Chapter 3 - THE ROOM BEHIND THE NURSERY
The next morning, Dominic canceled his meetings.
He went upstairs carrying breakfast on a tray: pancakes, strawberries,
and a mug of hot chocolate. He had never made pancakes before. The first
batch had been too dark. The second had stuck to the pan. The third
looked uneven but edible.
Ella was sitting on her bed in pink pajamas, arranging small animal
figures in a line.
When she saw him, she immediately stood.
“Am I in trouble?”
Dominic set the tray down.
“No, sweetheart. Why would you be?”
“Because I took the box downstairs.”
He sat on the edge of the bed.
“You did nothing wrong.”
Ella studied his face, searching for the hidden condition.
“Are you mad at Mrs. Alvarez?”
“No.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“Never for wanting your daddy.”
She climbed onto the mattress and sat beside him.
Dominic handed her a plate.
“I made pancakes.”
She inspected one.
“It’s a little burnt.”
“I noticed.”
“Did you make it?”
“I did.”
“Then it’s good.”
He smiled. “That’s generous.”
For a few minutes, they ate in comfortable silence. Then Ella asked,
“Can I still save money?”
Dominic put down his fork.
“You can save money for anything you want. But you don’t need to save it
for me.”
“What if I want to buy you something?”
“Then I’ll treasure it. But you never have to buy my love.”
Ella nodded slowly.
After breakfast, she showed him the small room behind the nursery. It
was not technically a room, just a narrow storage space beneath the
stairs where she had arranged a blanket, a flashlight, and a tin box.
“This is where I count my money,” she explained.
Dominic crouched.
“Why here?”
“Because Mommy said I shouldn’t bother people with it.”
He looked at the blanket. It was folded with extraordinary care. Beside
it sat drawings of a little girl holding hands with a tall man.
“Did you come here when you were sad?”
Ella nodded.
“Sometimes I pretended you were on the other side of the wall. I talked
to you.”
Dominic closed his eyes briefly.
“I wish I had heard.”
“Maybe the wall was too thick.”
He drew her into his arms.
“Then we’ll make sure there are no walls between us again.”
A knock sounded at the nursery door. Marcus entered.
“Boss, the accountant found something else.”
Dominic stood.
“What?”
“The transfers marked as children’s expenses were not just
reimbursements. Some were routed through a consulting company. It has no
employees and no business activity.”
“Who owns it?”
“We’re tracing that now. Also, the company received payments from a
foundation connected to your wife’s brother.”
Dominic’s expression sharpened.
“Adrian?”
Marcus nodded.
Dominic’s brother-in-law had been involved in several failed
investments. Dominic had refused to give him control of any Moretti
business, but Seraphina had insisted Adrian was trying to become
respectable.
“Bring me the records.”
Marcus handed him a tablet.
The transactions began eighteen months earlier. Small amounts at first,
then larger ones. The total was substantial.
Dominic looked at the dates.
One transfer had been made the day after Ella’s school play.
Another had been made the morning of her birthday.
He felt anger rise, but he forced it down. Ella was watching him.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“Something I need to fix.”
“Can I help?”
He knelt in front of her.
“You already did.”
He asked Mrs. Alvarez to stay with Ella while he went downstairs. Before
leaving, he turned back.
“Tonight, we’ll have dinner together. Just us.”
Ella’s face brightened.
“Can we make pancakes again?”
“Even the burnt ones.”
She laughed.
May you like
For the first time in months, the sound carried through the nursery
without anyone telling her to be quiet.
