Chapter 3 - The Fire Luca Never Stopped Blaming Himself For|
Luca Moretti didn't move when Adrian mentioned the South Harbor warehouse.
I watched his expression change.
Not to anger.
Not immediately.
First came recognition.
Then disbelief.
Then something far worse.
The look of a man realizing that a terrible memory might not be what he'd believed.
“South Harbor?”
His voice was barely audible.
Adrian nodded.
Luca stared.
“My uncle died in that fire.”
“I know.”
“Giovanni raised me after my father died.”
Adrian lowered his eyes.
“I know.”
Luca stepped closer.
“Then tell me why Vanessa is using that fire to blackmail you.”
Adrian began trembling.
For a moment, I thought he might collapse.
Instead, he slowly sat down.
Allison stared at him.
“Adrian?”
He wouldn't look at her.
I gently squeezed her hand.
She held it tightly.
Then Adrian spoke.
“Giovanni discovered missing inventory at the warehouse.”
Luca frowned.
“What inventory?”
“High-value cargo. Electronics. Medical equipment. Shipments that were supposed to be transferred to legitimate distributors.”
He swallowed.
“Someone had been moving goods through false invoices.”
Luca's jaw tightened.
“Who?”
Adrian hesitated.
Vanessa stepped forward.
“Luca, this has nothing to do with our engagement.”
He slowly turned.
“Be quiet.”
She froze.
Then he looked toward Adrian again.
“Who was stealing?”
His friend whispered, “Richard Bellini's people.”
I felt Allison's fingers tighten around mine.
Luca stood motionless.
“Richard?”
Adrian nodded.
“His logistics company was handling some of the transfers.”
Luca looked toward Vanessa.
Her face had gone pale.
Then he turned back.
“Did Giovanni know?”
“Yes.”
“Was he going to report it?”
Adrian closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
The room became silent.
Luca swallowed.
“And the fire?”
Adrian shook his head.
“I didn't start it.”
“That's not what I asked.”
His friend's voice broke.
“I knew someone planned to destroy the records.”
Luca stared.
“You knew?”
Adrian began crying.
“I thought they were going to burn documents. I didn't know Giovanni would be inside.”
Luca stepped backward.
For five years, he'd believed the warehouse fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring.
He'd blamed himself because he'd postponed a renovation Giovanni had requested.
He'd carried the guilt through business meetings, sleepless nights, and every anniversary of the man's death.
Now Adrian was telling him someone had planned to destroy evidence inside that same building.
And he'd known.
“Why didn't you warn him?” Luca asked.
Adrian covered his face.
“I was afraid.”
Luca's expression hardened.
“Of Richard?”
Adrian nodded.
“He had records connecting me to the missing shipments.”
Allison slowly released my hand.
I looked toward her.
Her face had changed.
The tears remained.
But there was something else now.
Understanding.
The man she'd married had not only betrayed her with another woman.
He had been hiding a secret connected to a death.
“Adrian,” she whispered, “what have you done?”
He looked up.
His face crumpled.
“Allison—”
She shook her head.
“No.”
Her voice broke.
“You told me Giovanni died because Luca neglected the building.”
Adrian lowered his eyes.
Luca stared.
“What?”
Allison looked toward him.
“He told me you wouldn't approve the repairs.”
Luca closed his eyes.
Then gave a bitter laugh.
“I approved the repairs.”
Adrian's head snapped up.
Luca continued.
“I signed the contract two months before the fire.”
His jaw tightened.
“The work was delayed because someone canceled the inspection.”
He looked directly at Adrian.
“Was that you?”
Adrian said nothing.
Luca stepped closer.
“Was it?”
Finally, Adrian nodded.
“Yes.”
The answer seemed to strike Luca physically.
He grabbed the back of a chair.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then he whispered:
“You let me believe I killed him.”
Adrian began sobbing.
“I never wanted him to die.”
Luca stared.
“You let me carry that guilt for five years.”
His voice broke.
“And you sat beside me every anniversary.”
I felt tears run down my cheeks.
Because I understood something in that moment.
Adrian hadn't simply been Luca's oldest friend.
He had been the person Luca trusted when grief made everything else unbearable.
And he'd used that trust to hide his own involvement.
Luca slowly straightened.
Then looked toward Marco, his security chief.
“Preserve the documents.”
Marco nodded.
“And contact the authorities.”
Vanessa immediately stepped forward.
“Luca, you cannot possibly—”
He turned.
“Do not tell me what I can do.”
She stopped.
He looked toward Allison.
For a moment, his expression softened.
“I'm sorry you had to bring this here.”
Allison wiped her cheeks.
“I didn't know everything.”
He nodded.
“Neither did I.”
Then he looked toward Adrian.
“Tell me one thing.”
His friend raised his head.
Luca's voice became dangerously quiet.
“Was Giovanni alive when you left the warehouse?”
Adrian went completely white.
And for several seconds, he couldn't answer.
May you like
Finally, he whispered:
“Yes.”
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