Chapter 8 - A Son's First Birthday
Noah's first birthday arrived on a bright Saturday in early spring.
Hannah had planned to spend the day quietly with her mother, but Mrs. Alvarez insisted on baking a small cake. Mrs. Collins brought a knitted blanket. Dana sent a card with a cheerful picture of a bear.
Hannah was surprised when Luca asked whether the household could help arrange a small celebration in the garden.
“Only if you want it,” he said. “Nothing elaborate.”
“I don't want a big party.”
“Then it won't be big.”
The garden was decorated with a few balloons and white flowers. A small table held fruit, sandwiches, and the cake. Staff members came in and out during their breaks, offering Noah gentle smiles.
Luca arrived without a suit jacket. He carried a wrapped gift.
Hannah looked at it suspiciously. “You didn't need to buy him anything.”
“I wanted to.”
Inside the box was a wooden music toy shaped like a little boat. It played a soft melody when Noah turned the wheel.
“It's beautiful,” Hannah said.
“My mother used to keep one like it.”
Hannah looked at him. “You remember her?”
“Every day.”
For a moment, his expression seemed far away.
“She believed a home was measured by how safe people felt inside it,” he said. “I forgot that.”
Hannah held the toy while Noah reached for it.
“You're trying to remember now.”
Luca nodded.
The party was small, warm, and imperfect. Noah grabbed a fistful of frosting and smeared it across his own cheek. Everyone laughed. Even Luca smiled.
Then a black car stopped outside the gate.
Marco approached Luca and spoke quietly. The smile disappeared from Luca's face.
Hannah noticed.
“What is it?”
“Victor Bellini has been arrested,” Luca said. “The investigators found records connecting him to the threats and the fraudulent transfers.”
“Is Vanessa with him?”
“She has been questioned. Her case is separate.”
Hannah looked down at Noah. “Will this be over?”
“The investigation will take time. But the immediate threat has been contained.”
She let out a breath she had been holding for weeks.
Later, when the guests had gone, Luca helped carry the folding chairs back inside. Hannah wiped frosting from the table.
“You didn't have to stay,” she said.
“I wanted to.”
“You're the owner.”
“And you're the person who organized the party. I can carry chairs.”
She smiled.
He paused at the garden door. “Hannah, I want to offer you a permanent position coordinating the household staff schedules and employee support. You know what people need because you've been on the other side of the rules.”
She blinked. “I don't have management experience.”
“You have experience recognizing when management fails.”
“I'd need training.”
“You'll get it. And the pay will be written into a contract, reviewed by Dana.”
Hannah looked at the little table where Noah had eaten his first birthday cake.
“Why me?”
“Because you spoke up when it would have been easier to stay quiet. And because you never asked me to punish anyone. You asked me to make the rules fair.”
She considered the offer.
“I'll think about it.”
“Take your time.”
May you like
He did not press her.
That evening, Hannah went home with her son, her mother's laughter still ringing in her ears. For the first time in a long while, she could imagine a future that was not simply about surviving the next bill.
