Chương 2 - THE PAWN TICKET
The dining room was so quiet I could hear the rain lashing against the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Marcus, the head of Luca’s security, stood by the doorway. His hands were clasped respectfully behind his back, but his eyes were locked on Vanessa.
“What did you just say?” Luca’s voice didn’t rise. It didn’t have to. The quietness of it was terrifying.
Vanessa’s face lost the last of its color. She gripped the edge of the mahogany table, her knuckles turning white. “Luca, he’s an old man. He’s confused. My father died in a boating accident when I was a child. You know this.”
Marcus didn’t blink. “Daniel Bellini didn’t die in the water, sir. He went to a federal penitentiary. He took the fall for a shipment your father lost in ninety-eight. The agreement was that Michael would take care of Daniel’s family in exchange for his silence.”
Luca looked at the faded photograph in his hand. The two young men by the wrecked car.
Then he looked at Vanessa.
“You grew up on my father’s dime,” Luca said softly. “You knew my family your entire life. Yet when we met at that charity gala two years ago, you introduced yourself as a stranger.”
“I didn’t want you to judge me!” Vanessa cried out, tears finally spilling over her perfect makeup. “Luca, my father was a criminal. I wanted a clean slate. I loved you before I even knew who you were.”
“Stop.” Luca held up a hand.
He didn’t yell. He didn’t flip the table. He just looked at the thirty-two guests sitting frozen in their seats.
“The engagement dinner is over,” Luca announced. “Everyone, please leave. Marcus will see you to your cars.”
There were no protests. The city councilman practically ran toward the coat check. Within ten minutes, the grand dining room was completely empty, save for Luca, Vanessa, and me.
I was still standing by the service door, clutching the faded green Army jacket against my chest. I wanted to disappear into the kitchen, but my feet wouldn’t move.
“Luca, please,” Vanessa begged, stepping toward him. “I was just trying to protect our future. That jacket… it’s just a piece of the past. Let Emma throw it away. Let’s move forward.”
She reached for his arm.
Luca stepped back. “Pack your things, Vanessa. Go to a hotel tonight.”
Her face hardened. The tears vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, calculating glare. “You’re making a mistake, Luca. Our families’ businesses are intertwined now. You cancel this wedding, you lose the port contracts.”
“I don’t care about the ports,” Luca said. “Get out of my house.”
Vanessa snatched her designer clutch from the table. She spun on her heel and stormed out of the dining room. But in her anger, the clasp of her bag snagged on the edge of a chair.
The clutch snapped open.
Lipstick, a compact mirror, and a few loose cards scattered across the Persian rug.
Vanessa cursed under her breath, dropping to her knees to gather them. But she missed one. A small, stiff piece of yellow paper had slid under the table.
She stood up, gave Luca one last venomous look, and walked out.
The heavy front doors slammed shut.
Luca stood by the head of the table, staring blindly at the white roses. The powerful, untouchable mafia boss looked completely shattered.
I took a tentative step forward. I knelt down and reached under the table, retrieving the yellow paper Vanessa had dropped.
It was a pawn ticket.
I stood up, intending to leave it on the table. But my eyes caught the name printed on the top line.
My breath stopped in my throat.
“Emma?” Luca asked, noticing my pale face. “What is it?”
I handed him the ticket, my hand trembling violently.
The pawn ticket wasn’t in Vanessa’s name.
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It was issued three days ago. And the name on the account was Arthur Reed.
My father.
