourself in the foot."
"How did you uncover all this?" I asked Luca, curious about how such specific details had come to light.
"It wasn't me," Luca admitted. "Emma raided Finn's organization's hideout a couple of days ago."
"Finn was overdosing again and came at Emma with a knife. He was captured immediately."
"Emma was going to let him go because he's American, but the drugs hadn't worn off. When he recognized who Emma was, he started confessing everything right there in Phoenix's basement."
Luca looked both amused and disgusted. "I've seen people turn themselves in before, but I've never seen someone voluntarily confess directly to the person they wronged."