Chapter 6 – THE HEIRLOOM COAT

Three weeks later.

The Moretti mansion felt completely different. The heavy, oppressive silence was gone, replaced by the sounds of a home returning to life.

Lily was running through the hallways, her laughter echoing off the marble floors. Rebecca had officially moved back into the East Wing, taking her rightful place in the family.

I was standing in the grand foyer, packing a small cardboard box with my personal items.

Vanessa and Frank had been indicted by a grand jury. The dashcam video had destroyed any chance of a defense. They were going to prison for a very, very long time.

My mother’s surgery recovery was finally progressing, but her medical bills were still a mountain I couldn’t climb on a maid’s salary. I had decided to move back to my hometown to take care of her full-time.

“Hannah.”

I turned around.

Teresa was walking down the grand staircase, carrying something heavy over her arm.

It was her good navy coat. The one she had worn every evening while waiting for Lily.

“You’re really leaving us?” Teresa asked, her voice thick with emotion.

I nodded, forcing a smile to hide my heartbreak.

“I have to, Mrs. Moretti. My mother needs me. And… I need to find a better-paying job to cover her care.”

Teresa reached the bottom of the stairs.

“I won’t need this coat anymore,” she said quietly. “My granddaughter is home. I don’t have to wait by the window.”

She held the coat out to me.

“I want you to have it.”

I shook my head quickly. “Mrs. Moretti, I can’t take your beautiful coat.”

“Take it,” she insisted, her eyes flashing with that familiar stubbornness. “It’s cold in Chicago. And put your hands in the pockets.”

Confused, I took the heavy wool coat. It smelled like lavender and old memories.

I slid my hand into the right pocket.

My fingers brushed against a thick envelope.

I pulled it out. It was completely blank, but incredibly heavy.

“Open it,” Teresa commanded softly.

My hands trembled as I tore the flap open.

Inside was a cashier’s check.

Made out to Hannah Collins.

For one hundred thousand dollars.

I gasped, dropping the envelope on the floor. “No! No, Mrs. Moretti, this is… I can’t take this! It’s too much!”

“It’s back pay,” a deep voice said.

Luca stepped out of the library, wearing a casual sweater instead of his usual stiff suit. He looked relaxed. Happy.

He walked over and picked up the envelope, placing it gently back into my hand.

“Vanessa fired you without cause,” Luca said, his eyes meeting mine. “Consider it a severance package. Or a thank-you gift for saving my family.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks. This money would pay off my mother’s medical bills completely. It would save our apartment. It would change my entire life.

“I don’t know what to say,” I cried, hugging the coat against my chest.

Luca smiled.

“Say you’ll stay.”

I blinked, wiping my eyes. “Stay? But you just gave me severance.”

“As a maid,” Luca clarified.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of heavy brass keys.

“Rebecca needs help managing the Michael Moretti Foundation,” Luca explained. “It’s a new charity we are setting up in my brother’s name to help single mothers with medical debt. She needs an Executive Director.”

He held the keys out to me.

“It pays very well, Hannah. You can move your mother into the city. We have a guest house on the property that is currently empty.”

I stared at the keys. Then I looked at Teresa, who was beaming with pride.

“You… you want me to run a foundation?” I stammered.

Luca took my hand and pressed the keys into my palm.

“I want someone I can trust with my life,” Luca said softly. “And you’ve already proven you are exactly that person.”

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