Chapter 12 - Bianca's Real Loyalty|
Matteo stared at Bianca in disbelief.
"What are you doing?"
"Correcting a mistake."
She kept the weapon trained on him, then turned to Luca.
"Put the papers down."
Luca slowly released the pen.
"You're working with Carlo."
"Of course."
"Then why are you pointing a gun at his man?"
Bianca's smile was thin.
"Because Matteo has become inconvenient."
She ordered one of the men to take Theo from Matteo. The man hesitated. Bianca raised the pistol slightly, and he obeyed.
Theo was pulled away from his father.
Sophie heard everything through the earpiece and pressed her hand over her mouth to stop herself from crying out. Enzo whispered that his team was ready, but they needed a clear opening.
Luca studied Bianca.
"You told Carlo you could make me marry you."
"I told him I could make you dependent on me."
"By threatening my wife?"
"By showing you that everything you love can be taken away."
Bianca's voice had lost its polite polish. Beneath it lay years of resentment.
"My father spent his life watching your family control this city. We made deals with you, protected you, carried your secrets. And still, your father treated us like hired help."
"So you decided to steal my son?"
"I decided to stop begging for a place at your table."
"You were offered a place. You wanted the whole table."
Bianca's eyes flashed.
She explained that Carlo had planned the merger long before she arrived at the mansion. The stolen ledger contained proof of illegal payments and evidence that several Moretti assets had been transferred through fraudulent contracts. If the documents became public, both families would face ruin.
But Bianca had another plan.
She intended to take control of Theo's trust, force Luca into signing away the company's assets, and use the child as leverage against anyone who resisted.
"Carlo thinks he'll control me," she said. "But once the trust is mine, he won't have anything left to threaten me with."
Luca watched her carefully.
"You're going to betray your own father."
"He taught me everything I know."
"Then he taught you badly."
Bianca's expression twisted.
"You think you're better than me because you love your wife?"
"No. I think I'm a coward because I let you into my home while I kept my wife outside my life."
The admission surprised even him.
For a moment, Bianca looked unsettled.
Then she raised the gun toward Luca.
"Sign the papers."
He glanced at Theo, who was crying silently in the arms of a frightened guard.
"Let my son go first."
"No."
"Then I won't sign."
Bianca took a step closer.
"Your wife is listening, isn't she? You always did need someone to tell you what to do."
Luca didn't answer.
Bianca's gaze flicked toward the earpiece.
She understood.
"Cut the connection," she ordered.
A man rushed forward and tore the device from Luca's collar.
In the sudden silence, Bianca smiled.
"Now, Luca, we can speak privately."
May you like
She gestured toward the papers.
"Sign them—or your son will learn what happens to children whose fathers refuse to obey."
