Chapter 6 - THE LEDGER’S SECRET
Carlo froze, raising his hands slowly. His cultured smile vanished, replaced by a snarl of trapped panic. "Luca," Carlo said smoothly, trying to salvage the situation. "You don't understand. This maid and that crazy old man are trying to poison your mind. I'm trying to protect the family." "You destroyed my family," Luca said, walking slowly down the ramp, his rifle aimed directly at Carlo's chest. "Let the boy go. Now." Carlo nodded at Liam. "Go." Liam didn't hesitate. He ran across the concrete floor and threw his arms around me. I pulled him close, sobbing into his jacket. "It's okay, Liam. I've got you." Luca reached the bottom of the ramp. He didn't look at me or Liam. His dark eyes were locked entirely on the man who had raised him. "Thirty-three years, Carlo," Luca said, his voice vibrating with barely contained rage. "You stood at my mother's funeral and held my hand. You told me you would find the men who started the fire." Carlo’s bravado finally cracked. "It was business, Luca! Your father was weak! He was letting the other families bleed us dry! I made us strong!" "You made yourself rich," I interrupted, stepping forward. I held up the small leather-bound notebook. "Maria kept a record. Every dollar you stole from the family before the fire." Carlo stared at the ledger. The color drained from his face entirely. "Where did you get that?" "She gave it to Joe before you killed her," I said. Luca glanced at the notebook. Then, he looked back at Carlo. "You burned my mother alive for money." "And I'd do it again!" Carlo suddenly screamed, lunging toward his jacket pocket for a hidden weapon. A shot rang out. Carlo stumbled backward, clutching his shoulder. He collapsed onto the concrete floor, groaning in pain. Luca lowered his rifle. He hadn't shot to kill. He wanted Carlo to suffer the consequences. Suddenly, the sound of clicking heels echoed down the ramp. Vanessa ran into the garage, her red gown torn at the hem. She saw her father bleeding on the floor and let out a piercing scream. "Dad!" She dropped to her knees beside him. She looked up at Luca, her eyes filled with venom. "You monster! He loved you!" "He lied to you, Vanessa," Luca said coldly. "He's not your blood. Your mother was the housekeeper he murdered to cover his tracks." Vanessa shook her head frantically. "No! No, you're lying! He gave me my mother's earrings!" "He gave you the spoils of his crime," Luca corrected. Vanessa looked down at Carlo. "Dad... tell him he's lying." Carlo coughed, blood trickling from his lips. He looked at the daughter he had raised, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of genuine remorse in his cold eyes. "I'm sorry, Nessie," Carlo whispered. "I couldn't let Maria ruin everything." Vanessa stumbled backward, her hands covering her mouth in horror. The reality of her entire existence crashed down on her. The man she idolized had murdered the mother she never knew. "Take him away," Luca ordered as his men rushed into the garage. They hauled a bleeding Carlo to his feet. Vanessa didn't follow him. She sat on the cold concrete, weeping brokenly. Luca turned to me. He looked exhausted, the weight of a thirty-three-year-old lie finally lifting off his shoulders. "Take your brother home, Emma," Luca said softly. "You're both safe now." I nodded, gripping Liam's hand. But as I turned to get into the SUV, Joe knocked frantically on the window from the inside. I opened the door. "Emma," Joe wheezed, holding the old, scorched emerald earring in his trembling hand. "You have to look at the setting again. Under the light." I frowned, taking the earring. I held it up to the harsh fluorescent lights of the garage. I hadn't noticed it before because of the soot. But etched into the gold base of the emerald were three tiny, intertwined letters. L. M. V. Luca Moretti. Vanessa. "I don't understand," I said. Joe looked at Luca. "Son, your mother didn't buy these earrings. They were custom made." Luca walked over, taking the earring from my hand. He stared at the initials. "My father had these made for my mother," Luca whispered, his eyes widening in sudden, shocking realization. "But the V... it doesn't stand for Vanessa." He looked at the weeping woman on the floor. "It stands for Vittoria," Luca said. "My mother's middle name." I gasped. "If your mother owned the earrings... why did Carlo give one to Vanessa and tell her it belonged to her mother?" Luca looked at Joe. The old firefighter nodded slowly. "Because, Anthony," Joe said softly. "Vanessa isn't Maria's daughter. She's your sister."
