Chapter 7 - A Mother’s Worst Night
The police searched my apartment the next morning. Nothing was missing except Eli's dinosaur, but the lock had been tampered with. A neighbor remembered seeing a maintenance van parked outside after dark. The building manager had not scheduled any repairs.
I packed Eli's school clothes with shaking hands. He asked whether we were moving forever. I told him we were staying somewhere safe while adults fixed a problem. He watched me carefully, as children do when they know a sentence is too small for the truth.
"Are you scared, Mommy?"
"Yes," I said. "But I'm making a plan."
"Can Duke come with us?"
"Duke's already waiting."
At the mansion, Luca suggested that Eli and I use the guest wing rather than the separate cottage. The wing had its own entrance and a small kitchen. I accepted only after Evelyn helped put the arrangement in writing, including that it was temporary and unrelated to my employment.
Luca read the agreement without complaint. "You should always know where you stand," he said.
I had spent years being grateful for whatever anyone offered. Asking for boundaries felt strangely like standing on a solid floor.
Teresa turned the sitting room into a makeshift playroom. Eli arranged toy cars along the carpet while Duke supervised from his bed. Luca ordered a veterinary visit, not because Duke had become an inconvenience, but because he deserved to be comfortable. The veterinarian adjusted his pain-management plan and recommended gentle exercise, supportive bedding, and rest.
"He is an old gentleman," she said. "We can't make him young, but we can make his days good."
Teresa kissed the dog's white forehead. "That's all I want."
That evening, I heard Luca speaking to Marco in the hall. "No retaliation. No shortcuts. Every camera clip goes to the investigators."
I paused, surprised by how much relief those words brought. The Moretti name had a history, and Luca could not undo it in a week. But he could choose what happened next.
At dinner, Eli asked Luca why everyone called him boss. Luca considered the question.
"Because I run several companies," he said.
"Do you boss Duke?"
"Absolutely not. Duke runs this house."
Teresa laughed so hard she had to set down her fork. I realized I hadn't heard her laugh like that before Eli arrived.
Later, Luca walked with me through the greenhouse. The glass roof reflected the city lights, and rain made soft patterns overhead. He told me he had loved Vanessa once, or at least the future he imagined with her. He had mistaken agreement for affection and silence for peace.
"I was lonely long before I knew it," he said.
"Loneliness can make bad promises sound reasonable," I answered.
He asked about Eli's father. I explained that he'd left before Eli was born and had never chosen to be involved. I had stopped waiting for him to become someone else.
"You shouldn't have had to do everything alone," Luca said.
"I didn't," I replied. "My neighbor helped. Teresa helps. Sometimes family is who shows up."
We stood quietly, not touching. I liked that he did not rush to turn my honesty into a romantic moment.
The next morning, Evelyn brought news. The foundation vote had been postponed after three trustees demanded independent oversight. Dominic had been temporarily suspended from signing authority.
But the accountant also found a transfer of two million dollars scheduled for Friday, disguised as payment for a senior-care development. The recipient company belonged to Aldo Bellini.
"If it clears, recovering the money could take years," Evelyn said.
Luca looked at the transfer order. "Then we stop it through the bank and the court."
He called the foundation's counsel, authorized an emergency injunction request, and asked investigators to preserve the records.
By evening, a judge had temporarily frozen the disputed transfer pending review.
Aldo called Luca personally. I heard only Luca's side of the conversation.
"You threatened a child," Luca said. "Whether you ordered it or allowed it, the police will find out. Do not contact my family again."
He hung up. His face was pale.
"What did he say?" I asked.
Luca looked toward the room where Eli was sleeping.
May you like
"He said my father should have left the past buried."
And then we understood: Aldo knew about Frank's ledger long before we opened the bank box.
