Chapter 8 - The Last Flight
Richard Sterling planned to leave at dawn.
He had booked a private flight under an alias and arranged for the original medical foundation ledger to be transported separately. The ledger contained the names of shell companies, false invoices, and payments to officials who had helped conceal Isabella's confinement.
If it disappeared, the investigation would become far more difficult.
Sebastian met with the lead investigator shortly before midnight.
“I know where Richard is going,” he said. “I can help you stop him.”
“You understand that you cannot confront him yourself.”
“I understand.”
“And you will not bring armed men.”
Sebastian looked at Marco.
“My security team will stand down.”
It was the first time in years he had surrendered control of a situation to people outside his organization.
At 5:40 a.m., investigators entered the private airfield.
Richard was already beside the aircraft, speaking on his phone.
When he saw the officers, he tried to return to his vehicle.
They stopped him before he reached the door.
“Richard Sterling, you are under arrest.”
He stared at Sebastian, who stood behind the investigators.
“You did this?”
Sebastian said nothing.
Richard laughed bitterly.
“You have no idea what you've destroyed. Your family's money built hospitals. It paid for schools. It kept people alive.”
“Then why steal from it?”
“We took what we needed.”
“You took money meant for sick children.”
Richard's face twisted.
“Your father knew how the world worked. He understood that clean hands don't build empires.”
Sebastian stepped forward.
“My father is not here to defend himself. But you will answer for your own decisions.”
Richard glanced toward the aircraft.
“You think the truth will save you? The Romano name is stained with blood. You're no better than the rest of us.”
Sebastian accepted the accusation without flinching.
“Maybe I haven't been. That's why I'm handing over the records.”
Richard's confidence faltered.
The original ledger was recovered from a locked compartment in the aircraft's luggage hold. Investigators also seized electronic devices and documents connecting Richard to the private facility, the forged death certificate, and the attempted removal of Lily.
Vincent was charged separately with conspiracy, financial crimes, and unlawful confinement. Dr. Hale was arrested later that morning.
Vanessa was not immediately released from questioning.
She had signed the transfer authorization, helped conceal Isabella's disappearance, and lied to Sebastian about the death certificate. Her cooperation could be considered, but it would not erase her actions.
When Sebastian visited her in the interview room, she looked up hopefully.
“Will you tell them I didn't know everything?”
“I will tell them the truth.”
“Sebastian, I loved you.”
He took a slow breath.
“You may have loved me in your own way. But love doesn't give you the right to decide who I can grieve, who I can trust, or whether my child gets to live with her parents.”
Vanessa began to cry.
“I was jealous of her.”
“Then you should have walked away.”
“I thought if she disappeared, you would finally choose me.”
Sebastian looked at her with something colder than anger.
“You didn't win me. You helped destroy the woman I loved.”
He left the room.
Outside, Marco waited with a report.
Investigators had found evidence that several employees within the Romano organization had helped route the payments and falsify records.
Sebastian ordered the legitimate companies to preserve all documents and suspend any transactions connected to the foundation.
He also announced that he would step away from the organization's criminal operations and cooperate with the investigation.
Marco watched him carefully.
“Your father would never have done this.”
Sebastian looked toward the sunrise.
“Then perhaps this is one thing I can do better than him.”
For the first time, the Romano family would face its history without hiding behind its power.
But the hardest part of Sebastian's journey was not over.
Isabella had returned.
May you like
Lily was safe.
Now he had to learn how to be a husband, a father, and a man worthy of the second chance he had been given.
