Chapter 9 - The Necklace That Exposed a Lie|
Isabella Romano was waiting in the mansion's library when we returned.
She sat beside the fireplace wearing a dark green dress.
Around her neck hung the emerald pendant.
I recognized it immediately.
The tiny gold clasp was shaped like a leaf.
My father had repaired it himself when I was ten.
I remembered watching him work at the kitchen table.
There was no possibility of mistaking it.
"Where did you get that necklace?" I demanded.
Isabella looked up.
Her expression changed.
Massimo closed the library doors.
"Mother, answer her."
Isabella touched the pendant.
"It's mine."
"No," I said.
"It belonged to my mother."
She looked at Massimo.
"Is this really necessary?"
"Yes."
Her composure began to crack.
"I've had this necklace for years."
"How many years?"
She hesitated.
"Nearly fifteen."
My heart pounded.
"My mother died thirteen years ago."
Isabella looked away.
Massimo stepped closer.
"Mother."
She finally stood.
"Your father gave it to me."
Massimo froze.
"My father?"
"Yes."
I stared at her.
"Why would your husband have my mother's necklace?"
Isabella pressed her lips together.
"Because your parents were involved in something dangerous."
"That's not an answer."
She turned toward the window.
"Your father came to our house one night."
I stopped breathing.
"He was desperate."
"Why?"
"He believed Vittorio had discovered the evidence your mother collected."
Massimo's expression hardened.
"And Father?"
"He promised to help."
I looked at the necklace.
"Then why did he give you that?"
Isabella's eyes filled with tears.
"Because it contained something."
She reached behind her neck and unclasped the chain.
Then she pressed a tiny indentation near the pendant's edge.
A hidden compartment opened.
Inside was a miniature memory card.
I gasped.
Massimo stared.
"You knew?"
Isabella shook her head.
"Not until your father died."
The room became very quiet.
Massimo's father had died five years earlier.
I'd heard the story.
A heart attack during a business trip.
"He left me a letter," Isabella whispered.
"He said the necklace held proof that Vittorio had been stealing from the family."
"Then why didn't you tell me?" Massimo demanded.
She looked at him.
"Because I was afraid."
"Of my uncle?"
"Of what the truth would do to you."
Massimo laughed bitterly.
"You let me negotiate a marriage with the Vitalis while knowing Vittorio was manipulating our businesses?"
"I thought I could keep the peace."
"By sacrificing my future?"
Tears rolled down Isabella's cheeks.
"I was trying to protect you."
Massimo turned away.
I watched him struggle with the same realization that had haunted me all day.
Sometimes the people who love us most make terrible choices in the name of protection.
I stepped toward Isabella.
"Did my mother know you had the necklace?"
She nodded.
"She gave it to your father before she died."
My throat tightened.
"Why?"
"Because she trusted him."
I looked at Massimo.
His father had tried to protect my family.
And somehow, his son had saved my life years later.
The connections were almost impossible to comprehend.
Massimo took out his phone.
"Detective Brooks needs to see this."
Isabella grabbed his wrist.
"Wait."
He stared at her.
"Why?"
"Because there's something else."
My stomach tightened.
She took a shaky breath.
"Vittorio isn't acting alone."
Massimo went still.
"Who is helping him?"
Isabella looked toward the library doors.
"Adriana's father."
"Carlo Vitali?"
She nodded.
"The engagement wasn't about marriage."
Massimo's jaw tightened.
"It was about merging the companies."
"Yes."
"And gaining access to Father's trust."
"Yes."
Massimo swore under his breath.
I looked between them.
"What trust?"
Isabella sat down.
"Your grandfather created a family trust that controls the voting shares of Romano Holdings."
She looked at her son.
"Massimo can block any transfer while he remains the sole trustee."
"And marriage changes that?" I asked.
"Under the agreement Vittorio prepared, Adriana would have become a co-trustee."
Massimo's expression turned murderous.
"They wanted control."
Isabella nodded.
"And once they had it, they planned to remove you."
The room fell silent.
Then a voice spoke from the doorway.
"How touching."
We turned.
Adriana Vitali stood there.
She wore a red coat and held a small handbag.
Her face was pale.
"I wondered when someone would finally tell you."
Massimo stepped forward.
"How much do you know?"
Adriana looked at him.
"Enough."
"Then start talking."
She shook her head.
"Not here."
"Why?"
"Because my father has people inside this house."
Isabella gasped.
Adriana looked directly at me.
"And because the moment Sophie walked into your bedroom, they knew their plan was falling apart."
I stared at her.
"Then why did they send me there?"
Adriana swallowed.
"To make Massimo look compromised before the engagement announcement."
"Compromised how?"
"They planned to photograph you together and accuse him of abusing his position over a contractor."
My stomach turned.
Massimo's face became cold.
Adriana continued.
"But your little argument ruined the timing."
I remembered Elena.
The turning door handle.
The family bursting inside.
Everything had been staged.
Adriana took a trembling breath.
"And now my father knows I warned you."
Suddenly, her phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Her face drained of color.
"It's him."
Massimo held out his hand.
"Answer it."
She did.
Carlo Vitali's voice filled the room.
"Adriana, sweetheart."
She swallowed.
"Hello, Dad."
"Are you enjoying your visit with the Romanos?"
Nobody moved.
Then Carlo laughed softly.
"Tell Sophie Miller I hope she enjoyed learning about her mother."
My blood froze.
May you like
He continued.
"Because unless she gives me what her parents stole, her little flower shop won't be the only thing she loses."
