Chapter 2 - The Wedding That Was Never Supposed to Happen|
“Because, Luca... she never intended for that ceremony to end with you as her husband.”
Adrian Romano's confession seemed to stop time inside the Moretti dining room.
Thirty wealthy guests sat beneath the enormous crystal chandeliers.
Vanessa Bellini stood beside the head table, her red silk gown catching the candlelight.
Allison Romano sat beside Luca Moretti, her hands trembling in her lap.
And I stood a few feet away, still holding the silver serving tray Vanessa had ordered me to use to take away Allison's dinner.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Luca slowly turned toward his oldest friend.
“Explain.”
Adrian swallowed.
“Luca—”
“Now.”
His voice was so quiet that I felt my stomach tighten.
Adrian looked toward Vanessa.
She shook her head almost imperceptibly.
Luca noticed.
“Don't look at her.”
Adrian lowered his eyes.
“Look at me.”
Slowly, he did.
“What was supposed to happen at my wedding?”
Adrian rubbed his forehead.
Then whispered, “You were supposed to sign something.”
Luca's expression changed.
“Sign what?”
“A document transferring temporary control of several Moretti companies.”
Silence.
Vanessa laughed sharply.
“Oh, for heaven's sake. It was part of our marriage planning.”
Luca didn't look at her.
“Continue, Adrian.”
His friend swallowed.
“Vanessa told me it was a routine agreement. She wanted me to present it as a wedding gift from the business partners.”
Luca stared.
“You wanted me to sign corporate documents during my wedding?”
Adrian nodded miserably.
“She said it would be symbolic.”
“Symbolic?”
Luca gave a humorless laugh.
“My company isn't a wedding favor.”
Several guests shifted uncomfortably.
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Darling, you're making this sound much worse than it is.”
Luca turned toward her.
“Then show me the document.”
She froze.
“What?”
“The document you wanted me to sign.”
“I don't have it here.”
“Where is it?”
Vanessa looked toward Adrian.
He lowered his head.
Luca's jaw tightened.
“Adrian.”
His friend whispered, “My briefcase.”
Allison closed her eyes.
I saw the hurt cross her face.
Even now, after six months of betrayal, her husband had brought the document Vanessa wanted him to deliver.
Luca extended his hand.
“Give it to me.”
Adrian reluctantly reached beneath his chair and retrieved a black leather briefcase.
He placed it on the table.
Inside was a thick folder tied with a dark ribbon.
Luca opened it.
His eyes moved across the first page.
Then stopped.
“What is this?”
Adrian didn't answer.
Luca turned another page.
His expression darkened.
“Why does this agreement give Bellini Capital authority over our shipping division?”
Vanessa stepped forward.
“It doesn't.”
Luca lifted the paper.
“Then why is your father's company named here?”
The room fell silent.
Vanessa looked away.
Luca continued reading.
The agreement granted an outside management entity certain rights over Moretti Transportation, its warehouse holdings, and several affiliated investment accounts.
The document was complicated.
But even I understood one thing.
Vanessa had been trying to make Luca surrender control of a substantial part of his business.
And she'd wanted to do it at their wedding.
“Why Saturday?” Luca asked.
Adrian swallowed.
“Because the agreement was supposed to take effect immediately after the ceremony.”
Luca stared.
“Why?”
His friend looked terrified.
Then Allison spoke.
“Because Vanessa's father needs the assets before Monday.”
Everyone turned toward her.
Vanessa went white.
Allison continued.
“Bellini Capital has debts coming due.”
Luca looked toward his fiancée.
“Is that true?”
Vanessa said nothing.
Allison reached into her handbag.
Then removed a folded document.
“I found this in Adrian's office.”
Adrian lowered his head.
She placed it beside Luca's plate.
A letter from a bank.
A notice of default.
Luca studied it.
Then looked up.
“Your father's company owes sixty million dollars.”
Vanessa gripped the back of a chair.
“Luca, please.”
“And you planned to use my companies to secure the debt?”
Her eyes filled.
“Not permanently.”
The admission was almost a whisper.
But everyone heard.
I watched Allison close her eyes.
She had come to the dinner knowing her husband had betrayed her.
Yet she had still tried to prevent Luca from becoming the next victim.
Luca slowly placed the folder on the table.
Then looked at Adrian.
“Were you going to let me sign this?”
His oldest friend began crying.
“I was supposed to.”
“Why?”
Adrian lowered his head.
For several seconds, he couldn't speak.
Then whispered:
“Because Vanessa said she had proof of something that could send me to prison.”
The room became silent.
Luca stared at him.
“What?”
Adrian looked toward Allison.
His face crumpled.
“I'm sorry.”
Then he turned back to Luca.
“She said if I didn't help her, she'd give the evidence to the authorities.”
Luca's expression changed.
“Evidence of what?”
Adrian swallowed.
And his answer made Allison reach desperately for my hand.
“Something that happened at the South Harbor warehouse five years ago.”
Luca went completely still.
May you like
Because five years earlier, a warehouse fire had killed the man who raised him.
And Adrian had been the last person to see that man alive.
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