Chapter 4 - THE FORGED SIGNATURE
My breath caught in my throat. I stared at the manila envelope as if it were a bomb.
“My name?” I whispered. “That’s impossible.”
Luca leaned back in his leather chair. His expression was unreadable. “The account was opened three weeks ago. The exact day you started working here.”
“I didn't do this,” I said, my voice trembling but firm. I stepped closer to the desk. “I was struggling to pay my electric bill last week, Mr. Moretti. If I had mafia money, I wouldn't be eating leftover bread from your kitchen.”
Luca studied my face. For a long, terrifying moment, I thought he was going to call his guards.
Instead, a small voice broke the tension.
“She fixed my train,” Leo said softly from the floor. He held up a wooden toy. “Vanessa threw it. Nora fixed it.”
Luca looked at his son, the hardness in his eyes melting slightly. Then he looked back at me.
“I know you didn't steal the money,” Luca said quietly. “Vanessa set you up as the fall guy. If the missing funds were discovered, the trail would lead straight to the new housekeeper with the mountain of family debt.”
Relief washed over me so fast my knees almost buckled. “Why tell me, then?”
“Because if she opened an account in your name, she has your personal information. Social security, bank details, home address.” Luca stood up. “She knows where you live, Nora. And Vanessa does not lose gracefully.”
Panic surged in my chest. “My apartment...”
“I’ve already sent men to clear it out. Your belongings are being moved into the guest wing of this estate. You are staying here.”
“I can’t do that. I’m just staff—”
“You protected my men. You protected my son from her wrath,” Luca said, walking around the desk. He stood very close to me. “Now, I protect you.”
Before I could process the shift in my entire reality, Marco burst into the study without knocking. He looked grim.
“Boss,” Marco said, breathing heavily. “We went to Nora’s apartment like you asked. It’s gone.”
Luca’s jaw tightened. “Gone?”
“Burned to the ground. Fire department is there now. If she had gone home last night...” Marco swallowed hard. “She wouldn't have made it out.”
I stumbled back, catching the edge of the desk. Vanessa had tried to kill me.
Luca caught my arm, steadying me. His grip was strong and warm. “She’s alive, Marco. That’s what matters.”
“There’s something else,” Marco said, holding up a charred piece of metal. “We found this in the ashes near the front door. It didn't belong to Nora.”
He dropped it onto the desk.
It was a heavy gold money clip. Stamped with the initials C.M.
Luca stared at it, his face draining of blood.
C.M.
May you like
Carlo Moretti. Luca’s brother.
The brother who supposedly died in a car crash five years ago.
