Chapter 7 – [THE EMERALD LIE]

The hallway went completely still.

Luca turned to his father, his brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean? It’s Mother’s necklace. I remember her wearing it when I was a kid.”

Anthony shook his head violently, struggling to breathe.

“Fake,” the old man choked out. “She wore… a fake.”

He pointed a trembling finger at David.

“That boy… open the clasp. The hidden clasp.”

David frowned. He looked at the heavy antique emerald surrounded by diamonds. He ran his thumb along the back of the golden setting.

There was a tiny groove.

David pressed it.

With a soft click, the back of the emerald swung open like a locket.

Inside wasn’t a picture.

It was a microchip.

Luca’s face went pale.

“A tracker,” Luca breathed.

“Not just a tracker,” a new voice echoed from the end of the hallway.

We all turned.

Standing in the shadows was Marco.

But he wasn’t crying anymore. He wasn’t shaking.

He was holding a suppressed pistol, and it was aimed directly at Luca.

“It’s a recording device, big brother,” Marco said, stepping into the dim emergency light. “And a ledger drive. Every offshore account, every bribe, every dirty deal this family has made for the last thirty years is on that chip.”

Luca stepped in front of me and David, shielding us.

“Marco. Put the gun down.”

Marco smiled, a bitter, twisted expression. “I’m tired of being the screw-up, Luca. I’m tired of you and Dad treating me like a child.”

“You set this up,” Luca realized, his voice low and dangerous. “You gave the necklace to Vanessa’s father to give to David.”

“I needed a mule,” Marco shrugged. “Someone to carry the drive out of the house tonight during the chaos. Who better than the innocent orphan boy?”

Marco looked at David. “Toss the necklace, kid.”

David hesitated.

“Toss it, or I shoot your sister in the head,” Marco said coldly.

David immediately threw the necklace onto the floor. It skidded across the marble and stopped at Marco’s feet.

Marco picked it up, slipping it into his pocket.

“Elena was right about one thing,” Marco said, looking at Anthony. “Dad is a monster. But Elena is just a bitter old woman. I’m the one who’s going to rebuild this empire. With the Bellinis’ help.”

“The Bellinis are bankrupt,” Luca said.

“Not anymore,” Marco smirked. “Once I liquidate those offshore accounts, I’ll be the richest man in Chicago. And Vanessa will be my wife.”

I gasped.

He had been sleeping with his brother’s fiancée.

Luca’s jaw clenched so tight a muscle ticked in his cheek.

“You won’t make it out of the gate, Marco. My men are everywhere.”

“Your men are loyal to the highest bidder,” Marco laughed. “And as of ten minutes ago, I am the highest bidder.”

Marco raised the gun, aiming it at Luca’s chest.

“Goodbye, Luca. Tell Dad I’ll take good care of his chair.”

Marco pulled the trigger.

Click.

The gun didn’t fire.

Marco froze. He pulled the trigger again.

Click. Click.

“What the hell?” Marco panicked, looking down at the weapon.

“You really think I didn’t know?” Luca said quietly.

Before Marco could react, the front doors of the mansion burst open.

The Chicago Police Department flooded into the foyer, tactical lights blinding us.

“Drop the weapon! Drop it now!”

Marco dropped the useless gun, falling to his knees as officers swarmed him.

Luca turned to me, his expression unreadable.

“I took the firing pin out of his gun three weeks ago,” Luca said. “When I found out he was sleeping with Vanessa.”

The police cuffed Marco and dragged him away.

More officers entered the dining room, securing Anthony and heading down to the basement to retrieve Elena.

An older detective walked up to Luca.

“We got your signal, Mr. Moretti. We have teams raiding the Bellini estate right now.”

Luca nodded. “The evidence is in the necklace on my brother. It has everything you need to put them away for good.”

The detective tipped his hat. “And your father?”

Luca looked back at Anthony, who was slumped in his wheelchair, looking older and more broken than ever.

“Take him,” Luca said, his voice cracking slightly. “He confessed to a murder twenty years ago. The Carter case.”

I stared at Luca.

He was handing over his entire family. His brother, his mother, his father.

To save me. To save David.

“Come on,” Luca said gently, touching my shoulder. “Let’s get you out of here.”

We walked out onto the front porch. The cool night air hit my face.

David squeezed my hand. “We’re safe, Em. We’re really safe.”

But as we stood there watching the police cars flash their lights, a sleek black town car pulled up to the gate.

The window rolled down.

And sitting in the back seat was Vanessa Bellini.

She wasn’t running. She was smiling.

And she was holding a piece of paper.

A marriage certificate.

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