Chapter 2 – THE POCKET WATCH ON THE DESK

I didn’t ask questions.

I turned and practically ran out of the dining room. My heart hammered against my ribs as I hurried down the long, carpeted hallway toward the West Wing.

The heavy mahogany doors of Luca’s study were partially open.

I slipped inside. The room smelled of cedar and old paper. The desk lamp was on, casting a warm glow over stacks of legal documents.

And there, resting exactly where he said it would be, was a heavy silver pocket watch.

I picked it up. The metal was cold.

As I turned to leave, the watch slipped slightly in my trembling hands. The clasp caught on my apron strings, and the front cover popped open.

I froze.

Inside the cover, there wasn’t a clock face. It was a small, framed photograph.

It was the exact same little boy. Leo. Kicking the soccer ball.

But this photograph was older. The edges were worn.

And across the bottom, written in thick black ink, was a date from five years ago.

Before David Reynolds said he had discovered the boy’s existence.

I snapped the watch shut just as the study door creaked.

“I’ll take that, Natalie.”

I spun around.

Vanessa was standing in the doorway.

She had kicked off her high heels. Her bare feet sank into the Persian rug. The desperate, crying woman from the dining room was gone. Her eyes were cold, calculating, and terrifyingly calm.

“Give me the watch,” she demanded, holding out her hand.

“Mr. Moretti asked me to bring it to him,” I said, clutching the silver timepiece tightly against my chest.

“Mr. Moretti isn’t going to see it,” Vanessa said, taking a step toward me. “Because if he sees that picture, he’s going to realize that David isn’t the boy’s father.”

My breath hitched. “What?”

Vanessa smiled. It was a bitter, ugly thing.

“David was a fool. He saw a boy with dark hair and assumed the child was his because the timeline fit. I let him believe it. I needed him to pay the tuition to keep my mother quiet.”

She took another step. We were alone in the isolated wing of the mansion.

“Who is the father, Vanessa?” I asked, backing toward the desk.

“Someone who would never allow me to walk away with half of this estate if he knew,” she whispered. “Someone who would take my son and throw me to the wolves.”

She lunged at me.

I ducked behind the heavy leather armchair. Vanessa’s hands slammed onto the desk, scattering papers everywhere.

“You’re just a maid, Natalie!” she hissed, circling the desk. “You don’t understand the people you’re working for. Luca isn’t the good man you think he is.”

“He gave your mother a seat at the table,” I shot back, gripping the watch.

“He’s a monster!” Vanessa screamed. “And if he finds out that boy is his nephew, he’ll destroy us all!”

I stopped breathing.

His nephew.

Luca’s younger brother, Dominic, had died in a car accident eight years ago. The entire family had mourned him. Luca had practically raised Dominic after their parents passed away.

Vanessa had slept with Dominic.

Before he died, Dominic had gotten her pregnant. Leo wasn’t David’s son. He was a Moretti.

“Dominic didn’t know,” Vanessa whispered, tears finally spilling over her lashes. “He died before I could tell him. When I found out, I knew Luca would take the baby. He’d raise Dominic’s son himself, and he’d toss me out on the street. So I hid him. And when I met Luca years later, I made sure he fell in love with me.”

She wiped her eyes, her gaze locking onto mine.

“I was going to marry him, Natalie. I was going to secure my place. And then, eventually, I was going to bring Leo home. I was going to give Luca his nephew back, on my terms.”

She held out her hand again.

“Give me the watch. I’ll leave quietly. You never have to see me again.”

“No.”

The voice came from the doorway.

Luca stood there. His suit jacket was gone. His tie was loosened.

He didn’t look angry. He looked broken.

“It was Dominic’s watch,” Luca said quietly, walking into the room. “The police gave it to me after the accident. I never opened it. Not until last week, when I accidentally dropped it.”

He stopped two feet away from Vanessa.

“I saw the picture, Vanessa. I hired a private investigator the next morning.”

Vanessa stumbled backward, hitting the edge of the bookshelf. “Luca… you knew?”

“I knew Leo was a Moretti,” Luca said, his voice thick with grief. “I just didn’t know how you were involved. Until tonight.”

He turned to me. “Natalie, give me the watch.”

I handed it to him. Our fingers brushed, and I saw the immense weight of betrayal in his dark eyes.

“Luca, please,” Vanessa sobbed, sinking to her knees. “I loved Dominic. I did. I was just so scared.”

Luca looked down at her.

“You didn’t love him. You loved his last name. And when he died, you decided to use his son as an insurance policy.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, heavy iron key.

“I found out something else from the investigator today, Vanessa.”

Vanessa looked at the key. Her face lost all remaining color.

“Where did you get that?” she whispered.

Luca’s eyes narrowed. “From the safety deposit box you opened under my brother’s name. The one you’ve been visiting every month for the past eight years.”

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