Chapter 3 – THE RED LEDGER

Marco didn’t ask questions. He practically sprinted out of the dining room.

Vanessa’s confident posture faltered. “Luca, what are you doing? This is family business. Our guests—”

“My guests are fine,” Luca interrupted, not looking at her. He knelt down next to Ben. The imposing mafia boss, in his tailored suit, crouched on the floor to meet my grandson at eye level.

“Ben,” Luca said gently. “Do you trust me?”

Ben sniffled, wiping his nose with his sleeve. He looked at me, then at Luca. He gave a tiny nod.

“Good,” Luca said. “Nobody is taking your dad away. And nobody is taking your grandma away. I promise.”

He stood up just as Marco returned, carrying a heavy, leather-bound book with a faded red cover. The edges were frayed. It looked decades old.

Luca took the ledger and slammed it onto the banquet table, right next to the silver pocket watch.

Vanessa took a step back. “What is that?”

“This is my father’s personal ledger,” Luca said, his voice echoing in the silent room. “He recorded every debt, every favor, and every transaction the Moretti family ever made.”

He opened the heavy pages, flipping through them until he reached the back.

“Linda,” Luca said, not looking up. “Your late husband’s name was Robert, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You told me he left you with gambling debts.”

“He did,” I said, shame burning in my chest. “He owed bad people a lot of money. I’ve been paying it off every month since he died.”

“Who do you send the checks to?”

I hesitated. “A holding company. Apex Financial.”

Vanessa’s face went completely white.

Luca traced his finger down a yellowed page. “Apex Financial isn’t a bank, Linda. It’s a shell company owned by Don Bellini. Vanessa’s father.”

Emily gasped. David stared at his former employer’s daughter in horror.

“But that’s not the interesting part,” Luca continued, his eyes locking onto Vanessa. “According to my father’s ledger, Robert Parker’s debt was paid in full. Five years ago.”

The room went dead silent.

I stepped forward, my hands shaking. “Paid? By who?”

“By my mother, Isabella,” Luca said gently. “She paid Robert’s debt to the Bellinis five years ago. She bought his freedom because she loved you, Linda.”

I brought my hands to my mouth, a sob escaping my throat. For three years, I had been working eighty-hour weeks. I had missed birthdays, holidays, and evenings with Emily and Ben, all to send money to a company that I thought would hurt my family if I didn’t pay.

Vanessa’s family had been collecting money on a debt that didn’t exist. They had been extorting me.

“You knew,” I whispered, looking at Vanessa. “You knew it was paid.”

Vanessa raised her chin, though her hands were trembling. “Your husband was a degenerate, Linda. He owed us interest. The principal was paid, but the disrespect was not.”

“You stole from a widow,” Luca said, his voice dropping to a terrifying register. “You stole from the woman who took care of my dying mother while you were busy planning how to spend our money.”

“I am a Bellini!” Vanessa shrieked, finally losing her temper. “You cannot speak to me this way over a maid!”

“She’s not just a maid,” Ben suddenly shouted.

We all looked down. My nine-year-old grandson stepped forward. He reached into the pocket of his little navy suit jacket.

“She’s my grandma,” Ben said fiercely. And then he pulled something out of his pocket and placed it on the table, right on top of the red ledger.

It was an old, faded train ticket.

“I found this in Grandpa Robert’s old coat,” Ben said.

Luca picked up the ticket. His face went completely slack.

“Where did he get this?” Luca whispered, staring at the date printed on the paper.