Chapter 12 - What Money Could Never Buy|
The next morning, the mansion felt different.
Nobody was preparing for a celebration.
Nobody was polishing silverware or arranging expensive flowers.
Instead, attorneys moved quietly between rooms.
Documents were being copied.
Company records were being preserved.
And Matteo Russo sat at his father's desk making decisions that would change his life.
Luca had agreed to cooperate with investigators after consulting an attorney.
Nadia was staying with relatives while the police assessed the threats.
Gabriel had begun reviewing financial records to help identify irregular transactions.
The sale of the mansion remained frozen.
But the trouble was far from over.
I found Matteo in the study shortly after breakfast.
His tie was loosened.
Dark circles shadowed his eyes.
An untouched cup of coffee sat beside him.
"Mr. Russo?"
He looked up.
"Anna."
"Your mother wants to know whether you're coming to lunch."
He smiled faintly.
"I'll try."
I hesitated.
He noticed.
"What's wrong?"
I looked at the papers spread across his desk.
"Is the house safe?"
He leaned back.
"For now."
I swallowed.
"And Mrs. Russo?"
He was quiet.
Then he answered.
"She's safer than she was."
I nodded.
That should have been enough.
But I couldn't stop thinking about what Luca had revealed.
The man everyone feared had allowed people around him to act without accountability.
His family's wealth had protected him from questions for years.
Until those unanswered questions reached the woman who had raised him.
"Can I ask you something?"
Matteo looked at me.
"Of course."
"Why didn't you notice?"
He stared at me.
I immediately regretted the question.
"I'm sorry."
"No."
He shook his head.
"Don't apologize."
For a moment, he looked toward the window.
Then he spoke.
"Because I thought giving my mother everything meant taking care of her."
I remained silent.
"Big house."
"Doctors."
"Staff."
"Security."
He laughed without humor.
"I gave her everything except enough of my time."
I thought of the suitcase.
The bus ticket.
The old woman apologizing for wearing her husband's coat.
Matteo continued.
"I thought I could keep my businesses separate from my family."
His expression darkened.
"But you don't get to build your life on fear and then act surprised when fear comes home."
I had never heard him speak so plainly about himself.
He looked at the papers.
"Some of these records are going to bring questions I should have answered years ago."
"Are you going to answer them now?"
He nodded.
"Yes."
Something about the simplicity of that answer stayed with me.
Not because it made everything right.
It didn't.
But because, for the first time, Matteo seemed willing to accept consequences instead of trying to control them.
Later that afternoon, Scarlett arrived at the front gate.
Victor called Matteo before admitting anyone.
Matteo refused to meet her privately.
Instead, a conference call was arranged with both sides' attorneys present.
I wasn't part of the meeting.
But Evelyn asked me to sit with her while it happened.
We waited in the morning room.
She held her Bible in her lap.
Every few minutes, she glanced toward the door.
"Do you think he's going to forgive Scarlett?" she asked.
I considered my answer.
"I don't know."
Evelyn looked down.
"I didn't like her very much."
I smiled sadly.
"I noticed."
She shook her head.
"But I kept trying."
"Why?"
"Because Matteo loved her."
She paused.
"And I thought if I complained, he'd think I was jealous."
My heart ached.
Evelyn had spent months trying to protect a relationship that was slowly destroying her peace.
"Mrs. Russo, you shouldn't have to compete for your son's love."
She looked at me.
Then she smiled faintly.
"No."
"I shouldn't."
An hour later, Matteo entered.
Evelyn stood.
"Well?"
He walked toward her.
"The engagement is over."
Her eyes filled.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart."
He shook his head.
"Don't be."
He knelt beside her chair.
"I should have listened when you were uncomfortable."
Evelyn touched his cheek.
"Sometimes mothers don't know everything."
Matteo smiled sadly.
"This time, you knew enough."
He explained that Scarlett had denied participating in any forgery.
Her attorneys had challenged the allegations.
Investigators would determine what had actually happened.
Elliot Hayes was also facing questions about the financing and the threats reported by Nadia.
Nothing could be settled simply by Matteo declaring someone guilty.
But he had ended the engagement.
And he had instructed his attorneys to cooperate with lawful investigations into the property transaction.
Then he told Evelyn something else.
"I've stepped away from the management of the companies involved in those transfers."
She stared at him.
"All of them?"
"The ones under review."
He nodded.
"I'm arranging independent oversight while investigators examine the records."
Evelyn looked concerned.
"Will you lose money?"
Matteo gave a tired smile.
"Probably."
She reached for his hand.
"Will you lose the house?"
He hesitated.
"The trust protects your right to live here."
"But we still have work to do."
Evelyn nodded.
Then she looked at her son.
"Matteo, I remember when your father lost his first business."
He smiled faintly.
"You've told me."
"We had almost nothing."
"I know."
She squeezed his hand.
"But we still had each other."
Her voice softened.
"And we were happy."
Matteo lowered his head.
Evelyn continued.
"If becoming rich means forgetting how to be good, then it costs too much."
For a long moment, Matteo said nothing.
Then he put his head against her shoulder.
And the man everyone feared in Chicago began to cry.
I quietly turned toward the door.
But Evelyn called my name.
"Anna?"
I stopped.
She smiled through her tears.
"Would you bring us some tea?"
I nodded.
"Of course."
Then she added, "And bring yourself a cup too."
I looked at her.
She patted the chair beside her.
"You're not serving us today, sweetheart."
Her smile widened.
"You're sitting with us."
That afternoon, we drank tea together in a room that had once been filled with secrets.
No champagne.
No expensive celebration.
May you like
Just an old woman, her son, and a young maid who had been afraid of losing her job.
For the first time, the mansion felt like a home again.
