Chapter 1 - THE MONEY THAT NEVER ARRIVED
For a moment, I thought I had misunderstood Luca.
He was looking at me as though he had just recognized something he had spent years trying not to see.
Vanessa's champagne glass trembled in her hand.
“Luca,” she said, “we should discuss this privately.”
“No.” He turned toward her. “You wanted forty people to watch Grace be humiliated. They can watch you answer.”
Nobody moved.
He looked at me again.
“Grace, I need you to tell me something. Did your mother ever mention the name Giovanni Moretti?”
My fingers went cold.
“My mother knew your father?”
Luca's jaw tightened.
“Please answer.”
“She never spoke about him. Not to me.”
Vanessa gave a sharp, brittle laugh.
“This is absurd. You're making a family tragedy into some kind of public confession.”
Luca ignored her.
“Did your mother ever tell you where she worked before you were born?”
I nodded slowly.
“She said she worked in a private household outside the city. She left before I was born.”
“Did she say whose household?”
“No.”
He looked down at the torn black ribbon in his hand.
Then he said, “Your mother worked for my father.”
The room seemed to tilt.
I stared at him.
“What?”
“Her name was Elena Mitchell. She worked at the Moretti estate when my father was alive.”
I shook my head.
“My mother never told me that.”
“She had reasons.”
“What reasons?”
Luca looked toward Vanessa.
“Not here.”
Vanessa stepped between us.
“You cannot seriously be considering telling her this tonight.”
Luca's eyes hardened.
“Move.”
For the first time, Vanessa looked genuinely afraid.
She stepped aside.
Luca turned to Daniel, his security chief.
“Bring the emergency account records. Every transfer from the last thirty days.”
Daniel nodded and left the room.
Luca faced me again.
“I approved twelve thousand dollars for your mother's care. The money was supposed to go directly to the hospital and to you.”
“I never received anything.”
“I know that now.”
“You knew she was dying?”
His expression crumpled.
“I knew she was seriously ill. I did not know she had only days left.”
I could barely breathe.
“You knew she needed me, and you let me stay here?”
“No.” His voice broke. “I approved your leave. I arranged transportation. I believed you were at the hospital.”
I looked at Vanessa.
She stared at the table.
Luca followed my gaze.
“Did you take the money?”
Vanessa lifted her chin.
“I moved it.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere it was needed.”
“Where?”
She said nothing.
Luca set his wineglass down.
“Then I'll ask once more. Where did the twelve thousand dollars go?”
Vanessa's eyes filled.
“To a private investigator.”
The guests began whispering.
Luca went still.
“Why?”
May you like
She looked directly at me.
“Because I found out who Grace really is.”
