Chapter 10 - THE PERSON SHE COULDN'T CONTROL|
Six weeks.
I kept repeating the words as I stared at my mother's kitchen wall.
Six weeks before Luca canceled his engagement.
Six weeks before Benjamin cried over his birthday balloon.
Six weeks before anyone outside the household understood what was happening.
Vanessa had apparently decided I was a problem.
And she had started collecting information about me.
My mother squeezed my hand.
"Rachel, what is it?"
I took a slow breath.
"Someone may have been watching me for a while."
Her expression changed.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
That was the truth.
I didn't know.
And perhaps that frightened me more than anything else.
The next morning, I met Elena Brooks at her downtown office.
Luca had offered to arrange transportation, and I accepted.
For once, I wasn't going to pretend I could handle everything alone.
Elena's office was quiet and bright.
There were bookshelves along one wall and photographs of her family on the desk.
She offered me coffee.
I declined.
My stomach was too unsettled.
"Rachel," she began, "I want you to understand something."
I nodded.
"These payment records don't establish who went to your mother's apartment."
"I understand."
"But they may help investigators determine whether the incidents are connected."
I looked down.
"Okay."
She opened a folder.
"Daniel Price gave us copies of invoices he handled for Vanessa."
There were several pages.
Dates.
Company names.
Amounts.
Notes describing approved services.
One invoice was for event security.
Another was for background screening.
Then Elena turned to the third page.
Across the top were the words:
Residential and Employment Verification.
Below that was my name.
Rachel Morgan.
I stared at it.
"Why would she need that?"
Elena shook her head.
"We're still establishing the purpose."
She showed me the date.
Six weeks earlier.
Then another page.
A report titled Household Influence Review.
My hands went cold.
I read the first paragraph.
Subject maintains regular contact with Benjamin Moretti and appears to occupy a trusted emotional support role.
I couldn't believe it.
Someone had written a report about the way I treated a little boy.
Another paragraph mentioned my mother.
Her surgery.
Our financial difficulties.
My dependence on a steady income.
I pushed the paper away.
"That's disgusting."
Elena nodded.
"I understand why you're upset."
"They wrote about my mother like she's some kind of weakness."
Elena's expression softened.
"Personal information should not be used to intimidate someone."
I looked at the report again.
There was a sentence near the bottom.
Subject may be responsive to employment-related pressure.
I stared at it.
Then I remembered Vanessa standing in her dressing room.
Her red silk robe.
The expensive perfume.
The casual smile as she told me I wouldn't be working at the mansion much longer if Benjamin embarrassed her.
She had known exactly what my paycheck meant.
And she had used that knowledge against me.
"Rachel?"
I looked up.
Elena watched me carefully.
"Are you all right?"
I shook my head.
"No."
My voice cracked.
"I'm angry."
"That's understandable."
I stared at the page.
"I thought she was just cruel sometimes."
My eyes filled.
"But this is different."
Elena nodded slowly.
"Yes."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she asked whether I wanted to provide a written account of the employment threats.
I agreed.
We worked through the dates as carefully as possible.
The day Vanessa told me not to decorate for Benjamin's birthday.
The evening she threatened to fire me for speaking to Luca.
The morning she asked about my mother's apartment.
The day she searched my private drawer.
The letter she read aloud during the engagement dinner.
By the time we finished, I felt exhausted.
But I also felt something I hadn't expected.
Relief.
For weeks, I'd carried these moments inside me like loose pieces of a puzzle.
Now they formed a pattern.
Not every detail was proven.
Not every question had an answer.
But I no longer had to pretend nothing was wrong.
Before I left, Elena closed the folder.
"Rachel, have you considered taking a short leave?"
I hesitated.
"From the mansion?"
"Yes."
I looked down.
"I don't want Benjamin to think I'm abandoning him."
Elena nodded.
"I understand."
"But I also don't want to become part of another fight in his life."
She smiled gently.
"That's a thoughtful concern."
I stared at my hands.
"What would you do?"
Elena considered the question.
"I'd make sure my decision was based on my own needs rather than someone else's threats."
I nodded slowly.
She continued.
"And I'd remember that you're an employee, not the person responsible for repairing every problem in that family."
Those words stayed with me.
