Page 73 of The Veiling

He winked. “Miss Ayala—”

“Isabelle.”

“Right.” He smiled warmly. “Isabelle, your uncle left you his entire fortune.”

“What?!” she snapped.

Stunned, I squinted at Joseph and Noah, who both had wide eyes, though they were trying their best to remain professional.

Carlos nodded and stood, placing his briefcase on my desk. He pressed two buttons, and it popped open. “I know you may be feeling a bit surprised.”

“Understatement,” Isabelle murmured.

“But here is everything you need.” He took out a stack of documents and gave them to her.

She shook her head, pushing them gently back at him. “Mr. Ortega, you know the estranged relationship I had with my uncle. You know how he was.”

Solemness appeared on his face. “Yes, I know it was not a good time for you, but my hands were tied. I could not do much to help.”

“So, please know I can’t accept anything from him.” She began to tear up. “It would just be wrong. I want no part of this.”

“Wait a second,” I interrupted. “You knew how Felipe was?”

He nodded. “He was a monster and really,” he sighed, “the world is a better place now. I only worked for him for the money. None of his staff liked him. Most were terrified of him. He paid us well, but he threatened us all every day. Whoever took that bastard out did us all a favor.”

“How do you know someone killed him?” I lifted a hand to my chin.

“When a disfigured severed head shows up on the doorstep, wrapped like a baby in a basket, it’s pretty clear. I only knew it was him from the knife tattoo behind his ear.”

“Someone put his head on your doorstep?” I clenched my jaw, glaring over at Noah.

“Yes, sir.” He shrugged. “Whoever it was, disabled my cameras and left no prints. I know because I had the place swept thinking it was a trap. A real slick and well-seasoned pro did it.”

I shifted my gaze to Noah once again. His head was held high as he stared at me with the faintest smirk painted on his lips. Gnawing at the inside of my cheek, I focused back on Carlos.

“They must have done their research because they knew it would cause me to have to pay Miss Ay…Isabelle a visit.”

Isabelle stretched her arm out. He placed the documents in her hand. She thumbed through them, then slapped it closed.

He clasped his hands together behind his back.

“Mr. Ortega, are these numbers real?”

“Very real.”

She shoved the documents into my chest. “Valentino,” she rasped breathlessly.

I flipped through them, still suspicious. Finally, I came to a large, eight figure number at the end, along with a list of properties and other assets. Swallowing hard, I closed the file and handed it back to him. “Isabelle,” I exhaled, “you have to accept this.”

“I will,” she nibbled the inside of her bottom lip, “on one condition.”

Curiously, we both observed her.

“We,” she glimpsed at me then back at Carlos, “have everything. More than we need. More than enough.” She sheepishly smiled up at me again, then turned back to him. “I know this money was obtained by nothing good. I don’t think he did one honest thing in his entire life, so I want to do only good with it.”

“And what would that be?”

“To track down everyone he wronged is impossible. I want you to help with selling off all his possessions first. Then I want to donate all the money to the charities we care most about.”

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