Page 33 of The Omega Accountant

Matteo's expression revealed nothing, but his scent shifted subtly—anger controlled so precisely it barely registered through our bond. "Myfather financing attempts on my life throughSouzaproxies.Creatingplausible deniability while testing financial infrastructure that could later transfer my inheritance after my convenient elimination."

The clinical assessment of his own father's betrayal—delivered without emotion despite the bond that now connected us on molecular levels—showcased the compartmentalization that had allowedMatteoCorvinoto survive in a world where family loyalty meant something very different than in ordinary contexts.

"There's more,"Icontinued, turning back to the computer with renewed focus, fingers flying across the keyboard asIaccessed deeper levels of encrypted data. "Ifwe apply this pattern recognition to otherCorvinoholdings—specifically the legitimate business interests under your direct control rather than your father's?—"

My voice faltered as confirmation appeared on screen—digital evidence more damning than evenIhad anticipated. "Yourfather has been systematically transferring controlling interests in your companies to shell corporations that trace back to this entity."Ihighlighted a corporate nameI'doriginally dismissed as irrelevant background. "MezzanotteHoldings."

Matteo moved to stand behind me, his proximity sending awareness cascading through my system despite the gravity of our discovery.Hishand settled on the back of my chair—not touching me directly, but close enough that his scent enveloped me, protective alpha pheromones responding to what he recognized as genuine threat to what was his.

"Mezzanotte," he repeated, the word emerging as recognition rather than question. "Mymother's maiden name."

Understanding crystallized between us—not random corporate entity but deliberate choice, symbolic declaration hidden in plain sight for those who knew where to look.DonCorvinohadn't just been planning alternative succession; he'd been creating shadow empire built from pieces stolen from his own son, named for the wife whose death had fractured whatever bond might once have existed between father and heir.

"He's been planning this for years,"Matteoobserved, voice dropping to register that vibrated with controlled fury. "Sincebefore he began pushing theSofiamarriage arrangement.Acontingency plan ifIproved... uncooperative."

"A planIdisrupted whenIfound the missing millions,"Iadded, pieces connecting with devastating clarity. "WhenIbrought the evidence to you instead of him.Whenwe formed alliance he hadn't anticipated."

"WhenIclaimed you publicly,"Matteofinished, his hand moving from the chair to my shoulder, the contact sending awareness cascading through our bond despite the gravity of our discovery. "WhenIchose partnership over political expediency."

The touch—warm and solid through the fabric of my shirt—anchored me as implications expanded outward from our discovery.Notjust financial crimes but orchestrated betrayal at levels that transcended ordinary family politics.Notjust succession planning but calculated elimination of heir who had proven resistant to manipulation.

"No one else could have found this,"Matteosaid quietly, the assessment emerging with certainty that registered through our bond as genuine rather than mere flattery. "Notmy financial team.NotCarlo.Noteven me."

I looked up at him, surprised by the open admiration in his expression—alpha acknowledging omega capability without qualification or reservation. "Ijust followed the numbers,"Ioffered, uncomfortable with praise that felt foreign after years of calculated invisibility.

"No,"Matteocountered, his hand tightening slightly on my shoulder. "Yousaw patterns no one else recognized.Connectionsno one else made.Youunwound financial labyrinths designed by people who've spent decades hiding their activities from international authorities."Hisgaze held mine with intensity that transmitted through our bond with unmistakable sincerity. "You'renot just smart,Luca.You'rebrilliant.Themost formidable mindI'veencountered in any secondary gender."

The assessment—delivered without qualification or patronization—settled something restless within me, some need for recognition that transcended omega biology or human vanity.Notpraise sought, but capability acknowledged.Notweakness accommodated, but strength respected.

"So now we have proof,"Isaid, redirecting focus to the practical implications of our discovery. "Whatdo we do with it?"

Matteo's expression shifted to something colder, more calculated—the underboss reasserting himself beneath the mate who had momentarily shown genuine admiration. "Weprepare counteroffensive.Securewhat remains under my direct control.Buildevidence package too comprehensive for even my father to dismiss or manipulate."

The shift from appreciation to strategy might once have disappointed me—evidence that even this alpha, who had shown capacity for connection beyond secondary gender, prioritized tactical advantage over emotional acknowledgment.Butsomething in his scent told a different story—the protection, the pride, the genuine respect persisting beneath strategic focus rather than replacing it.

"And us?"Iasked, the question emerging beforeIcould filter it through professional detachment. "Wheredo we fit in this counteroffensive?"

Matteo's hand moved from my shoulder to brush the claiming mark at my neck—the touch sending awareness cascading through our bond with intensity that belied its brevity. "Weremain what we've become," he said simply. "Partnersin ways my father never anticipated when he set these plans in motion."

The declaration—of partnership rather than possession, of connection that transcended strategic alliance or biological claiming—registered through our bond with certainty that translated where words alone might have proven insufficient.

"Partners,"Iagreed, accepting the definition that had begun evolving between us since paper claiming had progressed to physical bonding.

The evidence glowed on screens surrounding us—digital proof of betrayal that would have destroyed me as convenient scapegoat ifMatteohadn't intervened, if claiming hadn't transformed strategic alliance into something neither of us had vocabulary to fully define.Thenumbers told their story with mathematical precision—the languageI'dalways trusted when human motivations remained opaque or suspect.

But for the first time, the certainty of those numbers felt less significant than the certainty forming between alpha and omega, between underboss and accountant, between two people navigating territory more complex than either had anticipated when this journey began.

Perhaps that was the most unexpected discovery of all—that in a world defined by calculation and strategy, by violence and manipulation, the partnership forming between us might prove more consequential than even the betrayal we'd uncovered together.

Fingers unconsciously rising to touch the claiming mark at my neck,Iturned back to the screens, to the evidence onlyIhad been able to unravel.Mymind—the weaponMatteohad recognized and respected beyond biological designation or traditional hierarchy—focusing once more on the patterns that would protect what we were building together.

What had begun as paper claiming had evolved into something neither of us had fully anticipated—a partnership forged through crisis and choice alike, strengthened through mutual recognition of capability beyond secondary gender or traditional expectation.

His, alpha biology insisted with possessive certainty.

Ours, partnership countered with evolving conviction.

The distinction made all the difference as we faced betrayal that threatened everything we'd begun building together—from claiming bond to mutual respect, from biological connection to genuine partnership.

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