Chapter 6 - The Photograph Behind the Office Wall|
Luca's office had always frightened me.
Not because of the furniture.
The mahogany desk.
The leather chairs.
The shelves filled with expensive books.
But because everyone who entered that room seemed to leave carrying some new burden.
It was where Luca handled business.
Where men lowered their voices.
Where nobody interrupted unless something was urgent.
Now Noah was standing in the doorway, holding my hand.
He looked toward his father.
Can Ella stay?
Luca nodded.
Of course.
Noah relaxed slightly.
Then he walked toward a framed photograph hanging near the bookshelf.
It showed Luca and Michael as teenagers.
Both smiling.
Their father stood between them.
Dark-haired.
Broad-shouldered.
Stern.
Noah pointed.
Behind.
Luca frowned.
Behind the picture?
Noah nodded.
Luca carefully lifted the frame from the wall.
Behind it was a small recessed compartment.
My heart stopped.
Inside sat a brown envelope.
Luca stared.
"Michael."
He removed it.
The envelope was unsealed.
Inside were photographs.
Several showed the exterior of a large brick building.
A sign near the entrance read:
HARRINGTON INSTITUTE.
My stomach tightened.
Luca looked at the photographs.
Then his expression changed.
"What is this?"
I stepped closer.
The next image showed a hallway.
Plain walls.
Locked doors.
A small observation window.
Another photograph showed a room with a bed and almost nothing else.
My chest tightened.
"This is what Noah saw?"
Luca looked toward his son.
He signed.
Did Uncle Michael show you these pictures?
Noah nodded.
He said this is where bad boys go.
I felt sick.
Luca closed his eyes.
Then he signed:
You are not a bad boy.
Noah looked down.
I tried to be good.
Luca's face broke.
He knelt.
You don't have to earn your place in this family by being perfect.
Noah began crying.
His father held him.
I stood beside them, feeling helpless.
For eleven months, I'd watched Noah work so hard to be understood.
He was bright.
Funny.
Observant.
He loved dinosaurs and astronomy.
He built complicated towers from wooden blocks.
He drew pictures of Chicago skyscrapers from memory.
But somewhere along the way, Claudia had convinced him that his deafness made him unwanted.
I looked at Luca.
His eyes were filled with tears.
For the first time, I understood something.
Power could protect a child from strangers.
It couldn't automatically protect him from people welcomed into the family.
Later that afternoon, Luca met with Daniel and his attorney.
I remained upstairs with Noah.
We played a board game.
He insisted on changing the rules.
I pretended to be offended.
He laughed silently, his shoulders shaking.
Then he signed:
Ella, are you staying forever?
My heart tightened.
I smiled gently.
I don't know what forever looks like. But I'm here with you today.
He considered that.
Then nodded.
Okay.
We returned to the game.
But I kept thinking about his question.
Forever.
For eleven months, I'd worked at the Moretti estate because I needed money.
Now I was beginning to care about the little boy more deeply than I'd ever expected.
And that frightened me.
Because jobs ended.
Families changed.
Powerful people made decisions.
And I didn't want Noah to feel abandoned again.
That evening, Luca found me in the kitchen.
"How is he?"
"Better."
Luca nodded.
"Thank you."
I looked up.
"For what?"
"For staying with him."
I smiled faintly.
"He needed someone."
Luca studied me.
Then said quietly:
"So did I."
My heart skipped.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he looked away.
"I've been so focused on protecting him from enemies outside this house that I missed what was happening inside it."
I swallowed.
"You didn't know."
"I should have noticed."
I hesitated.
Then said:
"Now you do."
He looked at me.
His expression softened.
"Yes."
Silence settled between us.
Then his phone rang.
Daniel.
Luca answered.
His face hardened.
"What?"
A pause.
"Are you certain?"
He ended the call.
I looked at him.
"What happened?"
Luca stared toward the hallway.
"The Harrington Institute."
My stomach tightened.
"What about it?"
"Daniel traced several payments connected to it."
"And?"
He swallowed.
"Michael has a financial interest in the organization."
I felt cold.
Luca continued.
"And Claudia received money from a company connected to Harrington three days before the engagement dinner."
My hands began trembling.
"So she was paid to send Noah away?"
"That's what investigators are examining."
I stared.
Then Luca said something that made my stomach drop.
"There's another connection."
"What?"
He looked directly at me.
"Your father's name appears on an old Harrington contract."
I froze.
"What?"
May you like
Luca's expression darkened.
"And the contract was signed the week before he died."
