Chapter 3 - THE PRICE OF SILENCE
“Matteo, look at me.”
Luca's voice carried across the silent dining room.
His younger brother reluctantly lifted his head.
“Did you authorize that dish?”
“No.”
“Did you know what was in it?”
“No.”
“Then why are you looking at Enzo?”
Matteo's mouth tightened.
Before he could answer, Enzo Bellini rose from his chair.
He was sixty-three, silver-haired, impeccably dressed, and the kind of businessman who never seemed uncomfortable in a room full of powerful people.
He smiled faintly.
“Luca, perhaps we should have this conversation privately.”
“No.”
“Your guests don't need to hear family disagreements.”
Luca glanced around the room.
Several guests had already gathered their coats.
He looked toward Daniel.
“Anyone who wishes to leave may do so. Please make sure they're escorted out comfortably.”
Then he turned back toward Enzo.
“But nobody gets to tell my mother what she remembers.”
Teresa stood a little straighter.
I noticed that.
For most of the evening, she'd been apologizing for taking up space.
Now Luca was giving that space back to her.
Enzo's smile disappeared.
“Your mother is upset. That's understandable.”
“She remembers signing a recipe card. Somebody used her signature on a different instruction.”
Vanessa folded her arms.
“It was part of the surprise.”
“What surprise?” Luca asked.
She hesitated.
“The dinner.”
“Then why did you tell me she'd burned everything?”
Vanessa looked away.
There was no reasonable answer.
Peter carefully placed the serving card into a clean protective sleeve from his catering supplies.
“I'll preserve this with the dish, Mr. Moretti.”
Luca nodded.
“Thank you.”
Then he looked at me.
“Emma, you've been standing there with that arm uncovered for too long.”
I glanced at my sleeve.
The tomato stains had dried, but the skin beneath still hurt.
“It's all right, sir.”
“No, it isn't.”
He turned toward Mrs. Carter.
“Please bring the first-aid kit.”
The older housekeeper hurried away.
I felt my face grow warm.
“Mr. Moretti, I don't want to cause more trouble.”
Luca looked at me.
“You're not causing trouble.”
He glanced toward Vanessa.
“Someone poured hot sauce near an employee and then threatened her livelihood. I intend to make sure that never happens here again.”
My throat tightened.
I hadn't expected him to remember my job.
Not with everything else happening.
Teresa reached for my uninjured hand.
“You should have told me your arm was hurting, sweetheart.”
“I didn't want you worrying.”
“Oh, Emma.”
She squeezed my fingers.
“You spent all day worrying about me.”
Her kindness nearly undid me.
Mrs. Carter returned with the first-aid kit, and Peter quietly offered to have a medical professional examine the burn if needed.
Luca agreed.
Then he faced Matteo again.
“Let's start with yesterday.”
Matteo rubbed his forehead.
“I met Vanessa in Dad's study because she said she needed something for the engagement.”
“The watch?”
“That was part of it.”
“What else?”
Matteo hesitated.
“A photograph.”
Luca frowned.
“Of what?”
“Dad standing outside the original garage. The one with the old red sign.”
Teresa looked surprised.
“Why would Vanessa need that?”
Matteo said nothing.
Enzo stepped forward.
“Because we're discussing a business opportunity involving the property.”
Luca slowly turned.
“What business opportunity?”
Enzo adjusted his cuff.
“Your brother has been exploring options for the old location.”
Luca stared at Matteo.
“You've been doing what?”
“Luca—”
“I asked you to keep that garage running. Not sell it.”
“I haven't sold anything.”
“Then why is Enzo involved?”
Matteo looked exhausted.
And suddenly, standing beneath the chandeliers in his expensive suit, he reminded me of a tired boy waiting for his older brother to become angry.
“Because I needed help,” he said.
Luca went still.
“With what?”
“The business.”
“What about it?”
Matteo swallowed.
“Things haven't been good.”
Luca stared at him.
“For how long?”
“Almost a year.”
A silence followed.
Then Luca said, “You've sent me financial reports every month.”
“I know.”
“Those reports said the garage was profitable.”
Matteo looked down.
“They weren't telling you everything.”
Teresa pressed a hand against her necklace.
“Matteo?”
He closed his eyes.
“The roof failed last winter. We had to replace equipment after the water damage. Then we lost our largest fleet customer.”
Luca's expression tightened.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because every time we talked about the garage, you asked whether it could stand on its own.”
“I asked whether you needed anything.”
“And I kept saying no.”
Matteo looked at his brother.
“You built something enormous after Dad died. I was still trying to keep one little repair shop alive.”
Luca's face changed.
“That shop wasn't little to Dad.”
“I know.”
Matteo's voice broke slightly.
“That's why I couldn't bear to tell you I was failing.”
Teresa reached toward him.
But he stepped back.
“I thought I could fix it.”
“How?” Luca asked.
Matteo glanced toward Enzo.
“He offered financing.”
Luca's eyes narrowed.
“What kind of financing?”
“A business loan.”
“How much?”
Matteo hesitated.
“Four hundred and eighty thousand dollars.”
I heard Teresa draw in a sharp breath.
Luca didn't move.
“Four hundred and eighty thousand?”
“We had repairs. Payroll. Insurance costs. I was trying to keep twenty-two people employed.”
“And you borrowed from my fiancée's father without telling me?”
Matteo looked at him.
“I was going to pay it back.”
Enzo interrupted.
“And he still can, provided the family agrees to a reasonable restructuring.”
Luca turned.
“What restructuring?”
Enzo's voice remained smooth.
“A redevelopment plan. The garage is sitting on valuable land.”
Teresa's fingers tightened around her necklace.
“Antonio never wanted that property developed.”
Enzo smiled at her.
“Antonio isn't here anymore, Teresa.”
Luca stepped forward.
“Don't speak to my mother that way.”
Enzo fell silent.
Matteo stared at the floor.
Luca studied his brother for a long moment.
Then asked the question I think Matteo had been dreading all evening.
“What did you promise Enzo in exchange for that money?”
Matteo's lips parted.
Nothing came out.
Luca's voice dropped.
“Matteo.”
His brother's eyes filled.
“I thought I could save the garage before anyone found out.”
“What did you promise?”
Matteo finally looked at his mother.
“Mom, I'm sorry.”
Teresa's face drained of color.
Then Matteo whispered, “I pledged the business assets as collateral. And I signed an agreement giving Enzo first rights to negotiate for the property.”
Luca stared at him.
“You signed that without telling us?”
Matteo nodded.
“There's more.”
Nobody spoke.
He looked toward Enzo.
“Yesterday, they showed me another agreement. One that looked like Mom had already approved the sale.”
Teresa shook her head.
“I never approved anything.”
“I know,” Matteo whispered.
Luca's expression hardened.
“Where is that agreement?”
Matteo looked at his brother.
“In Enzo's possession.”
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
“And Luca, if what they showed me yesterday is the agreement they intend to use, they don't just want Dad's garage.”
May you like
His voice broke.
“They intend to take the land out of Mom's name.”
