Chapter 3 - THE TICKET IN THE LINING
Luca walked into the room slowly, as if the floorboards might give way beneath his feet.
He didn't look at me, and he didn't look at the yellow ticket in my hand. His eyes moved frantically across the bare walls, the empty bookshelves, the pristine, untouched desk.
"The baseball trophies," Luca whispered, his voice sounding hollow. "Dad bought him those shelves specifically for the trophies."
"They're gone, Luca," Samuel said softly, standing near the bed.
Luca walked over to the wall where the corkboard used to hang. There were four small holes in the plaster where the screws had been. He reached out and touched one of the holes, his large hand trembling slightly.
"She told me she was having the room painted," Luca said, speaking more to himself than to us. "She said she was hiring a decorator to surprise you for when you came back from Aunt June's."
He turned around to face his brother. The absolute heartbreak in the powerful man's eyes was devastating to witness.
"Sammy," Luca’s voice broke. "I didn't know. I swear to God, I didn't know she did this."
"I know," Samuel said, stepping forward. He reached out and wrapped his arms around his older brother's waist.
Luca dropped to his knees on the hardwood floor, burying his face in the boy's shoulder. He held Samuel so tightly I thought he might crack the boy's ribs, but Samuel just held him back.
"I will find every single thing she took," Luca vowed into the fabric of Samuel's shirt. "If I have to tear this city apart with my bare hands, I will get your things back."
I stood quietly in the corner, giving them the moment they so desperately needed. But the yellow hospital claim ticket in my hand felt like a burning coal.
After a long minute, Luca pulled back. He wiped his face, taking a deep breath, and the vulnerability in his eyes hardened into cold, absolute resolve. He stood up and looked at me.
"What did you find, Hannah?"
I held out the yellow slip of paper. "Samuel felt something hidden inside his father's coat. It was sewn into the lining."
Luca frowned, crossing the room to take the ticket. As his eyes scanned the printed words, I watched the muscles in his jaw feather and lock.
"Mercy General," Luca read softly. "Patient Effects Vault."
He looked at the time stamp. Then he looked at the signature.
"Vanessa," he whispered, a dark, dangerous edge bleeding into his voice.
"Mr. Moretti," I said carefully. "I remember the week your father passed. You spent days looking for his personal effects. You called the hospital administrators."
"They told me the bag was empty," Luca said, his eyes glued to the yellow paper. "They said Dad didn't have anything on him when they moved him from the ER to the ICU. I thought someone had stolen his things. But she..."
He looked up, his eyes flashing with a terrifying realization. "She checked an envelope into the vault. Two hours after he died. While I was downstairs in the hospital chapel, crying."
"And she sewed the ticket into his coat?" Samuel asked, confused.
"No," Luca said slowly, looking down at the heavy wool coat on the bed. "Vanessa doesn't know how to sew. And she certainly wouldn't use crooked black thread. Dad did this."
My eyes widened. "Your father hid the ticket in his own coat?"
"He must have known what she was going to do," Luca murmured, piecing it together. "Or he forced her to check the item into the vault while he was still conscious, and he hid the ticket so she couldn't retrieve it without his permission."
"But what is it?" Samuel asked.
Before Luca could answer, the sharp, rhythmic clicking of high heels echoed down the hardwood hallway.
Vanessa appeared in the doorway.
She had thrown a beige trench coat over her red satin gown. Her perfect hair was slightly disheveled, and her eyes were wild with a frantic, cornered energy.
She looked at Luca, then at Samuel, and finally, her eyes locked onto me.
"Pack your bags," Vanessa snapped, pointing a manicured finger at my chest. "You are fired. Get out of my house."
I stiffened, instinctively stepping closer to Samuel.
"Excuse me?" I said, keeping my voice level despite the adrenaline rushing through my veins.
"You heard me," Vanessa sneered, stepping into the room. "You are a housekeeper. You are paid to clean toilets, not to meddle in private family affairs. You brought this lying child in here and ruined my engagement dinner. You have one hour to clear out your quarters."
I needed this job. My mother's heart medication was twelve hundred dollars a month. The panic that gripped me was real, but I refused to let Vanessa see it.
I looked at Luca.
Luca didn't even blink. He slowly folded the yellow claim ticket and slid it into his suit pocket.
Then he looked at Vanessa.
"Hannah isn't going anywhere," Luca said, his voice deadly calm.
Vanessa’s face twisted in outrage. "Luca! This girl deliberately undermined me—"
"This girl," Luca interrupted, his voice rising in volume, "is the only person in this house who showed my brother an ounce of compassion tonight."
He took a slow step toward his fiancée.
"You told me Sammy’s things were in storage while the decorator worked," Luca said, gesturing to the bare walls. "You threw his life in the garbage."
Vanessa flinched. "Luca, I was trying to help him detach. The therapist said—"
"Stop lying," Luca roared. The sound rattled the windows.
Samuel jumped, and I immediately put my hand on his back.
Vanessa took a step backward into the hallway, genuine fear finally crossing her face.
"The wedding is off," Luca said, his tone dropping back to a freezing calm. "You have thirty minutes to pack your things and leave this property. If you take one item that belongs to my family, I will have you arrested."
"You can't do this," Vanessa gasped, tears welling in her eyes. "Luca, you love me. We're building a life together."
"We're done," Luca said.
Vanessa looked desperately around the room, realizing she was losing her grip on millions of dollars and a life of unparalleled luxury. "You're choosing a damaged kid and a maid over me?"
Luca stepped into the doorway, looming over her. "Thirty minutes, Vanessa."
Vanessa let out a frustrated sob, turned on her heel, and ran down the hallway toward the master suite.
Luca stood in the doorway for a moment, letting out a long, ragged exhale. He ran a hand over his face, exhausted. Then he turned back to me and Samuel.
"Hannah," he said quietly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Mr. Moretti," I said, though my hands were shaking.
"You're not fired," he assured me, offering a weak, apologetic smile. "In fact, I'm doubling your salary starting tomorrow."
My mouth opened in shock. "Mr. Moretti, that isn't necessary—"
"It is," he insisted. He looked at Samuel. "Sammy, get some sleep. Tomorrow, we are going to fix this room. And then, we're going for a ride."
Samuel looked at him. "Where are we going?"
May you like
Luca touched the pocket of his suit, where the yellow paper was hidden.
"We are going to Mercy General Hospital," Luca said, his eyes narrowing. "We're going to find out exactly what Dad forced Vanessa to lock in that vault."
