Chapter 12 - Vanessa's Last Bargain|
On Thursday morning, Vanessa asked to speak with me privately.
The request came through a message delivered by one of the remaining household assistants.
I almost refused.
Then I saw what she had written.
Claire, I can make everything go away.
I took the message directly to Luca.
He read it in silence.
Then he handed it to Evelyn.
"Absolutely not," Luca said.
"She's not getting Claire alone."
Evelyn examined the message.
"I agree that Claire shouldn't meet her without safeguards."
I folded my arms.
"But I want to know what she means."
Luca looked at me.
"Claire—"
"She accused me of theft."
My voice trembled.
"She made Sophia believe she was unwanted."
I swallowed.
"And now she thinks she can make everything disappear with another threat?"
Evelyn considered the situation.
"Then we'll arrange a meeting with counsel present."
Luca frowned.
"Why give her the opportunity?"
"Because Vanessa requested it, and Claire has the right to decide whether she wants to hear what Vanessa says."
She looked toward me.
"But you're also free to refuse."
I thought about Sophia.
About the wedding program.
About Isabella's letter.
And about the little girl who had been brave enough to tell her father the truth despite being terrified.
"I want to hear her."
The meeting took place later that afternoon in the mansion's formal sitting room.
My attorney accompanied me.
Evelyn remained nearby.
Luca waited in the adjoining library.
Vanessa entered wearing a pale-blue designer dress.
She looked as polished as ever.
For one strange moment, I remembered the first day she'd arrived at the mansion.
She had smiled at Sophia.
She had brought expensive presents.
She had called me an essential part of the household.
I wondered how much of that kindness had been rehearsed.
"Claire," she said pleasantly.
"Vanessa."
She glanced toward my attorney.
"Is all this really necessary?"
"Yes."
Her smile tightened.
"Fine."
She sat opposite me.
"I'll make this simple."
She opened her handbag and removed an envelope.
Inside was a proposed settlement agreement.
I looked at the first page.
Then I saw the amount.
Three hundred thousand dollars.
My heart pounded.
"What's this?"
"A generous offer."
"For what?"
Vanessa folded her hands.
"For your cooperation."
I stared at her.
"What kind of cooperation?"
She smiled.
"I need you to sign a statement."
My attorney reached for the document.
Vanessa slid it toward him.
He read silently.
Then his expression hardened.
"This statement says Miss Bennett voluntarily altered the wedding procession and misrepresented Mrs. Moretti's instructions."
Vanessa shrugged.
"That's one way of describing it."
He continued.
"It also requires her to withdraw her allegations about the diamond brooch."
I felt sick.
Vanessa leaned forward.
"Claire, you could buy a house with that money."
I said nothing.
"You could leave Chicago."
Still, I remained silent.
"You wouldn't have to clean floors or serve people dinner ever again."
I looked directly into her eyes.
"And what happens to Sophia?"
Vanessa's expression changed.
"That child has nothing to do with this."
"She's the reason any of this matters."
Vanessa sighed.
"You're being sentimental."
"No."
I pushed the papers back.
"I'm refusing to lie."
Her smile vanished.
"Think very carefully."
"I have."
"You're throwing away more money than you'll ever earn."
"Then I'll remain poor."
Vanessa stared at me.
I continued.
"But I'm not going to help you convince Sophia that her father abandoned her."
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she laughed bitterly.
"Do you think Luca is innocent?"
I froze.
"What?"
"He's spent years making dangerous decisions."
Her eyes narrowed.
"His enemies have enemies."
"That doesn't justify what you did."
Vanessa leaned closer.
"You have no idea what it's like to grow up in a family where failure isn't allowed."
I stared at her.
"My father built everything he had."
"And now his company is in trouble."
Her jaw tightened.
"He was desperate."
"So you tried to take a child's inheritance?"
Vanessa looked away.
"I was trying to save my family."
"By destroying another one?"
She struck the arm of her chair.
"Stop acting like you understand!"
I remained still.
Vanessa took a breath.
Then she spoke more quietly.
