Chapter 8 - THE TRUTH COMES TO LIGHTBy 2:00 AM, the atmosphere in the private study was entirely transformed.
Clara sat in a comfortable velvet armchair by the fire, holding a warm cup of tea, while Luca sat on the coffee table right in front of her, holding her hand as if he were afraid she would vanish into thin air.
“When Vanessa approached me at the adoption agency four years ago,” Clara explained, her voice steadying asological warmth of the room embraced her, “she claimed she was acting on your behalf—that you wanted the baby raised abroad to protect her from your underworld enemies. She promised I could visit her once things settled down. But when I tried to see Elena, they locked me out, threatened my life, and forced me into silence.”
“Vanessa is going away for the rest of her natural life,” Luca promised, his voice cold as ice. “My legal team is already dismantling every asset her family owns.”
“And Lucy... does she know?” Clara asked, her eyes shining with desperate hope.
“Not yet,” Luca smiled gently. “We wanted to wait for you. But she knows you love her. She saw you outside her school.”
Clara wiped a tear from her cheek. “I couldn't stay away. Every day I walked past those gates just to catch a glimpse of her.”
Luca stood up, looking at me with profound gratitude. “Emma. What you did tonight... words aren't enough. You saved my daughter from a lifetime of lies, and you reunited me with the woman I thought I lost forever.”
“I just did what any decent person would do,” I smiled warmly.
“You did much more than that,” Luca said firmly. “Effective immediately, your position as a maid is terminated.”
My heart plummeted into my shoes. Fired? After everything?
Before panic could set in, Luca continued smoothly, “You are hereby appointed as Director of Family Estates and Chief Confidential Advisor to the Moretti family. Your salary will be multiplied by ten, and your brother’s nursing school tuition is fully endowed in perpetuity.”
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I stood frozen in the center of the study, my jaw slightly slack. “Director... Chief Advisor? Mr.—Luca, I don't even have a business degree!”
“You have courage, loyalty, and an unyielding moral compass,” Luca said, his eyes gleaming with respect. “Qualities money can't buy. Welcome to the family, Emma.”
