Chapter 4 - THE TRUTH IN THE MUSIC BOX
I stared at the heavy silver key resting in my palm, the cold metal biting into my skin.
“Vanessa?” Luca whispered, the words barely making it past his throat.
Isabella closed her eyes, a fresh tear tracking down her cheek.
“Mommy knew Vanessa was coming for you,” Isabella murmured softly. “She knew Vanessa’s father wanted the territory. Mommy told me Vanessa swapped her heart medication.”
My chest tightened, making it impossible to pull in a full breath.
All this time, everyone believed Caroline had died of a tragic, sudden heart failure.
“Isabella.” Luca’s voice was sharp, pulling us both out of the shock. He stepped forward. “Are you telling me Vanessa murdered your mother?”
“Yes,” Isabella said, her voice hardening with quiet resolve. “And now she’s trying to get rid of me so she can have you all to herself.”
Luca reached out and gently closed my fingers around the key. His hand was warm, grounding me in the terrifying reality of the moment.
“Go with Isabella to Caroline’s room,” Luca ordered, his tone shifting into the undeniable command of a mob boss preparing for war. “Find that music box. Bring it to me.”
Ten minutes later, Isabella and I were standing inside Caroline’s untouched master suite.
The room smelled faintly of dried lavender and old grief. Heavy velvet curtains blocked the moonlight.
“It’s under the floorboards,” Isabella pointed to the corner beneath the vanity.
I crouched down, prying the loose wooden board away. Hidden in the dust was a beautifully carved mahogany music box.
I pulled it out. My hands shook as I slid the silver key into the rusted lock. It turned with a heavy, satisfying click.
I opened the lid.
Inside, there was no ballerina. There was no jewelry.
Instead, resting on a bed of red velvet, was a small glass vial containing three white pills, and a handwritten letter.
I picked up the letter and unfolded it.
“If you are reading this, my heart has finally given out. But it wasn't natural. Vanessa has been poisoning my tea for months. I kept these pills as proof. Luca, protect our daughter. Trust no one in the Bellini family.”
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
I spun around, expecting Luca.
But standing in the doorway, blocking our only exit, was Marco Moretti.
Luca’s younger brother.
He wore a tailored gray suit, holding a silenced pistol aimed directly at my chest.
“Hello, Claire,” Marco said smoothly, offering a polite, almost pitying smile. “I’ll be taking that box now.”
Isabella gasped, stepping behind me.
“Marco?” I whispered. “What are you doing?”
“Protecting the family,” Marco sighed. “Luca is too sentimental. He refuses to merge with the Bellinis. But if Vanessa and Luca marry, the war ends. And I get my cut of the warehouse district.”
He stepped forward, his eyes cold.
“Hand over the letter, maid. Or I’ll tell Luca you were the one poisoning his wife’s tea.”
But before I could move, Isabella reached into her pocket.
She didn't pull out another key.
May you like
She pulled out a crumpled photograph, holding it up for Marco to see.
“I wouldn't shoot us, Uncle Marco,” Isabella said, her voice terrifyingly steady for a ten-year-old. “Because if you do, Daddy will find out that you were the one who gave Vanessa the poison.”
