All Chapters of DON'T MESS WITH THE HEIRESS : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

130 Chapters

CHAPTER 51: THE MIDNIGHT ARCHIVE

That night I got an encrypted file on my satellite phone. It was from Cassian.Stephen and I were sitting in the library looking at a laptop screen. The screen was shining into his eyes. We were checking out the "Black Wing" accounts. That's when we found out what my father had really been up to. It wasn't about taking peoples land or making them owe him money."Look at this " Stephen said quietly pointing to some money transfers on the screen. "My father wasn't just giving money to the Doctrine. He was also messing with the money of the countries he was supposed to be helping. He was causing problems so that when he helped it would seem like a deal."It was a cycle. At the bottom of the list I saw a name that scared me.Sterling, C.. Consultant Fees (1998-2004).*Claire Sterling wasn't someone who worked for the people my father owed money to. She was also getting money from him. She helped build the "Tower of Glass". Now she wanted to take what was left."She doesn't just want the m

CHAPTER 52: THE LIONESS AND THE LEDGER

The drive to the village was really quiet. The only sounds I could hear were the trucks engine and the gravel under the tires. I had my laptop on my lap. It felt like I was holding something that could hurt me. This laptop had secrets inside secrets about my father and Claire Sterling.We did not go to the bistro or the square. Instead we went to the post office. They have an internet connection there. The post office is a room that smells like old books and wax. Tonight it was the important place for me.Stephen said my name, "Hannah" when I got out of the truck. He grabbed my arm. Looked at me. "If you send this information to the people in London and Nairobi you cannot take it back. The Vane name will be in trouble. You might lose all your money."I told Stephen "The Vane name is not clean. It is time we faced the truth. If I have to give up my money to be free I will do it."I went into the post office. The clerk, Pierre knew me when I was a kid. He looked at me. Saw that I was se

CHAPTER 53: THE COUNTER- GAMBIT

I just sat there. I did not even look at the screen. I leaned back against the desk. Crossed my arms."You own the nodes in Paris, Claire. Maybe even the ones in London " I said. "You do not own the ones in Nairobi. You certainly do not own the Phoenix network."Her smile was not so sure anymore. For a moment I saw that she was not sure what to do."What are you talking about?" she asked."The file did not go to a regulator " I explained, feeling excited. "It went to Sarah. Sarah is with twelve women that the Consultant Fees hurt. They are telling the world what happened. By now everyone knows that the Vane creditors are the ones who made the debt."Claires phone started vibrating in her pocket. Then the phones of the two men behind her started vibrating"You are bluffing " she said, trying to get her phone."Look at the news Claire " I said. "The Tower of Glass did not fall because someone hit it. It fell because I showed everyone the truth."Stephen stepped forward standing between

CHAPTER 54: THE SILENCE AFTER THE STORM

The walk back to the truck felt like I was floating. The weight of my dads secrets that had been on my chest for long was finally off.We drove back to the villa in the dark. When we got to the driveway I saw the lights on at the Rossi familys cottages. They were still up celebrating the end of the press. They didn't know about the Black Wing or Claire Sterling. All they knew was that the grapes were in the vats and the land was theirs now.Stephen stopped the truck near the well. He turned off the engine and the valley was quiet."Is it over?" Stephen asked me quietly."The war is over " I said, resting my head on the seat. "Now we have to rebuild. There will be trials, Stephen. People will ask us questions about the money and how much I knew about it.""We will answer them together " Stephen said.I looked at the villa. It looked different to me now. It didn't look like a fortress anymore. It looked like a house that was waiting for a family to live in and make it their home. I thou

CHAPTER 55: THE ROOT AND THE BRANCH

The morning was really nice. I did not wake up to a phone ringing. I woke up to the sound of a rooster in the village and the smell of coffee. It was great.I walked down to the kitchen to find Sofia Rossi. She was making dough on the oak table. Her hands were moving slowly and nicely. She looked up at me and for the time she did not see the Vane Woman. She saw Hannah."The bread will be ready by noon " she said. ". Marco says the North slope is calling for you. He says you are getting too slow with the shears."I laughed. It was a laugh that I had not heard from myself in years. "Tell him I am coming. I just have to find my boots."As I walked out onto the terrace I saw the Phoenix rising. It was not about power. It was just the sun coming up over the ridge. The big work was done. As I looked at the rows of vines waiting for me I realized that the important work was just beginning.I was no longer the heiress to a stolen empire. I was the woman of the vines. The season was finally mi

