Chapter 6 - Anna’s Secret
Three months after Evelyn’s arrest, Anna asked to speak with me after dinner.
Not in my office.
The garden.
That was unusual.
We walked beneath the stone archway behind the estate while Lily slept in the staff-family cottage.
Anna looked nervous.
“I should have told you something before.”
My body tightened automatically.
Old instincts.
Secrets mean danger.
I reminded myself not every secret is betrayal.
“What?”
“Lily’s father.”
I had never asked.
I knew only that Anna was unmarried and had been working at the estate nearly five years.
“He’s alive?”
“Yes.”
“Does he know about Lily?”
“Yes.”
“Does he see her?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Anna stopped walking.
“Because he’s dangerous.”
That word means something different depending on who says it.
“Name?”
She hesitated.
“Eric Dalton.”
I knew the name.
Not personally.
Enough.
Former bookmaker.
Low-level associate of Stefano’s gambling network.
I looked at her.
“You were with him?”
“When I was twenty-three.”
“How long?”
“Eight months.”
“Why leave?”
“He hit me.”
Simple sentence.
No embellishment.
My jaw tightened.
Anna noticed.
“Please don’t.”
“What?”
“Do that.”
“Do what?”
“Become angry like it’s yours.”
That stopped me.
She continued.
“I left. I reported him once. Charges went nowhere. When I discovered I was pregnant, I moved. He found me two years later. I got a restraining order after he threatened to take Lily.”
“Why did you never tell me?”
“You were my employer.”
“I have security.”
“You also had Stefano around this house.”
There it was.
She had been right not to trust the structure I controlled.
“Did Stefano know?”
“I don't know.”
Then she handed me her phone.
A message.
HEARD OUR GIRL IS LIVING LIKE A PRINCESS NOW.
My blood went cold.
Sent that morning.
“Police?”
“I called.”
“Good.”
She looked surprised.
“You’re not going to say you’ll handle it?”
“I’m learning.”
A faint smile.
Then another message arrived while we stood there.
TELL MORETTI FAMILY DOESN’T MAKE HIM HER FATHER.
I stared.
Anna took the phone back.
“He thinks you’re…”
“What?”
She looked embarrassed.
“That there’s something between us.”
Silence.
Interesting.
“Is there?”
The question left my mouth before judgment caught it.
Anna looked at me.
My mistake.
“That was inappropriate.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
She blinked.
Apparently Mafia bosses apologizing remained novel.
Then she said quietly, “I don't know.”
Neither did I.
Something had formed slowly.
Respect.
Trust.
Concern.
Maybe more.
But Anna was my employee.
And her daughter had been endangered because of my world.
The power imbalance was too obvious to ignore.
“I won’t ask again while you work for me.”
She looked almost disappointed.
Then relieved.
“Thank you.”
The following week, police arrested Eric after he violated the restraining order by appearing near Lily’s preschool.
He had no weapon.
No dramatic confrontation.
Just arrogance.
He believed he could approach his daughter because biology gave him rights.
Family court disagreed.
The situation became uglier when Eric demanded visitation.
Anna panicked.
“He hasn’t seen her in three years.”
Her attorney explained supervised visitation could still be considered if he completed requirements.
I wanted to intervene.
Money.
Influence.
Lawyers.
Anna refused my attorney.
“I need to win this as Lily’s mother, not because Adrian Moretti scared the system.”
She used my first name.
Neither of us commented.
“I can pay legal fees.”
“No.”
“Anna.”
“No.”
I hated that word when correctly applied to me.
She smiled.
“See? Good practice.”
Eventually I convinced her to use an employee legal-assistance fund that applied to every staff member, not just her.
She accepted because it was policy.
Another lesson.
Build systems instead of favors.
Eric failed drug screening.
Violated court orders.
Sent threatening messages.
The judge denied unsupervised contact.
Then he disappeared.
We remained cautious.
Meanwhile, I began dismantling more of the criminal side of my businesses.
Not because Anna asked.
She did not.
Because I looked at Lily and realized every illegal operation creates some invisible child apologizing for consequences adults chose.
Carlo confronted me again.
“You're shutting the book?”
“Yes.”
“The sportsbook makes twenty million.”
“Then sell the building and open something legal.”
“You think guys who worked twenty years will become waiters?”
“No. Logistics pays better.”
He stared.
“This is because of the woman.”
“No.”
“The kid?”
“No.”
He laughed.
“Then what?”
“Because I’m tired.”
That was part of it.
“Tired of what?”
“Every problem eventually reaching a child who never chose any of us.”
Carlo did not understand.
Gabriel did.
So did Daniel.
The transition caused threats.
Old partners wanted compensation.
Competitors tested boundaries.
But I discovered something.
Legitimate money produced fewer funerals and better sleep.
Imagine that.
One evening Lily found me in the kitchen again.
She was now walking without the brace for short periods under her therapist’s instructions.
“Look.”
She took three careful steps.
Then four.
Anna watched from the doorway.
I crouched.
“Good.”
“Don’t say good.”
“What do I say?”
She thought.
“Amazing.”
“Demanding.”
“Amazing!”
She beamed.
Then took another step and stumbled.
I caught her.
Her hands grabbed my jacket.
She immediately said, “Sorry.”
We both froze.
Old reflex.
Not gone.
I set her upright.
“What do we say instead?”
She thought.
“Thank you?”
“Better.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Anna’s eyes filled.
That tiny exchange mattered more than it should have.
Healing rarely happens once.
Sometimes it is a new sentence repeated until the old one stops appearing automatically.
A month later, Anna completed her training and became full-time accessibility coordinator.
She no longer reported to me directly.
That changed something.
One evening after Lily’s physical therapy, Anna found me by the terrace.
“I don't work for you anymore.”
“You work at my estate.”
“Different.”
“Yes.”
She stepped closer.
“You said you wouldn't ask while you were my boss.”
I looked at her.
“And?”
“You’re not.”
I understood.
“Is there something between us?”
She smiled.
“I don't know.”
“You enjoy making me suffer.”
“A little.”
Then she kissed me.
Soft.
Brief.
Her choice.
I did not touch her until she leaned closer again.
For the first time in years, I felt nervous.
A Moretti.
Nervous.
My father would have been horrified.
Good.
When we separated, Anna laughed quietly.
“What?”
“You look surprised.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Because people usually tell me what they think I want to hear.”
“And I don’t?”
“No.”
“Maybe that’s why you like me.”
Maybe.
Then a small voice came from behind the glass door.
“Mommy?”
We jumped apart.
Lily stood wearing pajamas and holding her rabbit.
She looked at us.
Then narrowed her eyes.
“Were you kissing?”
Anna turned bright red.
I had faced prosecutors with less discomfort.
Lily waited.
“Yes,” Anna said.
Lily considered.
“Okay.”
Then she held out her arms.
“Carry me.”
To Anna.
I was strangely disappointed.
Lily noticed.
“You can carry Rabbit.”
She handed me the stuffed animal.
Apparently my place in the hierarchy remained clear.
May you like
I followed them inside.
For once, it felt good not to be first.
