Chapter 5 - The Betrayal Luca Never Expected
By sunrise, Caroline and Ethan were safe inside Luca’s penthouse.
Mercer was in custody.
His organization was collapsing.
And Sofia was still missing one piece of the truth.
She sat across from Luca in his dining room.
I poured coffee.
Sofia stared at the cup.
“You’re giving me coffee?”
“I considered poison.”
Marco choked.
I looked at him.
“That was a joke.”
“Good to know.”
Luca didn’t smile.
“Sofia.”
She looked at him.
“Why?”
She knew exactly what he meant.
“I was tired of being invisible.”
“You were my chief legal adviser.”
“Your employee.”
“You were family.”
“Family?”
She laughed bitterly.
“You inherited everything. I spent fifteen years fixing your father’s messes, cleaning your companies, negotiating your contracts.”
“I paid you.”
“That isn’t the same as respect.”
Luca leaned forward.
“You think selling Elena to Mercer earned respect?”
Sofia’s eyes lowered.
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I thought Mercer would scare her.”
Caroline rose from her chair.
“Scare her?”
I touched my sister’s arm.
Sofia continued.
“I told him she knew the account structure. He said Shaw would pressure her.”
“You knew what Shaw was,” I said.
She closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
That one word ended whatever sympathy I might have found.
Luca stood.
“Sofia Valenti, you are finished here.”
She looked at him.
“What are you going to do?”
“Nothing.”
Her surprise was obvious.
“You expected something dramatic?”
“You’re Luca Valenti.”
“Exactly.”
He placed a document on the table.
“You have forty-eight hours to surrender every company share, account credential, property key, and trust authorization connected to my businesses.”
“And then?”
“You leave New York.”
Sofia laughed nervously.
“You’re banishing me?”
“No.”
He pointed toward the evidence folder.
“The district attorney will probably stop you at the airport.”
Her face fell.
Luca continued.
“You helped kidnap a woman and a child. You sold confidential information. You conspired with Mercer.”
“You’re giving me to the police?”
“I’m giving Elena a future where she doesn’t have to look over her shoulder wondering whether revenge will arrive at breakfast.”
Sofia looked at me.
“You changed him.”
“No,” I said.
“He changed himself.”
Marco escorted her out.
The door closed.
Caroline looked between Luca and me.
“So.”
I immediately knew that tone.
“No.”
She smiled.
“I haven’t asked anything.”
“You were about to.”
“Does he love you?”
Luca nearly spilled his coffee.
I stared at my sister.
“You were kidnapped twelve hours ago.”
“Yes, and almost dying creates priorities.”
“Caroline.”
She turned to Luca.
“Do you?”
He looked at me.
“Yes.”
My sister nodded.
“Good.”
“Good?”
“She loves you too.”
I nearly dropped my mug.
“Caroline!”
Luca became very still.
I pointed at her.
“You have a child to traumatize. Go bother him.”
Ethan shouted from the living room.
“Mom! The TV is the size of our wall!”
Caroline smiled.
“Duty calls.”
She left.
Silence.
I refused to look at Luca.
He waited.
I still refused.
Finally he said, “Does she lie often?”
“Yes.”
“About important things?”
“Constantly.”
“Elena.”
I sighed.
Then turned.
“I don’t know what I feel.”
His face became carefully blank.
I hated that immediately.
“So you don’t love me.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You just—”
“I killed a man yesterday, my sister was kidnapped, your cousin betrayed us, your rival held a knife against me, and I’ve slept forty minutes.”
“That’s fair.”
“I need time.”
He nodded.
“Take it.”
“You’re not going to argue?”
“No.”
“Demand an answer?”
“No.”
“Follow me around looking wounded?”
“Absolutely not.”
“You already look wounded.”
“That’s my normal face.”
I laughed.
Luca smiled.
And for a few seconds, we were simply two exhausted people standing in a kitchen after surviving a terrible night.
Then Marco entered.
“Boss.”
Luca sighed.
“What now?”
“The police found another phone in Shaw’s coatroom.”
I turned.
“Another one?”
Marco nodded.
“There was a scheduled message.”
“To whom?”
Marco looked at me.
“You.”
He handed me the screen.
One sentence waited there.
If I don’t leave the gala alive, Elena Russo should ask Luca who ordered her father killed.
My smile disappeared.
Luca went pale.
I slowly raised my eyes.
“My father?”
Luca didn’t answer.
May you like
And suddenly Mercer wasn’t the secret between us anymore.
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