CHAPTER 56: THE WINTER OF THE GAVEL

The sunshine we had during harvest time was slowly fading away and a cold wind started to blow from the mountains. This cold wind changed our green vineyard into a grey and empty place with frozen ground. Winter in the valley was a time when people had to work to protect what they had while others tried to take it away in courtrooms that were very far away.The problems that came after the big fight were not one big problem they were many small problems that came one after another. Every morning the mailman would bring envelopes to the village post office and these envelopes had papers like summons and depositions. The book that showed all the things Claire Sterling did had worked it had taken away her power. Now the people who were affected by her actions were trying to do something about it.I was sitting in the library of the villa, which was now a room where we planned our steps. The walls were covered with papers that showed what was happening in the court case. I said to Stephen

CHAPTER 57: THE TESTIMONY OF THE HEART

Two weeks went by. The big work moved to a grey building in the city. I was not wearing boots anymore I was back in a suit. My hair was pulled back. I looked like a Vane again. I felt like a stranger in my own skin when I stood before the people who were asking me questions.Claire Sterling was sitting across the room she looked really small. Her suit looked too big for her and her eyes did not have the fire in them that I was used to seeing in Claire Sterling.The man in charge started talking his voice was loud in the room. "Ms. Vane" he said, "you say you did not know about the Black Wing accounts until you got married. You were in charge of the Phoenix Doctrine for a time. How did you not know about the Black Wing accounts?"I looked him in the eye I did not look at the lawyers or the cameras. I said "my family built a system that only showed us what they wanted us to see. We saw the schools we built in Nairobi we saw the wells we made.. We did not see the bad things my family was

CHAPTER 58: THE SILENT PARTNER

When I walked out of the hearing the city air felt awful compared to the vineyards smell. A black car waited by the curb. It wasn't the sedan I expected. There was no police car with it.The window rolled down. It was Julian.He didn't look tired anymore. He looked like a man free from something that had been bothering him."You did a job Hannah " he said, but I had to strain to hear him over the city noise. "The Black Wing is finished. The people who lent them money are now fighting.""I didn't do it alone Julian " I said, leaning on the door. "You gave me the paper that showed who owned the place. You helped me get started with this."He looked away watching some pigeons fly away in the plaza. "I gave you what you needed to get started. You were brave enough to see it through. I just wanted to tell you... The money in Nairobi is safe now. Sarah has it and the women don't owe the Vane family anything anymore.""What, about you?" I asked. "Where will you go now that the Tower is gone?

CHAPTER 59: THE RETURN TO THE STONE

The drive back to the valley felt like I was going down into a hole. When the truck went over the hill I saw the villa. It didn't look like a building anymore. It looked like a light.Stephen was waiting for me at the entrance. He didn't ask about the court hearing. He didn't ask about Julian. He just opened the truck door. Gave me a big hug. His hug smelled like wood and smoke from a fire."Welcome home Hannah " he said quietly."Is the water from the well good?" I asked, with my face against his coat."The water is still clear and cold " he said. "The roses? Marco says they are starting to grow. They will be ready in the spring."We walked to the house together. We still had a lot of work to do with the trials and papers. This work would take a time maybe many years. The important work, the work that came from my heart was finished. I was not the Vane Heiress anymore. I was the woman who brought the past back to this land. As the winter stars started to shine over the vines I knew I

CHAPTER 60: THE THAW

The first sign of spring was not the green on the vines. It was the sound of water. The mountain runoff started to rush through the stone channels an insistent sound that meant our winter was ending. For months we had been waiting to see what would happen. Half of our time was spent in the vineyard and half in the courtroom. As the ice started to melt the people who were owed money by the Vane family finally gave up.I was in the kitchen with Sofia and the smell of garlic was around us when Stephen came in with a big envelope. It was not the kind of paper that we got from the court. It was paper from the High Court of Florence. I looked at the envelope. I felt anxious and worried."Is this another appeal?" I asked Stephen.Stephen did not say anything. He just put the paper on the table. Pointed to the bottom. There was a stamp and a signature from the Chief Magistrate. It said that the Rossi Trust is now a thing and that the Vane Estate and the people who were owed money by them coul

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