Page 192 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

“Exactly,” Sanders confirms. “Become a minority shareholder. Get a seat on the board of directors. Observe, collect information, report strategic developments. And once the research becomes valuable enough…”

“He moves on to the next phase,” Andrea finishes.

“Yes. That’s when Wald steps in with a massive investment to gradually take control of the company.”

“That’s what he wanted to do with Aurenza,” Valeria says.

The inspector turns toward her.

“Yes. But you were extremely secretive about your research, which explains why Peltier approached Bianca instead.”

“He learned about NRX-889 through her.”

“Peltier studies people,” Mara continues. “That’s his job. He quickly understood the dynamic between all of you: Bianca’s jealousy toward Valeria, the way she looked at Dante… What she wanted. What she never would’ve dared to take on her own. He spotted a weakness. And he exploited it.”

“So that’s why Wald wanted to buy into the company,” I realize aloud.

“But instead of signing right away,” Valeria continues, “I started having doubts, and the negotiations dragged on. I told Bianca about my concerns… and that’s how I ended up at the bottom of the Seine.”

The conversation dies instantly.

“The goal now,” Sanders says, “is proving everything we just laid out.”

He closes his laptop before continuing:

“Hector Wald is protected by legal structures spread across three different countries. To personally bring him down, we’ll need proof that he directly ordered these acts. Taking him down will take time and likely require coordination with other agencies.”

“Can’t we do anything to speed things up?” I ask.

“Not directly. But we do have other leverage.”

“Bianca and Peltier,” Mara guesses. “If they fall…”

“They may want to negotiate,” Sanders finishes.

Mara and Sanders exchange a knowing smile.

“And they’ll hand us Wald to reduce their sentence,” Mara says.

Sanders nods.

“Exactly.”

It’s unsettling how easily they understand each other without needing to explain anything.

“As it happens, we have something for you,” I say, handing him the USB drive.

The inspector studies it suspiciously before plugging it into his computer.

Two video files appear on the screen.

He clicks on the first one.

The footage shows Bianca copying files from Valeria’s research computer.

Sanders immediately straightens in his chair.

“This video hasn’t been tampered with?” he asks at once, clearly on guard.