Chapter 5 - THE SECRET INSIDE THE SILVER NECKLACE|
Luca didn't sleep that night.
Neither did I.
By morning, he had ordered his men to search every document connected to my father.
I sat in the breakfast room with a cup of coffee I couldn't drink.
Mrs. Bennett entered carrying a small package.
"Mr. Russo asked me to give you this."
Inside was a photograph.
My father was standing beside Luca's mother, Sofia.
They looked comfortable together.
Not like an employer and an employee.
Like old friends.
On the back was a handwritten message.
Michael, if anything happens to me, please make sure my son knows the truth.
My throat tightened.
I had never heard my father mention Sofia.
When I was little, he had told me stories about working for a wealthy family in New York. But whenever I asked about the people involved, he changed the subject.
I carried the photograph to Luca's office.
He was standing beside the window.
"Did you know my father was close to your mother?"
He turned.
"I suspected it."
"Why?"
"Because she trusted him."
He looked at the necklace in my hand.
"Where is the box?"
"At my apartment."
"Can Dominic retrieve it?"
"No. I'll go."
"Absolutely not."
I crossed my arms.
"Then send someone I trust."
He looked surprised.
"Who?"
I thought about it.
"Mrs. Bennett."
He almost smiled.
"She's been with my family for thirty years."
"Then she should be trustworthy."
Luca agreed.
Two hours later, Mrs. Bennett returned with the wooden box.
Inside was the necklace, two old photographs, and a folded piece of paper.
Luca opened it.
The message was short.
The truth is not in the money. It is in the names.
Beneath the sentence was a list of six people.
Three were dead.
One was missing.
The remaining two were Vincent Calder and Anthony Russo.
I looked up.
"Anthony?"
Luca's expression became unreadable.
"He's my uncle."
I had heard the name.
Anthony Russo had appeared in the news several times as a respected businessman and philanthropist.
He also owned several shipping companies connected to Luca's organization.
"Why would your uncle be involved?"
"Because he was the person who introduced my father to Calder."
Luca called Dominic.
Within minutes, the security team began reviewing the old financial records.
They discovered that money had been transferred from Sofia's personal accounts shortly before her death.
The transactions were approved using my father's employee credentials.
But my father had never authorized them.
Someone had stolen his identity.
And the person responsible had used the money to purchase property under Anthony's name.
Luca stared at the documents.
"Anthony knew."
I looked at him.
"Then why is he still here?"
"Because he's family."
"That doesn't mean he's innocent."
Luca gave a bitter laugh.
"You have no idea how difficult that lesson is."
Later that evening, Anthony arrived at the mansion.
He entered the office without knocking.
"Luca, we need to discuss the woman you're hiding."
His eyes settled on me.
"Miss Shaw."
I stood.
"Mr. Russo."
Anthony smiled.
"Your father was a complicated man."
Luca stepped between us.
"Choose your next words carefully."
Anthony raised his hands.
"Of course."
He looked toward the silver necklace.
May you like
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
"Your father should have burned that thing before he died."
