Chapter 5 - THE LETTER
Vanessa’s hands were shaking, but the gun was pointed directly at Luca’s chest.
Mateo buried his face in Luca’s neck, whimpering.
Luca didn't flinch. He didn't raise his hands. He just held his son tighter.
“You don't know how to use that, Vanessa,” Luca said. His voice was completely devoid of fear. It was the voice of a predator assessing a trap.
“I know how to pull a trigger,” she snapped. The red silk of her dress rustled as she took a step into the room. “You were supposed to marry me tomorrow, Luca. You were supposed to consolidate the families. We were going to own this city.”
“You kidnapped my son.”
“Elena hid him!” Vanessa screamed, her facade completely breaking. “I had Mercer follow her because I knew she was hiding money! I didn't expect to find a brat! But when I did, I realized the power I had.”
“You framed an affair,” I said, my voice remarkably steady.
Vanessa glared at me. “Shut up, you little rat.”
“You wanted Elena to think Luca was cheating during their marriage,” I continued, realizing the depth of her plan. “Because if Elena thought Luca was a monster, she would never try to reach out to him for help. She would stay in hiding. And you could keep Mateo locked away forever, using him as leverage if Luca ever tried to leave you.”
Vanessa smiled, a sick, twisted expression. “Smart maid. But you’re both too late. Elena isn't hiding anymore. She’s dead.”
Luca froze.
My blood turned to ice.
“What did you say?” Luca whispered.
“Mercer took care of her tonight,” Vanessa lied. I could see it in her eyes. The slight twitch of her jaw. It was a bluff to break him.
But before Luca could react, a figure appeared in the hallway behind Vanessa.
Sister Margaret.
The elderly nun was holding a heavy, brass fire extinguisher.
She didn't hesitate. She swung it with everything she had, striking Vanessa squarely in the back of the knees.
Vanessa shrieked, her legs buckling. The gun went off, the bullet shattering the window above our heads.
Luca moved.
He lunged forward, pinning Vanessa to the floor and ripping the gun from her grasp before she could recover.
Vanessa kicked and screamed, but Luca held her down effortlessly, his knee planted in her back.
He looked up at Sister Margaret.
The nun was out of breath, leaning on the doorframe. “I may be a woman of God,” she panted, “but I have no tolerance for child abusers.”
I rushed forward and scooped Mateo into my arms. He was crying, clinging to my apron. “I’ve got you,” I whispered, rubbing his back. “You’re safe.”
Sister Margaret reached into her deep pocket and pulled out a folded, yellowed envelope.
She walked past the struggling Vanessa and handed it to Luca.
“The boy’s mother didn't abandon him,” Sister Margaret said softly. “She brought him here three weeks ago, terrified. She gave me this and told me to hide him. She said she was being hunted.”
Luca took the envelope.
He tore it open.
I watched his eyes scan the messy handwriting.
When he finished, he didn't look angry. He looked devastated.
“What does it say?” I asked gently.
Luca looked up at me, his eyes hollow.
“Vanessa didn't find Elena on her own,” he said, his voice numb. “Elena went into hiding because someone inside my own house warned her that they were coming for the boy. Someone she trusted.”
He looked down at Vanessa, who was laughing coldly on the floor.
“Who?” I asked.
Luca’s gaze slowly shifted to the doorway.
“Daniel,” he said.
May you like
His head of security. The man he trusted with his life.
The man who had just walked into the room, holding a silenced pistol pointed directly at my head.
