Chapter 10 - The Secret That Could Destroy the Moretti Empire|
By the following morning, Luca Moretti had made three decisions.
He would protect his son.
He would cooperate with the investigation into Michael's financial dealings.
And he would never again allow anyone in his household to treat Noah's deafness as something shameful.
But there was one decision he hadn't made.
What to do about me.
I stood in the kitchen preparing breakfast while Mrs. Ramirez watched me.
"You look tired, sweetheart."
I smiled faintly.
"I am."
She placed a cup of coffee beside me.
"You've been carrying too much."
I looked down.
For eleven months, I'd been the quiet housekeeper who cleaned rooms and tried not to attract attention.
Now I was involved in an investigation concerning missing money, a child's trust, and the deaths of two people I had known or loved.
My father.
Isabella Moretti.
I felt overwhelmed.
And frightened.
But I also felt something new.
Determination.
For years, my mother had taught me that doing the right thing didn't always make life easier.
Sometimes it made everything harder.
But that didn't mean it was wrong.
I looked toward the hallway.
Noah appeared wearing his favorite dinosaur pajamas.
He smiled when he saw me.
Good morning, Ella!
I smiled back.
Good morning, sweetheart.
He ran toward me.
I knelt.
He hugged me.
Then he signed:
Daddy says I can choose my own school.
My heart warmed.
That's wonderful.
He nodded enthusiastically.
And he says nobody can stop me signing.
Tears filled my eyes.
He's right.
Noah grinned.
Then signed:
Can you teach Daddy more signs?
I laughed.
Of course.
He looked delighted.
Then Luca entered.
He wore a black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing the intricate tattoos along his forearms.
For the first time in days, he looked rested.
He watched Noah and me for a moment.
Then signed:
What are you two talking about?
Noah smiled mischievously.
Your bad cooking.
I burst out laughing.
Luca pretended to look offended.
Again?
Noah nodded.
Always.
For a few precious minutes, the mansion felt peaceful.
Then Daniel appeared.
His expression was serious.
"Boss."
Luca looked up.
"What?"
"Michael has agreed to speak with investigators."
My stomach tightened.
Luca's expression hardened.
"Where?"
"At his attorney's office."
"And Claudia?"
"She's also retained counsel."
Luca nodded.
Then Daniel continued.
"The authorities have begun reviewing Harrington's financial records. Some accounts appear connected to the Moretti family trust."
I looked toward Noah.
He was drawing at the table.
Oblivious to the adult conversation.
Luca noticed.
He gestured toward his office.
We moved out of Noah's sight.
Daniel continued.
"There's more."
Luca folded his arms.
"What?"
"The trust was established by your grandmother."
"I know."
"But the ownership documents contain a provision nobody mentioned."
Luca frowned.
"What provision?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Certain assets were placed in a separate fund intended to support Noah and other future beneficiaries."
Luca nodded.
"And?"
"Someone altered the administration records after Isabella died."
The room went still.
I looked at Luca.
His jaw tightened.
"Who?"
Daniel swallowed.
"Michael."
Luca closed his eyes.
For years, he'd trusted his brother.
Given him access to family businesses.
Allowed him to handle certain financial arrangements.
And now the evidence suggested Michael had been using that trust against him.
Then Daniel spoke again.
"Sir, there's another signature."
Luca opened his eyes.
"Whose?"
Daniel looked toward me.
His expression was uncomfortable.
I felt cold.
"What?"
He handed Luca a document.
Luca stared.
Then slowly looked up.
"Ella."
My heart began pounding.
"What?"
"Your father's name is on this agreement."
I froze.
"Thomas Brooks?"
He nodded.
"But the signature is dated after his reported death."
The room seemed to tilt.
I gripped the edge of the desk.
"That's impossible."
Daniel spoke carefully.
"It may be forged, or the date or death records may be inaccurate. We need verification."
I stared at the document.
For years, I'd believed my father died in a traffic accident.
Then Ethan said he'd been murdered.
Now his signature appeared on documents dated after his death.
I didn't know what to believe.
I took a trembling breath.
"Can we investigate the original records?"
Luca nodded.
"Yes."
"And the memory card Isabella left?"
"Daniel has arranged for independent forensic examination."
I swallowed.
"Good."
For once, we weren't rushing toward conclusions.
We were asking questions.
Preserving evidence.
Trying to understand what had happened.
That afternoon, Luca asked whether I would join him in the garden.
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
We walked beneath the tall trees near the fountain.
The autumn air was cool.
Leaves scattered across the stone pathway.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then Luca stopped.
"Ella."
I looked at him.
"Yes?"
"I owe you more than gratitude."
My heart skipped.
"What do you mean?"
He looked toward the mansion.
"When Claudia ordered you to stop signing, you could have walked away."
I swallowed.
"I almost did."
He turned back.
"But you stayed."
"Noah was frightened."
"I know."
His expression softened.
"You saw what everyone else ignored."
I looked down.
For years, I'd believed being invisible was the price of keeping my job.
Now the most powerful man I'd ever met was telling me he'd noticed.
Luca continued.
"I've spent so much time trying to build a life for Noah that I forgot to ask what kind of life he wanted."
My eyes filled.
"You're asking now."
He nodded.
"Because of you."
I shook my head.
"Because you love him."
Luca smiled faintly.
"Both can be true."
Silence settled between us.
Then he said something unexpected.
"I've arranged for an independent education adviser to discuss training programs and scholarships with you, if that's something you'd like."
I stared.
"Scholarships?"
"You mentioned wanting to become a certified interpreter."
My heart raced.
"You remembered?"
He smiled.
"Of course."
Tears filled my eyes.
For years, I'd put that dream aside.
Rent.
Bills.
My mother's prescriptions.
Ethan's education.
