“For allowing you to become a target because you noticed something my advisers should have caught.”
I didn’t know how to answer.
He continued.
“Our independent counsel obtained the original Italian correspondence from the firm that prepared the annotation. Their explanation matches yours.”
He placed a document on the table.
It was a formal translation prepared for his company’s review.
The wording was almost identical to what I’d said in the dining room.
I looked at it.
Dominic watched me.
“If you hadn’t spoken up, I might have approved the payment on the basis of Arthur’s summary.”
“What happened to the money?”
“It hasn’t been released.”
He explained that the twenty-six million dollars had been earmarked for an overseas investment connected to a shipping and logistics venture.
The transaction wasn’t inherently improper.
But the original documentation required independent verification of certain financial statements before the payment could proceed.
That verification hadn’t been completed.
An internal review had also discovered questionable invoices involving a consulting firm connected to one of Celeste’s longtime business associates.
Dominic didn’t pretend the audit was finished.
Nor did he claim that the inaccurate translation alone proved a criminal conspiracy.
“But it raises questions,” he said. “Questions my advisers should have answered before asking me to approve anything.”
I looked toward Ben.
He was listening intently.
Then I asked, “What about the wine?”
Dominic’s expression darkened.
“Investigators have confirmed that the bottle contained a toxic substance that should not have been there.”
My fingers went cold.
“So somebody really tried to poison you?”
“That’s what the evidence suggests. The police are determining who was responsible.”
I thought of Antoine holding the bottle.
Celeste insisting it be served.
