Chapter 4 - THE SIGNATURE THAT WASN'T MINE
“Take the land out of my name?”
Teresa sounded as though she'd misunderstood.
Matteo turned toward her.
“Mom, I didn't know that was part of the arrangement when I borrowed the money.”
“But the property belongs to me.”
“I know.”
“Antonio made sure of that.”
Her hand went to the little gold necklace resting against her navy dress.
She looked at Luca.
“Your father wanted me to have somewhere that was mine. Whatever happened to the businesses, that old building would always belong to our family.”
Luca put a hand on her shoulder.
“And it still does, Mom.”
Enzo cleared his throat.
“Ownership can be transferred when the appropriate parties agree.”
Luca turned.
“My mother hasn't agreed.”
“According to the paperwork I've received, she has.”
The room grew quiet.
Enzo reached for the slim leather portfolio resting beside his chair.
He opened it.
Then withdrew several pages.
I stared at him.
He'd brought a property agreement to an engagement dinner.
A dinner where Antonio's widow had just been humiliated in front of twenty-eight people.
And somehow, the more I watched Enzo, the less accidental any of it seemed.
Luca held out his hand.
“Let me see.”
Enzo hesitated.
Then gave him the papers.
Luca read the first page.
His jaw tightened.
Matteo stepped closer.
“I only signed a preliminary negotiation agreement. I didn't authorize a transfer.”
Enzo replied without looking at him.
“The lender requires additional assurances because your obligations are overdue.”
Luca turned a page.
“Four hundred and eighty thousand dollars.”
“Plus accumulated interest and fees,” Enzo said.
“How much?”
“That's a separate calculation.”
“Then it can be calculated before anyone agrees to another thing.”
Enzo's expression hardened.
“Your brother needed help. I gave it to him.”
“And now you want my father's garage.”
“Your father's garage is an inefficient use of valuable property.”
Teresa flinched.
Luca noticed.
He laid the papers on the dining table.
“Dad repaired cars in that building for forty years.”
“And I'm sure that history has sentimental value.”
“Not just sentimental value.”
Luca's voice remained calm.
“Twenty-two people still earn a living there.”
Enzo shrugged.
“Those employees could be offered positions elsewhere.”
“Offered,” Luca repeated.
“Of course.”
“Not guaranteed.”
Enzo didn't answer.
Matteo looked toward his brother.
“Vanessa told me the workers would stay.”
Vanessa finally spoke.
“That was the intention.”
Luca turned toward her.
“Was?”
She looked irritated.
“Plans change during negotiations.”
I watched Matteo absorb those words.
For months, he'd believed he was protecting his employees.
Now he was discovering that the arrangement he'd trusted might put every one of them out of work.
Teresa moved toward the table.
“May I see the papers?”
Luca immediately drew out a chair.
“Of course, Mom.”
She sat.
He placed the agreement in front of her.
For several minutes, she read in silence.
I stayed close enough to help if she needed anything, but she didn't ask.
She adjusted her glasses.
Turned the pages.
Then reached the signature section.
Her expression changed.
“There it is.”
Luca leaned closer.
“What?”
“My name.”
She pointed to the bottom of the page.
Teresa Moretti.
Written in blue ink.
Beneath a paragraph authorizing a future transfer of her ownership interest, subject to final closing requirements.
Her lips trembled.
“I didn't sign this.”
Enzo folded his arms.
“Perhaps you've forgotten.”
Teresa slowly lifted her head.
“Mr. Bellini, I'm seventy-eight. I'm not a fool.”
Something shifted in the room.
Even Vanessa seemed surprised by the firmness in her voice.
“I may forget where I put my glasses,” Teresa continued. “Sometimes I forget why I walked into a room.”
She touched the paper.
“But I have not forgotten my husband's garage.”
Luca crouched beside her.
“I believe you.”
She looked at him.
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
Matteo reached for the document.
He studied the signature.
Then shook his head.
“It looks exactly like yours.”
“I know.”
“How could that be?”
Vanessa said, “Because she signed it.”
Teresa looked at her.
“Vanessa, you asked me to trust you.”
For the first time, Vanessa didn't have a quick answer.
“You said you were going to help my sons remember their father at the wedding.”
Teresa's eyes filled.
“I wrote little memories for you. I signed family photographs. I gave you access to Antonio's things.”
Her voice trembled.
“Was any of that really for the wedding?”
Vanessa turned away.
Luca stood.
He looked toward Daniel.
“Please make copies of these documents and preserve what we're able to. I want the ownership records checked independently.”
Enzo reached for his portfolio.
“My attorneys will handle the rest.”
“Your attorneys can explain their position through the proper process,” Luca replied.
“And until the signatures and authority are verified, nobody in this family is consenting to a sale.”
He looked toward Matteo.
“Tomorrow, I want every financial record from the garage.”
Matteo nodded.
“Okay.”
“Every invoice. Every loan statement. Every agreement.”
“Okay.”
Luca studied his brother.
“No more protecting me from the truth.”
Matteo's eyes filled.
“I understand.”
Mrs. Carter quietly brought Teresa a glass of water.
The older woman thanked her.
Then she looked at me.
“Emma, sweetheart, would you mind sitting beside me?”
“Of course.”
I pulled out a chair.
Teresa placed her hand over mine.
I noticed how cold her fingers were.
“I shouldn't have let Vanessa handle those photographs,” she whispered.
I shook my head.
“You were trying to include her in your family.”
Teresa looked at me sadly.
“I was trying to make her feel loved.”
My eyes burned.
That was what hurt most.
Vanessa hadn't merely taken advantage of Teresa's trust.
She'd taken advantage of Teresa's kindness.
Luca turned another page.
Then suddenly stopped.
“Wait.”
He leaned closer.
“What is it?” Matteo asked.
Luca pointed to a line near the bottom.
“Witness to execution.”
Enzo shifted slightly.
Luca read the printed name.
Then looked directly at me.
“Emma?”
I stared at him.
“Yes, sir?”
He turned the document around.
And there, beneath Teresa's disputed signature, was another name.
Emma Lawson.
My full name.
Beside a signature that looked disturbingly like mine.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
I'd never attended any property meeting.
I'd never witnessed Teresa signing anything.
I'd never even seen that agreement before tonight.
Luca watched my face.
“Emma, did you sign this?”
I shook my head.
“No, sir.”
My voice barely came out.
“I swear I didn't.”
Enzo glanced toward me.
“Then perhaps someone should ask how your signature ended up there.”
I looked at Vanessa.
She wouldn't meet my eyes.
And suddenly I understood why she'd threatened my job so carefully that afternoon.
It wasn't only because I'd refused to throw away the sauce.
She'd already placed my name on something far more dangerous.
I looked back at Luca.
“Mr. Moretti, I think someone has been using me for more than a witness.”
He frowned.
“What do you mean?”
I reached toward the paperwork.
“Because last Tuesday, Vanessa asked me to sign a household inventory sheet.”
May you like
My hands began trembling.
“And she took that sheet away before I could finish reading it.”
