Chapter 11 - The Letter Left On The Pillow
I stayed on the patio for a long time. Luca stood beside me, perfectly silent, offering no excuses, just a steady presence.
When I finally went back inside, my father had gone to sleep in one of the guest rooms.
I walked up the grand staircase, heading toward the staff quarters to pack my things. I needed space. I needed to go back to my small apartment and process the fact that my entire life had been shaped by a mafia vendetta.
But when I opened the door to my small, modest room at the end of the hall, I stopped.
Sitting perfectly centered on my plain white pillow was a thick, ivory envelope.
My name was written on it in elegant, looping cursive.
Emma.
I picked it up. The wax seal on the back was broken.
I opened the flap and pulled out a letter on heavy, expensive stationery.
Emma,
If you are reading this, I am likely in federal custody. Or dead. Either way, I lose.
My breath caught. It was from Vanessa.
She must have slipped it into my room before the party, when she was setting up the elevator trap.
I always knew Luca didn't love me, the letter read. He tolerated me. But the way he looked at you—the little maid who polished his floors—drove me insane. He never looked at me like that.
But you aren't just a maid, are you? I found out about your father a month ago. I found out he had the boy. I figured if I got rid of the kid, and got rid of you, Luca would finally have no attachments. He would have to choose me.
I felt sick. She hadn't just targeted me to hide a secret. She targeted me out of jealousy.
But there's one thing Isabella didn't know, the letter continued. One final secret I kept for myself as an insurance policy.
Your mother's files in that basement box? They aren't just about the Volkovs.
Look closely at the bank statements, Emma. Look at who authorized the payout for your mother's accident.
I dropped the letter.
My hands shook violently.
I ran downstairs, ignoring the startled looks from Marco and the remaining security guards. I practically tore the study doors open.
Luca was sitting at his desk, reviewing legal documents. He looked up, alarmed by my pale face.
"Emma? What's wrong?"
I threw Vanessa's letter onto his desk.
"We need to go to my father's old house. Right now."
Luca read the letter quickly. His jaw tightened.
Without a word, he grabbed his keys.
We drove to the suburbs in silence. The old house looked exactly as I remembered it. Weathered siding, overgrown lawn.
We went straight to the basement. I used the small silver key to open a heavy metal lockbox hidden behind the old water heater.
Inside were stacks of yellowed papers, old photographs, and a ledger.
I grabbed the ledger, flipping to the year my mother died.
I found the page.
A bank transfer record. A massive payout to the man who drove the truck that hit her car.
The authorizing signature at the bottom wasn't Isabella's.
May you like
It was a name that made Luca stagger backward, hitting the dusty basement wall.
TITLE: The Ring That Finally Fit
