Chapter 8: The Press Conference
The flashbulbs were blinding as I stepped up to the mahogany podium in the downtown press center. Microphones from four major networks crowded the stainless-steel rail, their foam covers stamped with network logos. To my right sat Martha, her posture immaculate in a dark navy blazer, and beside her, a senior partner from our forensic accounting firm holding a thick stack of verified bank statements. The air in the room hummed with collective anticipation; the sudden collapse of the Moretti Foundation had become front-page news across the country.
I adjusted the microphone, letting the sudden silence wash over the room before I spoke.
"For the past three years," I began, my voice steady and resonant in the crowded hall, "the public has been told that the musical catalog of the late composer Elena Moretti was discovered and curated by Victoria Moretti. Today, with the filing of forensic audits and verified manuscript evidence in the state civil court, that illusion ends."
A murmur rippled through the rows of journalists, cameras instantly refocusing and motorized lenses zooming in for tight reaction shots.
"Elena Moretti did not sell her rights, nor did she assign her catalog voluntarily," I continued, holding up the original handwritten score I had recovered from the grand piano bench. "Her work was systematically suppressed, her digital signatures forged, and her memory exploited to fund a corporate facade built entirely on deception. As of this morning, our legal team has filed a comprehensive motion to restore full intellectual property rights to her legal heirs—specifically, our three-year-old daughter, Lily."
A reporter from the front row thrust his hand up, shouting over the rising chatter. "Mr. Moretti! Where is Victoria Moretti right now, and how does she respond to these allegations of wire fraud?"
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"Victoria Moretti is currently unavailable for comment," I answered calmly, meeting the reporter's gaze without hesitation. "Her legal team has ceased communications as the federal investigation into foundation embezzlement broadened overnight. But this isn't about one person's fall from grace. It’s about ensuring that true artistry cannot be rewritten out of history by someone with enough money to buy a printing press."
I looked down at the documents spread before me, feeling a profound sense of quiet closure settling into my chest. The performance was over. The real work of healing could finally begin.