"Adrian said the papers would only be used to make the financing easier."
I looked at my attorney.
He remained silent.
Vanessa continued.
"He said Luca would eventually agree."
"Did you believe him?"
"I believed we had to move quickly."
"And Sophia?"
Vanessa's eyes hardened.
"Sophia was in the way."
There it was.
Not a misunderstanding.
Not jealousy.
Not a printing mistake.
A nine-year-old girl had become an obstacle between Vanessa and eighteen million dollars.
I felt tears filling my eyes.
"She only wanted to walk beside her father."
Vanessa looked irritated.
"You're making this sound worse than it was."
"She was afraid she wouldn't be allowed to live in her own home."
Vanessa said nothing.
I leaned forward.
"Did you know that?"
For the first time, her expression faltered.
Then she looked away.
"I didn't think she'd take it so seriously."
I stared at her.
"She believed every word."
Vanessa slowly closed her handbag.
"Are you refusing the offer?"
"Yes."
She stood.
"Then don't expect me to protect you when Adrian starts talking."
My attorney rose as well.
"Mrs. Moretti, I suggest any further communication occur through counsel."
Vanessa laughed.
"Fine."
She turned toward the door.
But before leaving, she looked back at me.
"Luca will never marry someone like you, Claire."
The remark was so unexpected that I almost smiled.
"I'm not here because I want to marry him."
Vanessa frowned.
"Then why are you here?"
"Because Sophia asked me not to leave."
Vanessa's face reddened.
She walked out without another word.
When the door closed, I leaned back in my chair.
My hands were shaking.
My attorney carefully collected the proposed agreement.
Evelyn entered a moment later.
"Are you all right?"
I nodded.
"She admitted Sophia was in the way."
Evelyn looked troubled.
"We'll provide the written offer and a proper account of the conversation to Detective Carter."
I swallowed.
"Will it help?"
"It's another piece of the investigation."
That evening, the investigators received additional evidence from Eli Turner's interview.
He had supplied records of payments made through a company associated with Adrian Vale.
Those records matched dates when the mansion's cameras had been disabled.
Investigators also obtained copies of the questionable financial authorizations from the bank.
By Friday morning, the situation had changed dramatically.
Adrian Vale had been located outside Chicago.
He was taken into custody on a warrant related to the alleged forgery and fraud scheme.
The original documents recovered during the investigation would later become central evidence.
Richard Bellini was questioned about his company's financial disclosures.
And Vanessa was notified that she, too, faced criminal charges.
I was standing beside the kitchen window when Daniel told me.
"She's been taken in."
I stared at him.
"Vanessa?"
He nodded.
"The investigators came this morning."
For a moment, I felt nothing.
No triumph.
No happiness.
Just an enormous exhaustion.
Then I heard small footsteps behind me.
Sophia stood in the kitchen doorway.
"Claire?"
I turned.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
She looked frightened.
"Are the police taking Vanessa away because of me?"
I immediately knelt.
"No, Sophia."
"But I told Daddy about the papers."
I took her hands.
"Vanessa is facing consequences for choices she made."
Sophia's eyes filled with tears.
"Not because I cried?"
"Not because you cried."
"Not because I told the truth?"
I shook my head.
"Never because you told the truth."
She hugged me tightly.
For a long moment, I held her.
Then she whispered something that made me cry harder than anything else that week.
"Claire, I don't want anybody to get hurt."
I stroked her hair.
"I know, sweetheart."
She looked up.
"Even Vanessa."
I kissed her forehead.
"Being kind doesn't mean letting someone hurt you."
Sophia considered that.
Then she nodded.
"Mommy used to say something like that."
I smiled through my tears.
"She was a very wise woman."
Sophia held my hand.
"Can we go read her letter again?"
"Of course."
And as we walked toward the conservatory, I realized that the most important victory wasn't the arrest.
It wasn't the money.
It wasn't even the evidence clearing my name.
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It was the fact that Sophia was no longer afraid to tell us what she needed.
For the first time since Isabella's death, the little girl was beginning to feel safe in her own home.
