Chapter 6 - The House of Lies
The old Moretti summer house stood on a wooded property overlooking a lake.
Luca hadn't visited it since his father's funeral.
He remembered the building as a place filled with expensive furniture, locked offices, and conversations that stopped whenever he entered a room as a child.
Now he understood why Richard had sent him there.
Dominic's men surrounded the property before Luca and Elena entered.
The front door was unlocked.
Inside, everything was covered in white sheets.
A small pair of shoes sat near the staircase.
Elena picked them up.
They were child's shoes.
“Luca.”
He followed her gaze.
A photograph hung above the fireplace.
It showed Luca's father holding a newborn baby.
On the back was written:
THE FIRST HEIR.
Luca's jaw tightened.
“That's Noah.”
Elena looked around.
“Where is he?”
A noise came from upstairs.
Luca signaled his men to stay back.
He climbed the staircase with Elena behind him.
At the end of the hallway was a locked bedroom.
A small voice came from inside.
“Please don't turn off the light.”
Elena rushed forward.
“Noah?”
There was no answer.
Luca forced the door open.
A little boy sat on the floor beside a night-light. He was clutching a stuffed dog and staring at them with frightened eyes.
He looked almost identical to Isabella.
Elena dropped to her knees.
“Baby, it's okay.”
The boy backed away.
“Who are you?”
“I'm your mother.”
“No.”
His voice broke.
“Mommy said you were dangerous.”
Elena's face crumpled.
“Your mommy was wrong.”
The boy studied her.
Then he noticed the silver bracelet on her wrist.
He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a matching silver charm.
Elena gasped.
It was a tiny heart.
She remembered buying two identical charms before the accident. One for herself and one for the baby she had expected to bring home.
“How did you get that?” she whispered.
Noah looked down.
“Grandma gave it to me.”
Luca knelt.
“Who's Grandma?”
“My grandma. She says Daddy left us.”
Luca's expression darkened.
“My father is dead, son.”
Noah shook his head.
“Not Grandpa. Grandma Margaret.”
Elena went still.
Margaret Collins.
The nurse who had supposedly saved her life.
Before they could ask more, a gunshot echoed from outside.
Dominic shouted.
“Boss! We have company!”
Luca pushed Elena and Noah behind him.
Several men entered through the rear door.
They wore black tactical clothing, but their weapons bore no identifying marks.
Luca's men returned fire.
In the confusion, one of the attackers reached the staircase.
Elena grabbed Noah and ran into the adjoining bathroom.
She locked the door.
“Stay behind me,” she whispered.
The little boy clung to her dress.
Outside, footsteps approached.
Then came a familiar voice.
“Open the door, Elena.”
Vanessa.
Elena's blood ran cold.
“Where is Luca?” Vanessa called.
“Go away.”
Vanessa laughed softly.
“You really think he can protect you? He couldn't protect you three years ago.”
Elena said nothing.
“I can explain everything. Just open the door.”
A second voice interrupted.
“Vanessa, stop playing.”
Richard.
Elena looked at Noah.
His eyes were wide with fear.
The bathroom door suddenly shook.
Then a gunshot rang out.
Silence followed.
When Luca finally reached them, he found Elena holding Noah tightly against her chest.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
He embraced them both.
But the attackers had escaped.
And Vanessa was gone.
Dominic entered carrying a small metal box.
“Boss, we found this in the study.”
Luca opened it.
Inside was a collection of documents bearing his father's signature.
The first page described a private trust established before Luca's birth.
The second contained the names of the beneficiaries.
Elena Moretti.
Isabella Moretti.
Noah Moretti.
And one final name.
Margaret Collins.
Luca stared at it.
His father had made a hospital nurse a beneficiary of the family fortune.
May you like
Beneath the document was a handwritten note.
If Elena returns, do not trust the person who saved her.
