Chapter 5 - THE MESSAGE SENT TO A CHILD|
Ethan's hands were shaking when Luca asked to see his phone.
The boy hesitated before handing it over.
I watched Luca read the threatening message twice.
His expression grew dangerously still.
"Did you receive anything else like this?"
Ethan nodded.
"One message last week."
"What did it say?"
"That Mom could lose her job if I kept bothering your family."
Grace, who had just entered the garage, stopped walking.
"Ethan, why didn't you tell me?"
The boy's eyes filled.
"Because you already work so much."
He looked down.
"I didn't want something else to be my fault."
I felt something tighten in my chest.
Thirteen-year-old boys were supposed to worry about homework, baseball, and whether their friends liked them.
Ethan was worrying about his mother's employment because an adult had decided to frighten him.
Luca handed the phone back carefully.
"Listen to me, buddy."
His voice was calm but firm.
"You are not responsible for your mother's job."
"And you're not responsible for protecting grown-ups from their own decisions."
Ethan wiped his eyes.
"Are we in trouble?"
"No."
Luca glanced toward Grace.
"But whoever sent those messages needs to be identified."
He asked Grace's permission to preserve copies for his attorney and a police report.
She agreed, although I could see how frightened she was.
When Luca offered to arrange someone to drive her to work, she shook her head.
"I appreciate it, but I want Ethan to see that we can still live our lives."
Luca nodded.
"Then tell me what would actually help."
Grace considered the question.
"Let us know what you discover."
"I will."
That afternoon, Luca's attorney, Elena Russo, arrived at the mansion.
She was a composed woman in her forties who rarely raised her voice.
But after examining the letters and threatening messages, she looked deeply concerned.
"Someone impersonated you in written correspondence," she told Luca.
"And someone else, or possibly the same person, used private information to pressure a minor."
Luca folded his arms.
"I want answers."
"Then we need evidence that will survive scrutiny."
He looked impatient.
Elena continued.
"Confronting people without understanding the records could make this worse for Grace and Ethan."
That was the first time I'd seen someone tell Luca Moretti to slow down without making him angry.
He simply nodded.
"Do it properly."
Mara Ortiz arrived an hour later with two thick folders.
I was serving coffee when Luca asked me to remain in the room.
"Natalie witnessed what happened at the engagement dinner," he explained.
"And I trust her."
Those words surprised me.
Most wealthy families treated housemaids as though they disappeared the moment a tray was placed on a table.
Luca had never been cruel to me, but this was the first time he'd openly acknowledged that I'd seen something important.
Mara opened the first folder.
"The fund was established twenty-three months ago," she said.
"Your standing instruction was to transfer twenty-four hundred dollars each month into Ethan's education account."
Luca nodded.
"That was supposed to continue until he finished school."
"Correct."
"What happened?"
"The last three transfers were suspended."
Mara slid a document across the desk.
"Patrick processed the suspension after receiving what he described as a signed request from Grace."
Elena studied the page.
"This isn't sufficient authorization for closing the account."
"No," Mara agreed.
"The account wasn't legally closed, but the payments were marked inactive in our internal system."
Luca stared at the paperwork.
"So the money is still there?"
"The seven thousand two hundred dollars remains owed to the account."
"Then restore the payments."
Elena raised a hand.
"We can correct the account without disturbing the evidence."
Luca nodded.
"Make sure Ethan receives every dollar."
Then Mara opened the second folder.
"This is where things become more complicated."
She showed us an invoice from Bellini Event Design.
The amount was eighteen thousand six hundred dollars.
It was described as a private heritage installation for the engagement celebration.
Luca frowned.
"What heritage installation?"
"That's what we're trying to determine."
Mara turned the page.
"The supporting paperwork references the Hayes Family Education Fund."
I looked at her.
"Why would Ethan's account appear on a wedding invoice?"
Mara shook her head.
"It shouldn't."
She was careful to explain that the invoice alone didn't prove the education money had been transferred to the vendor.
But someone had connected the two records through an internal reference code.
Luca asked who had submitted the invoice.
Mara pointed toward the approval section.
"Patrick processed it."
"And who requested the work?"
"Vanessa Bellini."
For several seconds, the room remained silent.
Then Elena reached for another document.
"Did you approve this expense, Luca?"
He examined the page.
"No."
"Your electronic approval appears here."
"I was in New York that day."
Mara nodded grimly.
"I checked your schedule."
Luca leaned back in his chair.
The anger I'd seen at dinner had disappeared beneath something heavier.
He was beginning to realize that a person he'd trusted had used his office to make decisions in his name.
Just then, my phone vibrated.
It was a message from Patrick Vale.
The words were polite enough to sound ordinary.
But my blood ran cold as I read them.
"Natalie, effective immediately, you are not to discuss the Hayes family with anyone. Any further involvement may result in termination of your employment."
I looked at Luca.
He noticed my expression.
"What is it?"
I handed him the phone.
He read the message once.
May you like
Then he quietly asked Elena a question.
"Why is my assistant threatening the only employee who tried to help Ethan?"
