Chapter 4 - The Woman in the Rain
The study felt entirely devoid of oxygen. "Are you absolutely certain?" Luca asked, his dark eyes searching my face. "Yes," I stammered, gripping the edge of the leather sofa. "My mother, Helen, is an only child. Both her parents died when she was young. Who is the woman with her?" Luca didn't waste another second. He pressed a button on his desk console. "Bring them directly to the private study. Nobody else sees them. Do you understand?" "Yes, Boss," the security chief replied through the intercom. Katie clutched my hand. "Emma, I'm scared. Who is it?" "I don't know, Katie. Just stay behind me." Five minutes later, the heavy study door opened. Two armed guards stepped aside, allowing my mother to rush into the room. She was soaking wet from the sudden Chicago rain, her gray hair plastered to her cheeks. She was wearing her worn winter coat over her pajamas. "Emma! Katie!" She threw her arms around us, sobbing. "These men came to the house... they said you were in danger!" "We're okay, Mom," I promised, hugging her fiercely. "Mr. Moretti is protecting us." My mother pulled back, looking at the intimidating man standing by the desk. "You're Luca Moretti." "I am, Mrs. Sullivan. I apologize for the fright, but your daughters uncovered something tonight that makes your home unsafe." Luca's voice was gentle, a stark contrast to his reputation. Then, the second woman stepped into the room. She was in her late fifties, tall, and elegantly dressed in a dark trench coat. Her silver hair was perfectly styled despite the weather. But it was her face that made the breath catch in my throat. She had my mother's eyes. The exact same shade of pale blue. "Who are you?" I demanded, stepping defensively in front of my mother. The woman looked at my mother, a deep sorrow in her expression. "Helen. You never told them." My mother squeezed her eyes shut, fresh tears falling. "They didn't need to know. It was supposed to be a closed door." "Mom?" Katie whispered. "What is she talking about?" The woman sighed, unbuttoning her trench coat. "My name is Margaret Bellini. I am Vanessa's mother." The silence in the room shattered into a million jagged pieces. Vanessa's mother. I looked at Luca. He looked equally stunned. He had been engaged to Vanessa for six months, and he clearly had no idea who this woman was. "Why are you here?" Luca asked, his voice dropping into a dangerous octave. "Your daughter is locked upstairs for treason and human trafficking." "I know what my daughter is," Margaret said bitterly. "And I know why she's doing it. That's why I went to Helen's house tonight to warn her. I didn't expect your men to get there at the same time." "Warn her about what?" I asked, my voice rising in panic. Margaret looked at me, then pulled a small, tarnished silver pocket watch from her coat pocket. She placed it on Luca’s mahogany desk. The watch was heavily scratched, with the initials C.B. engraved on the front. "Carmine Bellini," Luca read the initials. "Vanessa's father. My father's old underboss." "Yes," Margaret nodded. "My late husband. But before he was a Bellini, he was just Carmine. And he had a younger sister named Helen." My mother buried her face in her hands. "Wait," my brain struggled to process the words. "Mom... your maiden name is Sullivan. You told us..." "I lied," my mother choked out. "I changed it when I ran away at eighteen. Carmine was a monster. The syndicate was a monster. I wanted a normal life. I met your father, a good, honest mechanic, and I left the mafia behind forever." I stumbled backward, hitting the edge of the sofa. My mother was a Bellini. Which meant Vanessa Bellini, the woman who had tormented me for eleven months, the woman who had tried to sell my sister tonight, wasn't just my cruel boss. She was my first cousin. "Vanessa found out," Margaret said quietly. "She hired a private investigator six months ago to audit the family bloodlines for inheritance purposes. She discovered Helen was alive, and that she had two daughters. You, Emma. And Katie." Luca’s jaw clenched so tight the muscle jumped. "Why didn't she tell me?" "Because under the old syndicate laws," Margaret explained, looking directly at Luca, "if Vanessa proved unworthy, the Bellini stake in the Moretti empire could legally pass to the next living blood relative. Emma." I felt sick. "Vanessa hired you, Emma, to keep you close," Margaret continued. "To humiliate you. To break your spirit so you would never have the strength to challenge her. And tonight, giving Katie to Richard Vale wasn't just to pay off the Falcones. It was to completely destroy your family's dignity. She wanted you ruined." Luca stared at the silver pocket watch on the desk. The betrayal was so deep, so profoundly personal, it seemed to suck the oxygen from the room. "She used my house," Luca whispered, his voice vibrating with lethal fury. "She used my name. To destroy her own blood." "You need to hide them, Luca," Margaret pleaded. "Vanessa knows I'm here. She knows the secret is out. And she has powerful friends who will kill Emma to ensure the inheritance stays with her." Luca walked around the desk. He didn't look like a businessman anymore. He looked like a king preparing for war. He stopped in front of me. "You are a Bellini," he said softly, looking into my eyes. "You have the blood of an underboss in your veins. And you've been scrubbing my floors to feed your mother." "I am a Sullivan," I fired back, my chin lifting despite the terror. "I earn my money honestly. I am nothing like her." A small, genuine smile touched the corner of Luca’s mouth. It was breathtaking. "I know you aren't," he said. Suddenly, a loud, violent crash echoed from the floor above us. Gunfire. Three rapid shots. Luca spun around, pulling a heavy black handgun from the back of his waistband. The radio on his desk crackled to life. "Boss!" The security chief's voice was frantic. "The guards outside Miss Bellini's door are down! She's gone!"
