Chapter 2 - THE DEAD DON'T SIGN REAL ESTATE CONTRACTS
The kitchen was so quiet I could hear the hum of the refrigerator.
Luca Moretti stared at the forged document.
His eyes were locked on his mother’s signature.
“Luca, darling, you’re confused,” Vanessa said.
Her voice was sweet, but her hands were trembling.
“My father bought that property from the city,” she continued, stepping toward him. “Your mother’s estate had already released it. This piece of paper is probably just a clerical error.”
Luca didn’t look at her.
“My mother’s signature is dated November 14th.”
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
“She passed away on October 22nd.”
Vanessa swallowed hard. “Like I said, a clerical error.”
Luca finally looked at his fiancée.
“A clerical error doesn't forge my mother’s handwriting perfectly, Vanessa. Only someone who knew her intimately could do that.”
He turned back to the elderly gardener.
“Anthony, where did you get this?”
Anthony’s hands were shaking as he clutched his faded brown coat.
“Mrs. Moretti gave it to me the night before she died, son. She knew something was wrong. She told me Carlo Bellini had been visiting the house when you weren't home.”
Vanessa’s face twisted into a mask of pure fury.
“You senile old fool!” she screamed, dropping her elegant facade entirely. “You’re making this up because I fired you!”
“You didn’t fire him,” Luca said softly. “You fired Emma.”
He turned to me.
I was still standing by the counter, my heart hammering against my ribs.
“Emma,” Luca said. “Go into the dining room. Tell the guests the engagement dinner is canceled.”
Vanessa gasped. “Luca, you can’t do that! My family is out there! The mayor is out there!”
“Tell them to leave, Emma.”
I nodded quickly, untying my apron.
But as I reached for the kitchen door, Vanessa grabbed my arm. Her perfectly manicured nails dug into my skin.
“If you walk through that door, you will never work in Chicago again,” she hissed in my ear. “I know about your sick mother, Emma. I know where you live.”
I froze.
The threat was real. The Bellini family destroyed people for fun.
But then I looked at the two warm dinner rolls resting in the white napkin on the table. Kindness had a cost, but cowardice cost more.
I pulled my arm away.
“I’ll tell the guests, Mr. Moretti.”
As I pushed through the swinging doors, the sound of Vanessa screaming echoed behind me.
The dining room was a sea of crystal glasses, diamonds, and elite Chicago society. I cleared my throat, my hands shaking.
“Excuse me,” I said loudly. “Mr. Moretti has asked everyone to leave. The dinner is canceled.”
Silence fell over the room.
Twenty minutes later, the mansion was completely empty.
I went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning. Luca and Vanessa were gone. Anthony had been sent home safely with his food.
I started wiping down the counters, my mind racing about how I was going to pay my rent.
Then, I saw it.
Tucked behind the espresso machine, half-hidden by a stack of coffee filters, was a small, black burner phone.
Vanessa had been standing right there when she threw away Anthony’s food.
I picked it up.
The screen lit up with a new text message.
I shouldn't have looked. But after her threat to my mother, I didn't care.
The message was from a contact saved only as "C.B." — Carlo Bellini.
"Did Luca sign the marriage papers yet? We have to move before the boy talks."
My blood ran cold.
The boy.
Before I could process what I was reading, the kitchen door swung open.
Luca stood there. His tie was undone, his eyes hollow with exhaustion.
“Emma,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry for tonight.”
I held out the black phone.
May you like
“Mr. Moretti,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I think you need to read this.”
TITLE: THE SECRET IN THE SUMMER HOUSE
