Chapter 3 – THE TICKETS TO SWITZERLAND

The plane tickets slid across the polished mahogany floor, stopping right at my feet.

Four tickets. First-class. To Geneva.

One for Vanessa. One for Marcus. One for Aunt Clara.

And one for Grace.

Luca stared at the tickets, the air completely leaving his lungs. He looked at his fiancée, his brother, and his aunt. The three people he trusted most in the world.

“You were taking my daughter?” Luca’s voice was barely a whisper, but it held a terrifying promise of violence.

Vanessa backed up against the wall. “Luca, let me explain. It’s not what it looks like.”

“You were taking my daughter,” he repeated, taking a slow step toward her.

Marcus stepped between them. “Luca, stop. We were trying to protect her. The feds have been looking into the missing trust money. If they trace it back to the house, you’d lose custody. We were taking Grace somewhere safe.”

“You don’t take a man’s child without his permission!” Eleanor suddenly shouted, standing up from her chair. The seventy-four-year-old woman pointed a shaking finger at Marcus. “You took my daughter from me. You are not taking my granddaughter!”

I bent down and picked up the tickets. Something didn’t make sense.

I looked at the dates. I looked at the names.

“Mr. Moretti,” I said, my voice shaking. “There’s no ticket for you.”

Luca froze.

I turned the tickets around to show him. “They booked a one-way trip for tomorrow. But your name isn’t on any of these.”

Vanessa’s breathing turned ragged. “We were going to send for you later, darling.”

“Liar.” Clara’s sharp voice cut across the room.

The older woman smoothed her velvet dress, looking at Vanessa with utter disgust. “Tell him the truth, Vanessa. Tell him why we were leaving tomorrow.”

Vanessa glared at Clara. “Keep your mouth shut, old woman.”

“No,” Clara sneered. “If I am going down for an accident, I am not going down for your treason.”

Clara turned to Luca. “Vanessa isn’t taking Grace to protect her. She’s taking her as leverage. Vanessa is the one who took the trust money, Luca. She siphoned it through Marcus’s shell companies. Catherine found the receipts.”

My mind raced.

Answer one: Vanessa stole the money, not Catherine.

Open two: Why was Marcus helping Vanessa? And how did Vanessa get involved before she even met Luca?

Marcus dropped his head into his hands. “Vanessa threatened to expose the legitimate businesses to the cartel. She had leverage on me.”

Luca looked at the woman he was supposed to marry in two months. “You set my wife up.”

“She was digging into things she didn’t understand!” Vanessa screamed, the sophisticated mask completely gone. “I built this empire’s finances! I deserved the payout! She was a weak little housewife who got in the way!”

Vanessa suddenly reached into her coat pocket.

Everyone froze.

She pulled out a small, heavy silver key.

“You’re right, Luca,” Vanessa smiled, a vicious, cornered animal. “I’m not leaving without leverage.”

She looked at me.

“Emily, be a good maid and look inside the lining of my coat.”

I hesitated, but Luca nodded.

I reached into the coat draped over the chair. My fingers brushed against thick, cold paper. I pulled it out.

It was a signed adoption transfer.

Forged with Luca’s signature. Giving Vanessa full legal guardianship of Grace.

TITLE: The Forged Signature

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