Chapter 4
### The Engagement That Became a Trap
Luca didn't sleep that night.
He sat in his study with Gabriel's photograph in front of him, replaying every memory of his brother's supposed death.
The warehouse fire had occurred after a shipment was intercepted by federal agents. Gabriel had been inside the building when the flames spread. Investigators identified his remains through dental records and DNA.
Luca had buried his brother.
He had mourned him.
And now someone was telling him that the funeral had been a lie.
At six in the morning, Marcus entered with another report.
“The clinic in the photograph was registered under a company called Sterling Medical Holdings.”
Luca looked up.
“Vanessa's family?”
“Yes. The company was dissolved last year, but its accounts were active during the period Isabella disappeared.”
“Find every payment connected to it.”
Marcus placed a second folder on the desk.
“There are transfers to Richard Hale, two hospital administrators, and a private security firm. The same firm provided protection at the warehouse where Gabriel supposedly died.”
Luca's expression hardened.
“Someone staged the fire.”
“Possibly.”
“Don't give me possibilities. Find proof.”
Before Marcus could answer, Luca's phone rang.
Vanessa.
He considered ignoring it, then accepted.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“Working.”
“We need to discuss last night.”
“No. We need to discuss Isabella.”
The silence on the other end lasted too long.
Then Vanessa laughed softly.
“Luca, darling, grief can make people see things. You know that.”
“Did you take Isabella to Saint Agnes Hospital?”
Her breathing changed.
“What?”
“Did you falsify her medical records?”
“You're frightening me.”
“Good. Maybe now you'll understand how my daughter felt when you slapped her.”
Vanessa's voice hardened.
“Your daughter needs stability. She needs a mother. I was trying to give her that.”
“By threatening her?”
“I never threatened Sophie.”
“She says otherwise.”
“She's six years old!”
“And you struck her in front of eighty witnesses.”
Vanessa fell silent.
Then she said, “You should be careful about whom you believe. Your wife was never the innocent woman you remember.”
Luca gripped the phone.
“What does that mean?”
“It means Isabella had secrets. Serious ones. Secrets that could destroy everything you built.”
“Tell me.”
“Not over the phone.”
“Then come to my study.”
“No.”
The call ended.
Luca stared at the screen.
Vanessa had made a mistake.
She hadn't denied being involved with Saint Agnes. She had only denied the threat.
He turned to Marcus.
“Find out where she's going today.”
But Vanessa was already moving.
At noon, she entered the mansion's conservatory and found Emma arranging flowers.
“You've been spending a great deal of time with Sophie,” Vanessa said.
Emma continued trimming a stem.
“She's a child. She needs someone she can trust.”
“She needs to stop believing her mother is alive.”
Emma set down the scissors.
“Why does that frighten you so much?”
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Because you don't know what Isabella was capable of.”
“Then explain it.”
For the first time, Vanessa's composure cracked.
“You think you can come into this house, play the innocent servant, and turn Luca against me?”
“I haven't turned anyone against you.”
“You found something in the chapel.”
Emma's pulse quickened, but she kept her face still.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
Vanessa seized her wrist.
“Listen carefully. You have no idea what happened three years ago. If Luca discovers what Isabella did, he won't protect you. He'll destroy anyone who helped her.”
Emma pulled free.
“Is that supposed to scare me?”
Vanessa smiled without warmth.
“No. It's supposed to give you one last chance to walk away.”
That evening, Luca announced that the engagement would proceed as planned.
Emma stared at him in disbelief when he explained his decision.
“You can't marry her.”
“I won't.”
“Then why announce it?”
“Because Vanessa believes she's won.”
He spread several documents across the desk.
“Tomorrow night, she intends to sign a property agreement transferring control of two family trusts into her name. I had the lawyers prepare a duplicate agreement with a hidden clause requiring disclosure of all financial interests. If she signs it, she'll expose the companies she's been using.”
“And if she refuses?”
“Then she'll know I'm watching her.”
Emma looked at him.
“What if she tries to hurt Sophie?”
“She won't get close to my daughter.”
“You thought that before.”
The words landed harder than Emma intended.
Luca looked down.
“You're right.”
For a moment, his anger disappeared, replaced by a weariness Emma had never seen in him.
“I spent three years searching for Isabella and convinced myself Sophie was too young to understand what happened. I stopped asking questions because every answer hurt.”
Emma softened.
“Children notice more than adults think.”
“I know.”
He picked up Isabella's letter.
“There's something else. You said you found this in the nursery. Why would she know your name?”
Emma hesitated.
She had wondered the same thing.
“I don't know.”
Luca studied her face.
“You're hiding something.”
Before Emma could answer, the study door opened.
Sophie stood there clutching her stuffed rabbit.
“Daddy?”
He immediately rose.
“What is it, princess?”
Sophie looked at Emma, then back at him.
“Vanessa said she's going to send Emma away after the wedding.”
Luca's face darkened.
“Did she tell you why?”
Sophie shook her head.
“She said Emma knows too much.”
A sharp knock sounded at the front door.
Marcus entered carrying a sealed envelope.
“Boss, this just arrived. No return address.”
Luca opened it.
Inside was a wedding invitation bearing his and Vanessa's names.
Someone had written across the front in black ink:
IF YOU LET HER WALK DOWN THAT AISLE, YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOUR WIFE AGAIN.
Beneath the invitation was a second photograph.
Isabella sat in a hospital bed, pale and bruised, holding a newborn baby.
On the back, a date had been written.
May you like
It was six months before Sophie was born.
And the baby in Isabella's arms was not Sophie.
