Chapter 6 - Fifty Thousand Dollars|
Vanessa’s hands twitched against the delicate silk of her designer gown.
"Luca, she’s lying!" Vanessa panicked, her voice shaking violently. "She’s an old woman who was confused by the grand foyer! I told the maid to take care of her—I offered her a comfortable seat in the back!"
Rosa didn’t shout. She didn’t even raise her voice. She unbuttoned her worn leather purse, reached inside, and pulled out a folded slip of heavy blue paper.
"You didn’t give it to me directly," Rosa said softly, holding the slip out toward Luca. "You had your driver hand it to me in the hallway while you thought no one was paying attention."
Luca took the paper. I was standing close enough to read the bold letterhead: The Bellini Family Trust.
It was a certified cashier’s check made out for fifty thousand dollars.
On the memo line, written in Vanessa’s sharp, elegant handwriting, were four words: For retirement. Stay home.
Luca’s jaw tightened until the muscles jumped under his skin. The terrifying, quiet stillness that made hardened cartel bosses fear Luca Moretti settled over his face. He didn't yell. He didn't smash a glass against the wall. He just stared down at the check, then raised his eyes to meet Vanessa’s.
"Fifty thousand dollars," Luca said, his voice dangerously quiet. "To buy your way out of showing basic human respect to the woman who raised me after my mother died."
May you like
"Luca, please listen to me!" Vanessa took a desperate step forward, her mask slipping completely. "We’re building an empire together! The Bellini and Moretti families! Do you have any idea how many journalists will be at our wedding? What would people in our circle say if they saw a former servant sitting at the head table? I did it for us! I did it for your image!"
"My mother didn’t care about my image," Luca whispered, his tone icy. "She cared about my soul. And she knew that power makes men blind."
