Luca Moretti had watched men lie while staring directly into his eyes.
He had seen business partners betray lifelong friendships.
He had survived threats, extortion attempts, and enough violence to understand that loyalty was often a performance.
But nothing prepared him for the video on Emma Carter’s flash drive.
The recording began inside the estate’s private library.
Bianca stood near the fireplace, holding a phone.
Her voice was unmistakable.
“Once Luca signs the Bennett acquisition, the money becomes untraceable.”
A man answered through the speaker.
“And his companies?”
Bianca smiled.
“They’ll be yours within six months.”
Luca went completely still.
The recording continued.
The man asked, “What about the maid?”
Bianca laughed.
“She’s nobody. If she hears anything, I’ll make sure she disappears.”
Emma lowered her eyes.
Luca’s jaw tightened.
“Who is the man?”
Emma shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
Bianca suddenly stepped forward.
“That recording is edited!”
Luca looked at her.
“Then you can explain that to investigators.”
Sophia began crying.
“Bianca, tell him.”
Bianca turned sharply.
“Shut up!”
Luca noticed.
Sophia wasn’t crying because she feared arrest.
She was terrified of Bianca.
He looked toward Emma.
“How did you get this?”
Emma hesitated.
“The library security system was malfunctioning. I was asked to check the control panel because I used to work with computers.”
Luca frowned.
“You repaired my security system?”
“Only the recording unit.”
“Why?”
“Because the maintenance company said the replacement would take two weeks.”
Luca looked toward Vincent.
“Did you authorize that?”
Vincent nodded.
“Yes, sir. Emma had already helped us recover several corrupted inventory files.”
Luca stared at his maid.
Six months she’d worked inside his home.
Six months she’d been treated as someone whose only responsibility was polishing furniture.
And she’d quietly repaired systems his expensive contractors couldn’t fix.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Emma gave a tired smile.
“You don’t usually ask the housekeepers about their hobbies.”
The truth landed harder than Luca expected.
He looked away.
She was right.
Then the video resumed.
Bianca opened a folder.
Inside were documents bearing the Moretti family crest.
She held one page toward the camera.
“The transfer is already arranged,” she said.
The man’s voice became clearer.
“And Luca’s signature?”
Bianca smiled.
“He doesn’t know he’s already signed it.”
Luca felt his stomach turn.
“What?”
Emma paused the recording.
“There’s another file.”
She opened a scanned document.
A corporate authorization.
Dated two weeks earlier.
Signed by Luca Moretti.
Except Luca had never seen it.
He examined the signature.
It looked perfect.
Too perfect.
He turned toward Bianca.
“You forged my signature?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
Luca stepped closer.
“Who did?”
Bianca’s lips trembled.
Then Sophia whispered something.
“Bianca, please. Tell him before they find out about the hospital.”
Luca stopped.
“What hospital?”
Sophia covered her mouth.
Bianca stared at her with pure hatred.
Luca looked between them.
Then Emma opened another file.
A photograph appeared.
Bianca stood outside a private medical facility in Greenwich.
Beside her was a man in a dark suit.
Luca recognized him immediately.
His younger brother.
Adrian Moretti.
The man who had supposedly died five years earlier.
The mafia boss came home early and found his fiancée doing something to his maid that ended their engagement that night. Luca Moretti knew something was wrong before he even opened the door. The hallway outside the west sitting room was silent.
Chapter 3 – THE BROTHER WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD
Adrian Moretti had been twenty-nine when his car crashed into the Connecticut River.
The police found the vehicle three days later.
His watch was recovered from the wreckage.
His body never was.
For five years, Luca had lived with the terrible uncertainty.
He had buried an empty coffin.
Paid for investigators.
Searched hospitals.
Followed false leads across three states.
Eventually, he’d been forced to accept that his brother was gone.
Now Adrian stood in a photograph beside Bianca Romano.
Alive.
Older.
But unmistakable.
Luca gripped the tablet.
“Where was this taken?”
Emma swallowed.
“Three weeks ago.”
Luca stared at Bianca.
“You knew?”
She looked away.
“You knew my brother was alive?”
“Luca—”
“ANSWER ME!”
The force of his voice made everyone flinch.
He stopped himself.
Anger wouldn’t bring Adrian home.
He took a slow breath.
“Tell me where he is.”
Bianca’s eyes filled.
“It’s complicated.”
Luca laughed bitterly.
“Complicated?”
He turned the tablet toward her.
“My brother disappeared five years ago. I mourned him. I buried him. And you stood beside me on the anniversary of his death.”
Bianca looked down.
“I was trying to protect you.”
Emma spoke quietly.
“That’s not what you said in the recording.”
Luca turned.
“What?”
Emma opened another audio file.
Bianca’s voice filled the room.
“Adrian stays hidden until Luca signs. After that, we won’t need him anymore.”
A cold silence settled over the sitting room.
Luca looked at Bianca.
“What does that mean?”
She began shaking.
“You’re misunderstanding everything.”
Emma stepped forward.
“Mr. Moretti, the clinic is registered under a company connected to the Bennett acquisition.”
Luca felt sick.
The Bennett acquisition.
The missing money.
The forged signature.
His supposedly dead brother.
Every piece belonged to the same puzzle.
But one question remained.
Why would Adrian willingly stay hidden?
Luca looked toward Vincent.
“Contact the authorities. We need to determine whether my brother is being held against his will.”
Vincent nodded.
Then Luca turned toward Emma.
“Did the recording mention why Adrian was at the clinic?”
Emma hesitated.
“Yes.”
Luca felt his heart hammer.
“Tell me.”
She looked toward Bianca.
“Your fiancée said he couldn’t remember what happened before the crash.”
Luca froze.
“Memory loss?”
Emma nodded.
“She said he’d been receiving treatment.”
Bianca suddenly sat down.
Her face had lost all color.
Luca approached slowly.
“Bianca.”
She looked up.
“If you know where Adrian is, this is your chance to tell the truth.”
Her lips trembled.
Then she whispered, “He wasn’t supposed to wake up.”
The room went silent.
Luca stared.
“What did you say?”
Bianca covered her mouth.
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