Because somewhere during the past fourteen months, I had begun believing that if I didn't protect Benjamin, nobody would.
But that wasn't fair to him.
Or to me.
His parents needed to be his parents.
His father needed to listen.
His mother needed to be heard.
And I needed to remember that I had a life outside the Moretti mansion.
When I returned that afternoon, Benjamin was waiting near the staircase.
He was wearing jeans and a blue sweater.
His wooden telescope hung from a strap around his neck.
"Miss Rachel!"
I smiled.
"Hello, sweetheart."
He ran toward me.
Then stopped just short of hugging me.
"Can I give you something?"
"Of course."
He held out a folded piece of paper.
I opened it.
It was a drawing.
Three stick figures stood beneath a sky full of stars.
One was small.
One was tall.
And one wore a black-and-white dress.
Above them was a crooked blue balloon.
I smiled.
"Is this us?"
Benjamin nodded.
"That's Daddy."
He pointed to the tall figure.
"That's me."
Then he pointed to the woman.
"And that's you."
My eyes filled.
"It's beautiful."
He watched me carefully.
"Are you going to leave?"
I took a breath.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because everybody keeps having meetings."
I crouched beside him.
"Sometimes adults have meetings to solve problems."
He frowned.
"Does solving problems mean somebody has to go away?"
My heart tightened.
"Not always."
Benjamin looked down.
"Vanessa went away."
I nodded.
"She did."
"Did she leave because I told Daddy about my balloon?"
I gently shook my head.
"No, sweetheart."
He looked up.
"Then why?"
"Because grown-ups are responsible for their own choices."
He considered this.
Then whispered, "Even when kids tell the truth?"
"Especially then."
Benjamin stared at me.
Finally, he smiled.
"Okay."
He reached for my hand.
"Daddy says we're having a family meeting tonight."
I blinked.
"A family meeting?"
He nodded excitedly.
"With Mommy."
"That sounds good."
"And we're going to talk about my room."
I felt a small wave of worry.
"What about it?"
Benjamin smiled.
"Daddy says I get to decide what stays."
I laughed softly.
"That sounds wonderful."
Then his expression became serious.
"Miss Rachel?"
"Yes?"
"If somebody moves away, can they still love you?"
I swallowed.
"Of course."
He looked toward the front door.
"Like Mommy?"
"Exactly like your mommy."
He thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Good."
I handed back his drawing.
But he shook his head.
"It's yours."
I stared at it.
"For me?"
"Yes."
He smiled shyly.
"Because you caught my balloon."
I couldn't stop my tears.
I hugged him gently.
And in that moment, I realized something.
Vanessa had tried to make me feel powerless.
She'd researched my finances.
Threatened my job.
Invaded my privacy.
But she had misunderstood why Benjamin trusted me.
It wasn't because I had money.
It wasn't because I had influence.
It wasn't because I could give him expensive presents.
It was because when he said he was scared, I believed him.
That evening, as I prepared to leave, Luca called me into his study.
He stood beside the window.
His tattooed hands rested on the back of a leather chair.
"Rachel, I wanted to tell you something."
I straightened.
"Yes, sir?"
He took a breath.
"Vanessa's attorney contacted Elena."
My stomach tightened.
"What does she want?"
"She claims the documents were drafts and that she never intended to act without my approval."
I looked down.
Luca continued.
"Her attorney has asked us to stop discussing the allegations publicly while the facts are reviewed."
I nodded.
"Okay."
He studied my face.
"I also want you to know that Caroline and I are making changes."
"Changes?"
"We're reviewing Benjamin's schedule together."
I smiled.
"That's good."
"And I'm reducing my travel commitments."
I looked up.
Luca gave a sad smile.
"I've missed too many ordinary evenings."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he added, "Benjamin has asked whether you can help with a small astronomy project this weekend."
I smiled.
"I'd love to."
Luca nodded.
"Thank you."
I turned to leave.
But he spoke again.
"Rachel?"
"Yes, sir?"
"There's something I haven't told you."
I stopped.
His expression became serious.
"Vanessa wasn't the first person to suggest sending Benjamin away."
My heart sank.
"What?"
He looked down.
"Someone else raised the idea months ago."
I stared at him.
"Who?"
May you like
Luca closed his eyes.
Then whispered, "My own business partner."
