Chapter 4 - THE ENGAGEMENT THAT WASN'T
By morning, the mansion had changed. The white roses were gone from the dining room. The champagne glasses had been collected. Staff members spoke in whispers, and nobody mentioned the engagement dinner unless they were asked directly.
Vanessa was nowhere to be seen.
I was folding table linens when Elena entered the laundry room.
“Grace, I need you to look at something.”
She showed me a photograph of the transmitter's underside. The label was clearer now. A model number, a manufacturer, and a small serial code were visible.
“I know the brand,” I said. “The hotel used similar equipment for private conferences. This one is more specialized.”
“Can you tell whether it was purchased recently?”
“Not from the photograph.”
Elena nodded. “The manufacturer confirmed it was part of a batch sold to a company called Voss Event Solutions.”
Celia Voss.
I looked at Elena. “So the woman from the photograph bought it?”
“Possibly. The company has multiple clients and subcontractors. We are checking the purchase records.”
“Did Vanessa know?”
“We don't know yet.”
Elena put the photograph away. “There's something else. The device was configured to transmit to a receiver registered to a company that no longer exists. The attorney connected to that company is Peter Lang. He represented one of Luca's former business partners.”
I had heard the name once. Staff members sometimes mentioned old disputes, but nobody discussed them in front of me.
At noon, Vanessa returned.
She entered through the main hall wearing cream trousers, a white blouse, and oversized sunglasses. She looked as though she had come from a shopping appointment, not a night in which a hidden transmitter had been discovered beneath her fiancé's chair.
I was carrying folded towels toward the linen closet when she stopped me.
“Grace.”
I kept my eyes lowered. “Good afternoon, Miss Bellini.”
“Don't pretend you haven't caused enough trouble.”
I said nothing.
She stepped closer. Her perfume was expensive and sharp.
“Luca is upset. He gets suspicious when people feed him stories. You should correct yours.”
“I told him what I saw.”
“You saw a device. You don't know who put it there.”
“I saw you beside the chair.”
Her expression hardened. “Be careful.”
I felt my pulse in my throat. “Yes, ma'am.”
She looked toward the staircase, then lowered her voice.
“You have a mother, don't you?”
My fingers tightened around the towels.
“I'm sure she would hate to see you lose your position because you misunderstood something.”
I remembered Luca's warning. “If you have a concern about my work, please speak to the house manager.”
Vanessa's smile returned, but there was no warmth in it.
“Such a brave little maid.”
She walked away.
I waited until she disappeared before going to Elena's office. I repeated every word. Elena listened without interrupting, then asked me to write it down, including the time and location.
When I finished, she made a call.
A few minutes later, Luca appeared.
“She mentioned your mother?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Did she threaten her?”
“Not directly.”
“Sometimes a threat doesn't need to be direct.”
He turned to Elena. “Arrange a discreet check on the house. No contact unless there is a reason.”
I stepped forward. “Please don't frighten my mother.”
“We won't. We'll make sure she's safe.”
Luca looked at me. “Vanessa's engagement to me is over.”
My heart jumped. “You told her?”
“I don't need to make a public announcement. She knows.”
“Then why is she still here?”
“She has belongings in the guest suite. She'll collect them under supervision.”
I nodded.
Matteo entered carrying a folder.
“We found the company records,” he said. “Voss Event Solutions was paid through a consulting firm linked to Peter Lang. And the payment was approved by someone inside the estate.”
Luca opened the folder.
His expression changed.
“Who?”
May you like
Matteo hesitated.
“Your personal assistant, sir.”
