Chapter 5 - The Loyal Keeper
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Vanessa was dragged into the master bedroom by two armed guards, her knees trembling beneath her torn dress.
Her arrogance had vanished completely, replaced by the sheer, unadulterated terror of facing a resurrected mafia king.
When she saw Luca standing tall on his own two feet, her jaw dropped open in disbelief.
“Luca... darling, please listen to me!” she begged, falling to her knees on the rug.
“Julian threatened my family! He forced me to put those drops into your food!” she lied frantically.
Luca did not even blink as he looked down at her with absolute disgust.
“Save your pathetic lies for the demons in hell, Vanessa,” Luca said, his voice deadly quiet.
I stepped forward, holding a black leather binder I had retrieved from the hidden floorboards of Frank’s room.
“What is that, Claire?” Luca asked, turning his attention toward me.
“While Mr. Frank was resting earlier, I went back to his quarters to secure his real medicine,” I explained calmly.
“Underneath his wardrobe, I discovered this folder that Vanessa had hidden there yesterday,” I told him.
Luca took the binder from my hands, opening it to find notarized papers and forged legal affidavits.
Inside were fraudulent medical certificates declaring Frank Moretti legally insane and unfit to handle his estate.
There was also a power of attorney transfer form with Frank’s forged signature granting Vanessa total financial authority.
Worse still, there was an admission ticket to a secluded, abusive psychiatric facility in rural Indiana.
The date of transfer was stamped for tomorrow morning at eight o’clock sharp.
Frank wiped a tear from his cheek and looked at Vanessa with heartbreaking sorrow.
“You were going to lock me in a cage where nobody would ever hear me scream,” Frank whispered.
Vanessa looked up, her eyes flashing with sudden, venomous spite as she realized her game was finished.
“You were already half-dead anyway, you senile old wretch!” Vanessa screamed at Frank.
“You sat in that chair drooling and making messes while I had to pretend to care about your pathetic stories!” she shrieked.
Luca moved with blinding speed, stopping just inches from her face, his aura suffocating the entire room.
“My father built this empire with blood, sweat, and honor while your family was begging on the streets,” Luca growled.
“He worked eighteen hours a day with third-degree burns on his hands so I could have a future,” Luca continued.
“And you treated him like garbage in his own home while trying to steal his legacy,” Luca whispered.
He turned toward Marco, waving his hand toward the sobbing woman on the floor.
“Take her back down to the holding cell and strip her of every piece of jewelry my money bought,” Luca commanded.
“Cut off all her credit cards, freeze her accounts, and confiscate her passport,” Luca ordered ruthlessly.
“She doesn't get a glass of water until Julian Romano is in my custody,” Luca added.
As the guards dragged the screaming woman away, the room fell into a heavy, reverent silence.
Luca turned around slowly and walked directly over to where I was standing.
Before I could step back respectfully, the most feared man in Chicago took both of my hands into his.
“You protected my father when his own son was too blind to see the snakes in his garden,” Luca said softly.
His touch was surprisingly warm and tender compared to the violence he commanded.
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“From this moment forward, Claire, you are no longer a maid in this house,” Luca declared, looking deep into my soul.
“You are the head of this estate, and your word carries the weight of my own name.”