There was always something more urgent.
Now the possibility was standing in front of me.
But I needed to make sure it was my choice.
"Luca, I can't accept anything that makes me feel indebted to you."
His expression became serious.
"Then we'll look at independent opportunities. You can decide what works for you."
I swallowed.
"Thank you."
He nodded.
Then hesitated.
"Ella, there's one more thing."
My heart began pounding.
"What?"
He looked nervous.
Actually nervous.
It was almost unbelievable.
"I know this is an inappropriate time to complicate your life."
I stared.
He continued.
"And you're my employee. I don't want you to feel pressured."
My breath caught.
"But when this investigation is over, and if you're no longer working directly for me, would you consider having dinner with me?"
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Luca Moretti.
The man whose name frightened half of Chicago.
The man I'd spent eleven months trying not to disappoint.
Was asking me on a date.
I looked at him.
"Just dinner?"
He smiled.
"Just dinner."
"No security guards standing beside the table?"
"Not beside the table."
I laughed.
He smiled wider.
"And no business meetings?"
"None."
I looked toward the mansion.
Noah was standing near the window.
He waved.
I waved back.
Then I turned toward Luca.
"I'd like to think about it."
His expression softened.
"Take all the time you need."
For the first time, I understood that a powerful man could ask for something without demanding it.
And that made the question feel entirely different.
That evening, Noah and I sat in the library.
He was reading a book about the solar system.
I was reviewing information about interpreter-training programs.
Luca worked nearby.
For a while, everything felt peaceful.
Then Daniel entered.
His face was pale.
"Boss."
Luca stood.
"What happened?"
"The memory card."
My stomach tightened.
"What about it?"
"The forensic team recovered a video."
Luca went still.
"Of what?"
Daniel swallowed.
"Isabella."
The room became completely silent.
Noah looked up.
I immediately signed that the adults needed to discuss something and that Mrs. Ramirez would stay with him.
He nodded.
Then returned to his book.
We moved into Luca's office.
Daniel opened the video on a secure laptop.
The screen flickered.
A woman appeared.
Dark hair.
Brown eyes.
A gentle face.
Isabella Moretti.
Noah's mother.
She looked frightened.
But determined.
"If you're watching this," she said, "then Michael found out what I was doing."
Luca gripped the edge of the desk.
His face had gone white.
Isabella continued.
"I discovered that money from Noah's trust was being moved into accounts connected to the Harrington Institute."
My stomach tightened.
She looked directly into the camera.
"Thomas Brooks helped me find the records."
Tears filled my eyes.
My father.
She continued.
"He tried to report what we found. Three days later, he was dead."
I covered my mouth.
Luca stood motionless.
Isabella's voice began trembling.
"I don't believe his death was an accident."
She glanced toward the door.
Then looked back.
"And if anything happens to me, please protect Noah."
Luca's eyes filled.
"I love you," Isabella whispered.
The video flickered.
Then she said something that made my blood run cold.
"Michael isn't working alone."
My heart hammered.
She continued.
"The person controlling the accounts is someone Luca trusts completely."
Luca slowly turned toward Daniel.
Daniel looked equally stunned.
The video continued.
"And there's something else you need to know."
Isabella swallowed.
"The Harrington Institute wasn't created to help deaf children."
The room went still.
She looked directly into the camera.
"It was created to hide money through false service contracts and fabricated patient records."
My stomach tightened.
Then Isabella spoke the final words.
"And the person who organized everything is Luca's father."
The video ended.
Silence.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Vittorio Moretti.
Luca's father.
The man who'd supposedly died six years earlier.
Luca stared at the blank screen.
Then whispered:
"That's impossible."
Daniel swallowed.
"Sir..."
Luca shook his head.
"My father is dead."
But before anyone could answer, Daniel's phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed.
"What?"
A pause.
"Where?"
He slowly lowered the phone.
Luca stared.
"Daniel?"
Daniel looked at him.
His face was completely pale.
"Sir, security just identified a visitor outside the estate."
Luca's jaw tightened.
"Who?"
Daniel swallowed.
"An elderly man."
My stomach dropped.
Luca stepped forward.
"What man?"
Daniel looked directly into his eyes.
Then whispered:
"He says his name is Vittorio Moretti."
The room became silent.
Luca stared.
Then his phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
A message appeared.
Tell Ella Brooks that her father is alive.
My heart stopped.
A second message followed.
And tell Luca that Noah isn't the only child Isabella was trying to protect.
I couldn't breathe.
Luca looked at me.
His face was pale.
Then a third message appeared.
It contained a photograph.
A hospital room.
A woman lying in bed.
A newborn baby wrapped in a yellow blanket.
The woman was Isabella.
And the date printed on the photograph was from three years after her supposed death.
I stared.
Luca's hands began shaking.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
A woman's voice spoke.
Soft.
Familiar.
A voice he'd mourned for years.
"Luca?"
He stopped breathing.
"Isabella?"
The woman began crying.
"Please listen carefully."
Luca gripped the phone.
"Where are you?"
Her voice trembled.
"Somewhere Michael can't find me."
Tears filled Luca's eyes.
"You're alive?"
A pause.
Then she whispered:
"Yes. But Luca, there's something about Noah you need to know before you open that gate."
He stared toward the window.
Outside, beyond the iron gates, an elderly man stood beside a black car.
And inside the mansion, Noah suddenly appeared in the doorway.
He looked at his father's face.
Then at the phone.
His small hands began moving.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
I watched.
And my blood ran cold.
Because Noah signed six words I would never forget.
Daddy. That man is not Grandpa.
Luca froze.
The phone slipped slightly in his hand.
Outside, the stranger looked directly toward the mansion.
Then smiled.
May you like
And the gates began to open.
TO BE CONTINUED...
