Chapter 2 - THE BLUE SILK DRESS
The silence in the dining room was absolute. Thirty-six guests stared at Evelyn, their expensive wine forgotten.
Luca didn’t let go of the seamstress’s hand. He looked at me, a profound confusion mixing with the quiet intensity in his dark eyes. Then he looked at Vanessa.
"Evelyn," Luca said, his voice a low, careful rumble. "What does Claire's mother have to do with my family?"
Evelyn swallowed hard. "Thirty years ago, when your mother couldn't afford the lace for her veil, your grandmother wasn't the only one who stayed up sewing it. There was another girl working in my shop. She was eighteen, brilliant with a needle, and she became your mother's best friend."
I felt the blood drain from my face. My mother had never mentioned knowing the Moretti family.
"Her name was Maria," Evelyn said softly.
Answer One: My mother, Maria Donovan, had a deep, hidden history with the Moretti family before I was born.
"My mother never spoke of her," Luca said, his brow furrowed.
"Because your father forbade it," Evelyn explained. "When your father took over the syndicate, Maria warned your mother to run. She begged her to take you and leave Chicago. Your father found out. He threatened Maria. He told her if she ever came near his wife or his son again, she wouldn't live to sew another dress."
A cold sweat broke out on my neck. The mafia boss had threatened my mother.
"But your mother didn't forget her," Evelyn continued. "Four years ago, right before the cancer took her, she sent me a box. Inside was her blue silk dress. She told me to wait until you found the woman you were going to marry. She wanted Maria to fix the dress, to be the one to give it to your bride as a blessing."
Open Two: If it was a blessing, why did Vanessa demand Evelyn cut off ties with my mother?
Luca turned his gaze to Vanessa. The look in his eyes was terrifyingly blank.
"Vanessa," Luca said, his voice perfectly even. "You knew about Maria."
Vanessa took a step back, her hands trembling. "I... I found the letter your mother left Evelyn. I read it."
"And instead of honoring my mother's dying wish, you ordered Evelyn to cut ties. You tried to erase the only friend my mother ever truly had."
"I was protecting you!" Vanessa cried, her voice cracking. "I ran a background check on Maria Donovan when I found the letter. She isn't just a seamstress, Luca!"
Vanessa pointed a shaking finger at me.
"Her mother didn't run from your father just because of a threat. She ran because she stole something from him. Three million dollars from the syndicate's operational fund!"
The guests gasped.
Reversal: My mother wasn't just a terrified friend. According to Vanessa, she was a thief who stole millions from the mob.
I stepped forward, my hands gripping the edge of my apron. "That's a lie! We lived in a one-bedroom apartment! My mother has arthritis because she worked sixteen hours a day to feed me. If she had three million dollars, she wouldn't be dying because we can't afford her treatment!"
Luca stared at me. He saw the sheer desperation, the undeniable truth of poverty etched into my worn uniform.
He looked back at Vanessa. "If she stole the money, where is it?"
"I don't know!" Vanessa shrieked, losing the last of her socialite composure. "But I found proof. The old bank statements are in my safe. I was going to show you after the wedding!"
Luca stood up completely. He didn't yell. He didn't throw a glass. He just looked at Vanessa with a finality that made the temperature in the room drop.
"Bring me the bank statements," Luca commanded softly. "Now."
Vanessa swallowed hard. She nodded, turning toward the grand staircase.
"Marco," Luca said.
A massive man in a tailored suit stepped out of the shadows near the door. He was Luca’s head of security.
"Go with her," Luca ordered. "Make sure she only brings the paperwork."
Vanessa flinched but didn't argue. She walked up the stairs, Marco shadowing her every step.
The dining room descended into suffocating tension. I stood near the wall, feeling thirty-six pairs of eyes on me. I was the daughter of a woman accused of stealing from the mafia.
Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen.
Luca checked his watch. He frowned.
Suddenly, a loud, heavy thud echoed from the second floor.
It sounded like a body hitting the floorboards.
Luca didn't hesitate. He drew a suppressed handgun from inside his jacket and sprinted up the stairs.
I don't know why, but I followed him.
When we reached the master suite, the heavy oak door was wide open.
Marco, the head of security, was lying face down on the Persian rug. Blood was pooling beneath his head.
And Vanessa was gone.
But she hadn't left empty-handed. The wall safe was open, completely emptied of cash and passports. And sitting on the bed, left behind like garbage, was the blue silk dress my mother had just finished repairing.
Pinned to the delicate fabric was a single, terrifying note.
May you like
The money is still missing. Tell the maid I’m coming for her mother next.
TITLE: The Blood On The Blue Silk
