Page 113 of Morally Corrupt

I'm shocked at the contents of the audio. Did Martin want to sell Bianca? What kind of fucked-up shit is that? How could he even contemplate that? Especially given his wealth, what more could he possibly want that he'd be willing to trade in his own daughter.

"Well," Bianca starts, and she doesn't seem the least affected by what she'd just heard. "We know the assailant spoke Spanish. We just need the list of invitees to see who it might have been."

"And how do you intend to ask for it?" Vlad asks. "Enzo will want to know why Spanish, and you can't very well say that you bugged his office."

Bianca strokes her chin and thinks, and within seconds, her eyes light up, and she reaches for her phone.

"Enzo. Yes, it's Bianca. I just remembered something that might be useful. Before he was killed, my father took me aside and told me he had some money problems, and some Spanish person was after him. Yes, I'm sure he said Spanish… Do you think you could check the invitee list and forward me the names of Spanish or Spanish speakers? Are you sure? … And the times match? … Do you happen to have a picture from your CCTV? … Yes, thank you!"

"So?" Vlad and I ask at the same time

"You're not going to like this."

"Spill, B!" Vlad seems as anxious as I am.

"Enzo told me that the only Spanish-speaking person he could name off the top of his head was Jimenez's substitute, and the man following him lost him around the time Martin turned up dead. After that, he just vanished."

My eyes widen as I take in the new information.

"Martin and Jimenez?" Vlad's eyebrows shoot up. "Now,thatI didn't think of."

"Did you?" I ask Bianca, and my words come out a little harsher than I intend.

"No, not at all." She frowns as she thinks. "I didn't always pay attention to whatever garbage Martin had involved himself in, but I would have never believed him to bethatdeep with the cartel."

I believe her. She has no reason to lie, considering her strained relationship with Martin.

"Replay the conversation!" I turn back to the computer, and Vlad clicks on play again.

"There!" I stop him, and you can hear Martin say again,"He didn't want to meet my conditions. But then I screwed him too, didn't I? When I gave her to Hastings. He's probably still bitter about that, isn't he?"

"He was planning to sell me to Jimenez?" Bianca narrows her eyes.

"It must have been around the time we started dating. Although I really don't know what he means bygiving youto me."

"I think he means forcing our meetings. Let's face it, after he introduced us, you were forever a fixed element in the house.That, I didn't even have to manufacture myself," Bianca adds ironically, andlooking back, I have to agree. Martin had been trying to force a proximity between us. But why?

"Why you?" Bianca voices my own question. "The question now is whether Jimenez wasbitterjustbecause it wasn't him or because it was you specifically."

"And why would Jimenez want you?" I shudder to think of the possibility. No, better not let my mind wander there.

"Why does anyone want a barely legal girl?" she says with a shrug, and Vlad finds this the best time to joke.

"It might have been better if your father had given you to Jimenez." When none of us are replying, he further adds, "He would already be dead. Come on, you think B would have spared him?" he addresses to me.

"Probably not…" I respond.

"We need to figure out what connection Martin had with Jimenez," Bianca says before looking at her phone and frowning. "Wait. Vlad, I'm forwarding you Enzo's pictures. Pull them up on the screen."

Vlad complies, and the CCTV pictures show a silver-haired man in a tuxedo mingling around the guests. Swiping through the images, he finally stops at one that shows a close-up of the man.

"Shit," I exclaim, moving closer to the screen to make sure I'm not wrong.

"Anyone you know?" Vlad turns his head towards me.

"Yes…I knew him. At least I think so. He's older now, of course. But I knew him more than fifteen years ago."

"Who is he?"

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