Chapter 5 – The Coat In The Hall
“Bring me the cashmere coat Victoria wore when she arrived tonight.”
Roman’s request made no sense. Carlo had just stolen the family empire, and Roman was asking for outerwear.
But I didn’t question him.
I ran.
My black flats slipped on the polished marble as I hurried out of the dining room and down the grand corridor. The mansion was deadly quiet outside the dining hall.
I opened the heavy mahogany closet doors.
Dozens of designer coats hung inside, but Victoria’s white cashmere trench coat stood out. It smelled heavily of her expensive jasmine perfume.
I grabbed it and ran back.
When I re-entered the dining room, Carlo was standing by the double doors, watching Roman with an amused, arrogant smirk.
“A coat?” Carlo mocked. “Are you packing her bags already, Roman? How chivalrous.”
I handed the heavy coat to Roman.
Roman didn’t look at Carlo. He held the coat up and looked at his trembling fiancée.
“Victoria,” Roman said. “Before my father died, he taught me a very important lesson about traitors. He said they always leave a backdoor open.”
Victoria wiped her mascara-stained cheeks. “Roman, please…”
“Check the left pocket,” Roman told Gabriel.
Gabriel stepped forward, never taking his eyes off Victoria. He reached into the deep pocket of the white coat.
His hand paused.
He pulled out a thick, sealed envelope.
Gabriel ripped it open and dumped the contents onto the table.
Two first-class airplane tickets fell onto the white linen.
Alongside them, a stack of crisp, banded hundred-dollar bills. At least fifty thousand dollars in cash.
“Flight 804 to Zurich, Switzerland,” Gabriel read aloud. “Departing tonight at 11:00 PM.”
Carlo frowned, his smugness faltering for a second. “What is this?”
Roman finally looked at his cousin.
“You thought you were playing Victoria, Carlo?” Roman asked. “You thought she was going to marry me, let you take over the company, and play the loyal little wife?”
Roman picked up the tickets.
“She was leaving tonight. During the party. While everyone was distracted by the toasts.”
Carlo’s face flushed red. He turned to Victoria.
“You were running away?” Carlo demanded. “With my money?”
“No!” Victoria panicked, backing away from Carlo. “It’s not what you think!”
“Then who is the second ticket for?” Roman shouted, slamming the tickets onto the table. “One is in your name. Who is the other one for? Because it clearly isn’t for my brother, and it isn’t for Carlo!”
Victoria pressed her back against the wall, trapped.
“I had to leave!” she cried. “He was threatening me! He said if I didn’t get the money from Carlo and run away with him, he would tell you everything!”
“Who?” Gabriel demanded, stepping closer.
Victoria’s eyes darted around the room. She looked at the guests. She looked at Carlo.
Then, her trembling finger raised.
She pointed directly at the family attorney.
Samuel Grant.
The entire room turned to look at the lawyer.
Samuel didn’t flinch. He didn’t gasp.
He simply took off his wire-rimmed glasses and wiped them on his tie.
“Victoria,” Samuel sighed, sounding more disappointed than afraid. “You always were a terrible liar.”
“He forced me!” Victoria screamed. “He’s the one who orchestrated the embezzlement eleven years ago! He framed Gabriel! He used me to get close to the family!”
Teresa clutched her chest, leaning heavily on my arm. I held the old woman up as she stared at her trusted friend of thirty years.
“Samuel?” Teresa whispered. “Is this true?”
Samuel put his glasses back on. His eyes, usually warm and grandfatherly, were completely cold.
“Every empire must fall, Teresa,” Samuel said quietly. “I just decided to control how yours ended.”
Carlo let out a furious roar and lunged at the lawyer.
Before Carlo could reach him, Samuel reached into his jacket.
He didn’t pull out a document.
He pulled out a silver, snub-nosed revolver.
He pointed it directly at Carlo’s chest.
The guests screamed. Chairs scraped against the floor as people dove for cover.
Gabriel instantly threw himself over little Mia, shielding her body with his own. Roman pushed his mother and me behind the thick oak serving cart.
“Nobody move,” Samuel commanded, his voice echoing over the panic.
Carlo froze, his hands raised in the air, sweating profusely.
Samuel backed slowly toward the exit, the gun steady in his hand.
“You’re pathetic, all of you,” Samuel spat. “Carlo, you’re too greedy to see you were being used. Victoria, you’re a parasite. And Roman… you were too blinded by tradition to see the rot in your own house.”
“Why, Samuel?” Roman demanded from behind the cart. “We trusted you. My father treated you like a brother.”
Samuel laughed bitterly.
“Your father destroyed my family,” Samuel said. “And now, I’ve destroyed his.”
Samuel reached for the doorknob behind him.
Suddenly, Teresa Bellini stood up from behind the cart.
“Mrs. Bellini, no!” I whispered, grabbing her arm.
She shook me off.
She walked slowly, calmly, directly toward the barrel of the gun.
She reached into the pocket of her black cardigan.
And pulled out a tarnished silver rosary.
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