Chapter 7 - The Woman Vanessa Tried to Silence|
Luca stared at the airline information for a long moment.
"Where were those tickets going?"
Marco checked his notes.
"First to New York, then overseas."
I looked at Sophia.
She was still sitting beside the unfinished cake.
She had no idea how close she might have come to disappearing.
Luca turned toward Nora.
"Can you stop the tickets from being used?"
"We can alert investigators and provide the records."
"Do it."
Nora nodded.
"Already underway."
Luca looked back at Marco.
"Find every person involved in those reservations."
Then he turned toward me.
"Claire, would you take Sophia upstairs?"
The little girl immediately protested.
"Daddy, I don't want to leave."
He softened.
"You're not leaving me, princess."
He knelt beside her.
"I need to finish something important, and then we're going to finish your cake."
Sophia studied him.
"With the eggshells?"
Despite everything, Luca smiled.
"Preferably without them."
She giggled.
I held out my hand.
"Come on, sweetheart."
As we walked toward the staircase, she looked back.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Please don't be angry with Madison."
Luca frowned.
"Why would I be angry with Madison?"
"Because she didn't know what her aunt was doing."
He nodded.
"I know."
Sophia gave a relieved sigh.
Then she followed me upstairs.
Children are sometimes more generous than the adults who claim to protect them.
Sophia had lost her birthday party, nearly lost her home, and discovered that her stepmother wanted her sent away.
Yet she was still worried about Madison.
An hour later, someone rang the mansion's service entrance bell.
I answered it.
Standing outside was a woman in her late sixties wearing a dark wool coat and carrying an old leather handbag.
Her silver hair had been pulled into a neat bun.
I recognized her immediately.
"Mrs. Morales?"
She gave me a sad smile.
"Hello, Claire."
Teresa Morales had worked for the Moretti family for more than twenty years.
She had cared for Isabella during her illness and helped raise Sophia from infancy.
Three months earlier, Vanessa had dismissed her without warning.
The official explanation was that she had become too old to manage the household.
But everyone knew Mrs. Morales had never been afraid to challenge Vanessa.
I opened the door wider.
"Please come inside."
She hesitated.
"Is Mr. Moretti home?"
"Yes."
"I need to speak with him."
Something in her voice made me nervous.
I led her into the small morning room.
When Luca arrived, he stopped in the doorway.
"Teresa?"
The older woman's eyes filled with tears.
"Mr. Luca."
He walked toward her.
"What are you doing here?"
"I heard about the party."
Luca looked ashamed.
"There's a lot you haven't heard."
Mrs. Morales nodded.
"I think I know more than you realize."
She sat carefully and opened her handbag.
Inside was a thick envelope wrapped with an elastic band.
"I kept these because something didn't feel right."
She placed several copies of delivery records on the table.
I recognized the heading immediately.
Bellini Family Holdings.
Luca picked up the first page.
"Where did you get these?"
"Mrs. Vanessa asked me to deliver several boxes to the Bellini records facility."
"When?"
"Six weeks ago."
Luca's eyes narrowed.
"Was Isabella's memory box among them?"
Mrs. Morales nodded.
"Yes."
I felt my heart jump.
"Did you see the letters?"
"Not all of them."
She looked at Luca.
"But I knew what was inside that chest."
Her voice softened.
"Mrs. Isabella made me promise those letters would reach Sophia."
Luca sat down.
"And you let Vanessa take them?"
Mrs. Morales lowered her eyes.
"I tried to stop her."
She explained that Vanessa had accused her of stealing jewelry.
When Teresa denied the accusation, Vanessa threatened to have her arrested.
She also threatened to make sure Sophia never saw her again.
"I was frightened," Mrs. Morales admitted.
"But I copied the shipping documents before I left."
Luca looked at her.
"Why didn't you contact me?"
"I tried."
She reached into her handbag again.
This time, she produced three handwritten letters addressed to Luca.
All three were unopened.
"I sent these through your office."
He frowned.
"I never received them."
"Someone returned them to my home."
She pointed to the envelopes.
"Daniel Kessler's assistant said you didn't wish to hear from me."
Luca closed his eyes.
"I didn't know."
Mrs. Morales reached across the table.
"Then you must listen now."
She produced one more envelope.
It was smaller than the others.
And the handwriting on its front was instantly recognizable to Luca.
He stared at it.
"Isabella?"
Mrs. Morales nodded.
"She gave this to me shortly before she died."
Luca's hands trembled.
The envelope was addressed to him.
For Luca, when you need to remember what matters.
He opened it carefully.
Inside was a letter written in blue ink.
I looked away to give him privacy.
But Luca quietly asked me to stay.
Then he began reading aloud.
"My dearest Luca, if you're holding this letter, I hope our little girl is somewhere close enough for you to hear her laughter."
His voice broke.
He stopped.
Mrs. Morales gently touched his hand.
"Take your time."
Luca swallowed and continued.
"I know the world will always demand pieces of you, but please never give it the pieces Sophia needs."
Tears slid down my cheeks.
Luca's voice became barely audible.
"She will not remember how many businesses you saved or how many enemies feared you."
He paused.
"She will remember whether you came when she called."
For a long time, nobody spoke.
Then Luca turned the page.
His expression changed.
At the bottom, Isabella had added a separate paragraph.
It was not about Sophia's birthday.
It was about the foundation.
I have concerns about several educational grants Daniel approved.
Please ask June to review the payments if I am no longer here to do it myself.
Luca looked up sharply.
"Daniel?"
Mrs. Morales nodded.
"Mrs. Isabella noticed missing money before she died."
Nora, who had joined us quietly, stepped forward.
"Did she tell anyone?"
"She tried."
Mrs. Morales looked at Luca.
"But Daniel convinced her the discrepancies were administrative mistakes."
Luca stared at the letter.
The betrayal was suddenly much older than his marriage to Vanessa.
Daniel had been stealing from Isabella's foundation before Vanessa ever entered the family.
And somehow, the two had eventually joined forces.
Then Mrs. Morales said something that made everyone freeze.
"There's one more thing."
Luca looked at her.
"What?"
"When Vanessa took the memory box, Adrian was standing beside her."
Sophia had already told us that much.
But Teresa continued.
"They were talking about Isabella's letters."
Nora leaned forward.
"What did you hear?"
Mrs. Morales hesitated.
"Adrian told Vanessa they couldn't afford to let Luca read them."
"Why?"
The older woman's eyes filled with tears.
"Because he said Isabella had left proof that Daniel was stealing from the children."
Luca slowly stood.
His face had gone completely pale.
For two years, he had believed his wife's foundation was honoring her memory.
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Now he knew people he trusted had been using it as their private bank account.
And they had nearly taken his daughter to protect themselves.
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