*ARIANA*
“Involved how?”
Victor turned back to me.
“Theodore requested a private review of a joint logistics agreement three days before he was shot.”
My pulse stumbled.
“A joint agreement between whom?”
“Chase Construction and one of our automotive subsidiaries.”
I stared at him.
“You’re saying his shooting is connected to your company?”
“I am saying,” Victor replied evenly, “that timing is rarely accidental.”
The air felt thinner.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“You were not yet in a position to understand it.”
“And now I am?”
“You hold voting power in the subsidiary tied to that agreement. If your father intended to halt it, and you now have authority over it, you are no longer peripheral.”
The implications unfolded slowly.
“You think someone shot him because of a
