Chapter 5 - The Trust No One Mentioned
The next morning, Luca called an attorney named Rachel Adler.
She arrived carrying two leather briefcases, an expression of permanent skepticism, and no apparent fear of the Moretti name.
"Let's begin with the simplest fact," she said. "A guardianship request does not mean Isabella is going anywhere. A judge will look at her actual welfare, reliable evidence, and her father's rights. We respond with facts, not threats."
Luca nodded once.
Rachel spread the trust papers across the dining room table. Sofia Moretti had established the fund before her death, intending to provide for Isabella's education, healthcare, and lifelong needs. Its assets were substantial, but the unusual amendment mattered more than the amount.
If a particular outside guardian took control, payments could be authorized to an affiliated residential-care organization. That organization's new director was Eleanor Voss.
"A conflict of interest," Rachel said. "Potentially a very serious one. But we need records and proper legal process before we accuse anyone of fraud."
I examined a brochure clipped to the paperwork. Smiling children posed beneath a bright blue banner reading NEW HORIZONS FAMILY CENTER.
"This is the program the senator mentioned at school," I said.
Luca looked at the brochure as though it might catch fire.
"He tried to convince my daughter she'd be happier away from me."
Rachel studied the document. "Then we need to learn who paid him to promote it, if anyone did."
Over the next several days, our lives narrowed around evidence. Rachel obtained copies of the school correspondence. Mrs. Carter wrote a factual statement about the photographer's instructions. I wrote down every encounter I'd personally witnessed, carefully distinguishing Isabella's words from my own observations.
Rachel warned me that being a credible witness meant resisting the temptation to fill gaps.
"Even when you know someone is lying," she said, "tell only what you actually know."
It was good advice. Hard advice.
On Thursday, a courier delivered an envelope addressed to me.
Inside was an offer of employment at a luxury hotel in Seattle, complete with relocation costs and a salary three times what I earned now.
There was no interview history. No recruiter I'd contacted.
A handwritten note accompanied the offer.
A fresh start is better than a public scandal.
I took it straight to Rachel.
"Don't respond," she said. "We'll preserve it."
That evening, Isabella found me folding laundry in the upstairs sitting room.
Are you leaving? she signed.
I froze. Why would you think that?
Vanessa said people who love me always leave eventually.
I knelt beside her.
I won't disappear without talking to you, I promised. But grown-ups sometimes have to make decisions about their jobs. None of that means you did anything wrong.
She considered my answer, then hugged me.
Across the hallway, Luca watched quietly.
After Isabella went to bed, he found me in the kitchen.
"I saw the job offer," he said. "If leaving keeps you safe, I won't blame you."
"Do you want me gone?"
"No."
The answer came too quickly.
His eyes met mine.
"I want my daughter safe. And I want you to be free to choose your life. Those aren't always the same thing."
My heart tightened.
"Then let's make sure she has a safe home before I decide anything."
He gave a tired smile.
Then Rachel called.
She had learned that the director of New Horizons had personally contacted Isabella's school.
May you like
And the visit hadn't been arranged by Vanessa.
It had been arranged by someone using Luca's own office letterhead.
