Chapter 1 – THE NAME ON THE BLUE PAPER

The dining room went completely silent.

Thirty-four guests stared at the head of the table.

The crystal chandeliers seemed to stop shimmering. The pianist had frozen with his hands hovering over the keys.

Luca didn’t raise his voice.

He didn’t move aggressively.

He simply stood beside his mother’s chair, his dark eyes locked onto Vanessa.

“Answer the question,” Luca said softly.

Vanessa’s perfect posture faltered.

The color drained from her face, leaving her diamond earrings looking stark and cold against her pale skin.

“Luca, you are blowing this completely out of proportion,” she stammered, her voice pitching higher than usual. “I was just trying to protect her.”

“Protect her from what?”

“From herself!” Vanessa said, gesturing frantically. “She’s fragile. She shouldn’t be burdened with financial or medical decisions at her age.”

Luca didn’t blink.

“So you decided to strip her of her rights behind my back.”

“I was going to tell you!”

“When?”

Vanessa swallowed hard. “After the wedding. When things were settled.”

Luca stared at her for three long seconds.

Then he looked at his head of security, a broad-shouldered man named Matteo, who was standing near the service doors.

“Matteo,” Luca said quietly. “Clear the room.”

The guests didn’t need to be told twice.

Chairs scraped violently against the hardwood floor. People grabbed their coats and purses, murmuring in shocked whispers as Matteo and two other guards ushered them out of the dining room.

Within ninety seconds, the massive space was empty.

Only Luca, Teresa, Vanessa, and I remained.

I tried to step back into the shadows of the hallway, but Teresa’s trembling fingers tightened around my apron string.

“Please, Hannah,” she whispered. “Don’t leave me alone with her.”

“I’m right here, Mrs. Moretti,” I promised softly.

Vanessa watched the last guest leave, her chest heaving with panicked breaths.

“You just humiliated me in front of Chicago’s most important families,” she hissed, her eyes flashing with anger.

“You humiliated yourself,” Luca replied.

He took a step toward her.

“Who did you hire to do the assessment, Vanessa? Which lawyer drew up the paperwork?”

“It was just a preliminary consultation,” she lied, backing away. “Nothing was signed.”

As she stepped backward, her heel caught the edge of the Persian rug.

She stumbled.

The expensive red clutch she was holding slipped from her hands. It hit the floor, popping open.

Lipstick, a compact mirror, and a heavy, folded blue document spilled onto the floor.

Vanessa gasped and lunged for it.

But I was closer.

I knelt down and grabbed the thick blue paper before she could reach it.

“Give that to me, you little brat!” Vanessa snarled, grabbing my wrist.

Her nails dug into my skin, but Luca was there in a fraction of a second.

He caught Vanessa’s wrist in his large, tattooed hand and squeezed just hard enough to make her gasp and let go of me.

“Hannah,” Luca said, not taking his eyes off his fiancée. “Read the top of that document.”

My hands were shaking as I unfolded the thick paper.

The legal seal of the State of Illinois was stamped in the corner.

“It says… Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare and Property,” I read aloud, my voice trembling.

Teresa covered her mouth with a sharp intake of breath.

“And who is listed as the agent?” Luca asked, his voice dropping to a terrifying, icy register. “Who is listed to take control of my mother’s estate?”

I scanned the heavy black text.

I expected to see Luca’s name. Even if Vanessa had arranged it, surely she would have put the son in charge.

But as I read the name printed on the designated line, my stomach turned to ice.

“It’s not you, Mr. Moretti,” I whispered.

Luca finally turned his head to look at me. “Who is it?”

I looked up at Vanessa. Her eyes were wide with pure terror.

“It’s her,” I said. “The agent listed is Vanessa Bellini.”