Chapter 2 - The Maid Who Knew Too Much
Luna tightened her grip on the serving tray.
“I clean rooms, sir. I don't know anything important.”
Dmitri Kosoff's smile widened.
“That's what makes people like you so interesting. Everyone underestimates the help.”
He reached for a champagne glass, deliberately brushing his fingers against hers.
“Tell me something, Luna. Does Mr. Moretti keep his private office locked?”
She stared at him.
“I wouldn't know, sir.”
“Of course.”
His expression remained pleasant, but his eyes had turned cold.
“Enjoy the evening.”
Luna walked away without another word. She could feel his attention following her across the ballroom.
Something about the man frightened her.
She had seen enough wealthy guests to recognize the difference between someone being polite and someone pretending to be polite while calculating how to use another person.
Dmitri was doing the latter.
She returned to the kitchen and found Maria waiting beside the counter.
“Where have you been?”
“Serving table six.”
“Then why is Kosoff asking questions about you?”
Luna froze.
“You know him?”
“Everyone knows him. His father controls half the eastern shipping routes, and Dmitri has spent the last year trying to convince Don Salvatore that the Morettis need his family's protection.”
Maria lowered her voice.
“Stay away from him.”
Before Luna could respond, the ballroom doors opened.
A sudden hush spread through the room.
Don Salvatore entered with Luca beside him.
The old Don wore a black three-piece suit and leaned lightly on a silver-handled cane. Luca walked with the effortless confidence of a man who had never needed to announce his authority.
Behind them came Vincent Torino.
Luna's stomach tightened.
Vincent had been watching her all evening.
Don Salvatore climbed the small platform at the front of the ballroom.
“Friends. Partners. Brothers.”
His voice carried across the room.
“Tonight, our families gather to celebrate unity. For generations, the Morettis have survived because we understand that loyalty is more valuable than gold.”
Polite applause followed.
“Tonight, my son will make a decision that will shape the future of our family.”
A hundred women straightened.
Katarina Vulov adjusted her diamond necklace.
The daughter of the Benedetti family smiled confidently.
Luna stood near the kitchen entrance, holding a tray of untouched champagne.
She wished she could disappear.
Don Salvatore continued.
“We have received extraordinary offers from extraordinary families. Wealth, territory, influence, and military strength have all been placed before us.”
His gaze moved toward the assembled guests.
“But a marriage cannot survive on contracts alone.”
For the first time, Luca stepped forward.
He took the microphone.
“I've spent my entire life being told what I should want.”
The room became completely silent.
“I was told which friends to trust, which enemies to destroy, and which woman would make the strongest alliance for my family.”
His eyes briefly found Luna.
She stopped breathing.
“But I have never believed that a person's worth can be measured by the size of their bank account or the number of soldiers standing behind their father.”
Katarina's smile disappeared.
Luca turned toward his father.
“Tonight, I'm making my own choice.”
Don Salvatore nodded.
Luca looked across the ballroom.
Then he raised his hand.
“I choose Luna Reyes.”
The champagne tray slipped slightly in Luna's hands.
Luca pointed directly toward her.
“My wife will be the woman who stood beside me when she had absolutely nothing to gain. The woman who showed kindness when nobody was watching. The woman who never asked me for power, money, or protection.”
A collective gasp swept through the ballroom.
Luna couldn't move.
One hundred wealthy daughters stared at her as if she had walked into the room wearing a crown made of stolen diamonds.
Then Katarina laughed.
It was a sharp, unpleasant sound.
“Are you serious?”
Luca's expression hardened.
“Completely.”
“You're choosing a servant?”
“My name is Luna,” she whispered before she could stop herself.
Katarina turned toward her.
“Oh, she speaks.”
Several people laughed nervously.
Katarina approached Luna, examining her worn sneakers and inexpensive uniform.
“Tell me, sweetheart. Did you plan this? Did you spend three years pretending to be an innocent little maid while secretly trying to seduce the boss?”
“Enough,” Luca said.
But Katarina wasn't finished.
“Your father must be thrilled. Imagine discovering your daughter has finally found a way to marry into money.”
Luna's cheeks burned.
She wanted to explain that she had never asked Luca for anything.
That she had never imagined this moment.
That she had spent three years trying desperately to hide her feelings.
But her throat had closed.
Then another voice interrupted.
“Interesting choice, Luca.”
Dmitri Kosoff stepped forward.
“Very interesting.”
He looked at Luna with an expression that made her skin crawl.
“Especially considering what her presence in this house might mean.”
Luca's eyes narrowed.
“What exactly are you suggesting?”
Dmitri lifted his champagne glass.
“Nothing. I simply hope you know the history of the woman you're about to marry.”
The ballroom fell silent again.
Luca stepped down from the platform.
“Explain yourself.”
Dmitri smiled.
“Perhaps you should ask your future bride why she really came to America.”
Luna felt the blood drain from her face.
She had never told Luca the complete story of her journey.
But that didn't mean she had anything to hide.
“She's here because I hired her,” Luca said coldly. “And because I know her character better than you ever will.”
Dmitri shrugged.
“Then congratulations.”
He raised his glass.
“To the future Mrs. Moretti.”
His smile never reached his eyes.
Luca offered Luna his hand.
She stared at it.
For three years, she had dreamed of being close enough to touch him without having to invent an excuse.
Now his hand was extended in front of a hundred witnesses.
“Luna,” he said quietly. “You don't have to accept because of what I said tonight. If you want to walk away, I'll protect your right to do so.”
That was the moment she understood something important.
He wasn't demanding her.
He was giving her a choice.
She placed her hand in his.
“I won't walk away.”
Luca exhaled, and for one brief second, the feared mafia heir looked like an ordinary man who had just received the one thing he had wanted.
He kissed her knuckles.
The ballroom erupted into chaos.
Some families applauded. Others walked out. Katarina stormed toward her father, whispering furiously.
Don Salvatore remained perfectly still.
Then Vincent approached Luca.
“Boss, we have a problem.”
Luca didn't release Luna's hand.
“What?”
Vincent leaned close and whispered something.
Luca's expression changed immediately.
His smile disappeared.
“What do you mean, the security footage is missing?”
Vincent glanced toward Luna.
“Someone entered your private office twenty minutes ago.”
Luca's jaw tightened.
“And?”
Vincent lowered his voice.
“The person used Luna's access card.”
Luna stared at him.
“That isn't possible. I've never had access to your office.”
Luca turned toward her.
For the first time that evening, she saw uncertainty in his eyes.
Then Vincent delivered the words that changed everything.
“Boss, there's something else. The intruder left a photograph on your desk.”
He handed Luca a small envelope.
Luca opened it.
Inside was an old photograph of a young woman holding a baby.
The woman looked remarkably like Luna.
But it was the writing on the back that made Luca's face turn white.
The girl you just chose is the daughter of the man who murdered your mother.
And suddenly, Luna understood that Dmitri Kosoff hadn't come to the mansion to negotiate a marriage alliance.
May you like
He had come because he knew something about her past.
Something that could destroy the Moretti family.
