Chapter 5 – THE RED INK

Luca didn’t wait for Daniel to respond.

He gripped the yellow papers in one hand and my arm in the other.

“Come with me, Claire. Both of you.”

We hurried back up the concrete stairs, leaving the struggling bodyguard behind.

As we walked through the staff kitchen, Luca began reading the documents aloud.

“These are the original site inspection reports, Claire,” Luca said, his voice vibrating with adrenaline. “Mark didn’t just note the cracks in the foundation. He documented the serial numbers of the steel beams Bellini Construction purchased.”

Sophie hurried to keep up. “What does that mean?”

“It means your father proved they bought Grade 3 steel instead of the Grade 1 steel the city paid for,” Luca explained, pushing open the swinging doors to the main hallway. “He proved they embezzled millions of taxpayer dollars.”

I felt a fierce, overwhelming surge of pride.

We reached the grand foyer just outside the dining room.

Vanessa was standing near the front door. She was wearing a heavy mink coat over her red dress, clutching her purse.

She was trying to flee before we returned.

When she saw us, she froze. Her eyes dropped to the thick stack of yellow papers in Luca’s hand.

Her face contorted in absolute horror.

“No,” Vanessa breathed, taking a step back toward the heavy oak doors. “He threw those down the chute.”

“He threw a handful of blank catering invoices down the chute,” Luca corrected, stepping into her path. “Because Claire’s daughter is significantly smarter than the men your father hires.”

Vanessa looked at Sophie. Pure hatred flashed in her eyes.

“You little thief,” Vanessa hissed.

I stepped in front of my daughter.

“Don’t you ever speak to her again,” I said, my voice eerily calm.

I wasn’t afraid of her anymore. She wasn’t a powerful socialite to me now. She was just a desperate, cruel woman who had built her life on my family’s tragedy.

Luca held up the final page of the report.

“Vanessa,” Luca said softly. “Do you know what Mark wrote in red ink on the very last page?”

Vanessa swallowed hard, pressing her back against the door. “I don’t care.”

“He wrote a timeline,” Luca continued. “He documented exactly what time he called your father to report the faulty steel. And he documented what time your father’s men arrived at the site to adjust the scaffolding on the East wall.”

The blood drained entirely from Vanessa’s face.

“Mark knew they were tampering with it,” Luca said, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “He documented his own murder before it happened, Vanessa. This paper doesn’t just prove embezzlement. It proves premeditated homicide.”

Suddenly, the heavy oak doors behind Vanessa rattled.

The brass handle turned violently.

The doors swung open, pushing Vanessa forward.

Standing on the front steps, flanked by four armed men in dark suits, was Don Carmine Bellini.

He was a hulking, imposing man with silver hair and a silk tie. He looked past his daughter, his cold, dead eyes locking directly onto Luca.

“I received a very distressed text message from my daughter, Luca,” Carmine said, stepping into the foyer. His men stepped in behind him, closing the doors.

Carmine looked at the yellow papers in Luca’s hand.

“I believe you have something that belongs to my company,” Carmine said smoothly.

Luca didn’t flinch. He didn’t step back.

He simply folded the yellow papers and slid them into the inner pocket of his tailored suit jacket.

“I have evidence of murder, Carmine,” Luca replied.

Carmine sighed, adjusting his silk tie. “Luca, my boy. You are making a terrible mistake. You are letting your emotions dictate business.”

He pointed a thick finger at me and Sophie.

“You are going to ruin the merger of our families over a dead inspector and a crying maid? Hand over the papers. We proceed with the wedding tomorrow. And I will personally ensure this woman and her daughter receive a very generous severance package.”

Sophie gripped my hand.

Carmine Bellini was offering to buy our silence. Just like he had tried to buy Mark’s.

Luca looked at Carmine.

Then he looked at Vanessa.

And finally, he turned and looked at me.

“Claire,” Luca asked quietly. “What do you want me to do?”