Chapter 7 - THE MAN BEHIND THE CONTRACTS|
Victor Hale had always seemed like the most ordinary man in Luca Moretti's world.
He was fifty-two, wore perfectly tailored gray suits, and spoke in the patient voice of someone explaining numbers to people who didn't understand them.
I had served him coffee dozens of times.
He never raised his voice.
He never made inappropriate remarks.
And he always thanked me by name.
That was what made the documents so disturbing.
I had spent three years believing politeness meant kindness.
Now I was beginning to understand that some people could smile at you while quietly calculating what your fear was worth.
Rachel arranged a meeting with Luca and his independent legal counsel.
Rosa came with us.
I was nervous walking back into the Moretti mansion, but this time Lily was safely at school, and I was there as someone with a right to ask questions.
Teresa met us near the front staircase.
"Emily, sweetheart."
She hugged me before I could say anything.
Then she turned to Rosa.
"I'm glad you came."
Rosa looked startled.
"Mrs. Moretti, I don't think we've met."
"No, but you helped my friend when she needed someone to tell the truth."
Teresa squeezed her hand.
"That makes you welcome here."
Luca was waiting in the library.
There were no champagne glasses or glittering chandeliers.
Just a long wooden table covered with documents.
Daniel stood near the window.
Two attorneys sat beside Luca.
When Rosa described what had happened at the Oak Park estate, Luca listened without interrupting.
His expression grew darker with every sentence.
Finally, she showed him the payroll deductions.
Luca turned to one of his attorneys.
"Have we been paying this company for employee accommodation services?"
"According to the preliminary records, yes."
"How much?"
"We're still tracing the transfers."
Luca looked toward Daniel.
"Where's Victor?"
"In the building, sir."
"Ask him to come in."
Victor entered several minutes later carrying a leather portfolio.
He smiled when he saw me.
"Emily, I heard about the unfortunate misunderstanding at the engagement dinner."
I stared at him.
"There was no misunderstanding."
His smile weakened.
Luca pushed the staffing agreement across the table.
"Explain this."
Victor glanced down.
"Standard outsourcing arrangements."
"Did you approve them?"
"Yes, but the implementation was handled by Vanessa's company."
Luca leaned back.
"Did you know they involved coerced overnight work arrangements and unauthorized payroll deductions?"
Victor frowned.
"That's a serious accusation."
"So is forging an employee's signature."
Victor looked toward me.
I met his eyes without lowering mine.
He tapped the papers.
"These matters should be reviewed through the appropriate channels."
Rachel spoke calmly.
"That's exactly what we're doing."
Victor's expression hardened.
Luca pointed toward the door.
"You're being placed on administrative leave while an independent investigation is conducted."
Victor stared at him.
"You can't possibly be serious."
"Daniel will arrange access for the investigators to the relevant financial records."
Victor gave a humorless laugh.
"You're going to damage your own company because your former fiancée argued with a maid?"
The room became silent.
I felt the old instinct to apologize rise in my throat.
Then Rosa spoke.
"She didn't argue with me."
Her voice trembled, but she continued.
"She took money from my wages, threatened my job, and made me afraid to go home to my son."
Victor looked at her impatiently.
"That isn't what the records show."
Rosa lifted her chin.
"Then maybe the records are wrong."
Luca stood.
"Victor, leave your company devices with the investigators before you go."
Victor hesitated.
For a moment, I thought he might refuse.
Then he placed his portfolio on the table and walked out with Daniel accompanying him.
Afterward, Luca remained standing by the window.
I could see his reflection in the dark glass.
He looked exhausted.
"Emily," he said quietly, "I've spent years believing that if I hired competent people, I could trust them to handle the details."
I didn't answer.
He turned toward us.
"That trust became an excuse not to look closely enough."
Rosa stared at the floor.
Luca continued.
"I can't undo what happened to either of you."
His voice tightened.
"But I can make sure the records are examined independently and any wages owed are addressed."
Rachel explained the options for reporting possible wage violations and forgery to the appropriate authorities.
Luca agreed to cooperate and to preserve the relevant records.
He also agreed that staff members needed a confidential way to speak with investigators without going through their supervisors.
I was grateful.
But I wasn't ready to call it justice.
Not yet.
Justice meant knowing exactly what had happened.
It meant listening to everyone Vanessa and Victor had frightened.
And it meant making sure no other child was ever used to control a parent.
That evening, I returned home feeling cautiously hopeful.
Lily was building a blanket fort in our living room.
She had arranged her stuffed animals in a circle and was teaching them how to share crayons.
For a moment, I simply watched her.
Then my phone buzzed.
A neighbor had sent me a link.
The headline made my stomach drop.
MAID AT CENTER OF MORETTI ENGAGEMENT SCANDAL ACCUSED OF MANIPULATING MILLIONAIRE BOSS.
Below the headline was a photograph taken at the engagement dinner.
It showed me kneeling beside Lily while Luca stood above us.
The caption claimed I had deliberately brought my child to the event to attract his attention.
My face burned with humiliation.
Then I saw the source named in the article.
A PERSON CLOSE TO VANESSA BELLINI.
I slowly lowered the phone.
May you like
Vanessa hadn't disappeared.
She had simply found a larger room in which to humiliate us.
