THE MAFIA BOSS NEEDED A WIFE FOR ONE WEEKEND—SHE CHANGED HIS FAMILY FOREVER

Daniel Caruso arrived at the estate on Sunday morning, carrying a small overnight bag and wearing a dark coat that looked too thin for the weather.

He was twenty-seven, tall and painfully tense, with shadows beneath his eyes. He sat in his car for nearly ten minutes before getting out.

Evelyn watched from the upstairs window.

Teresa stood beside her.

"He almost turned around twice," Teresa said.

"Why did he come?"

"Because he's tired of being a story everyone tells without him."

Teresa had arrived the previous afternoon with her husband, David, after Sophia called her. Four years earlier, she had stopped visiting the estate when Vittorio tried to buy them a house in his own name and then treated the gift as proof that he could dictate how they lived.

Now she watched her son cross the courtyard with the expression of a mother who knew that bravery sometimes looked like taking three steps and stopping.

Luca went outside.

He did not rush toward Daniel or attempt to embrace him.

He simply waited near the front steps.

Daniel stopped several feet away.

"Uncle Luca."

"Daniel."

"Is Grandfather expecting me?"

"Yes."

"Did he ask you to bring me?"

"No. Your mother told him you might come. I told him it was your decision."

Daniel looked toward the house.

"Does he know?"

"He knows you aren't in London."

Daniel closed his eyes.

"Great."

"He doesn't know anything else unless you've told him."

"That's something, I suppose."

Luca stepped aside.

"You can leave whenever you want."

Daniel studied him for a moment, then walked inside.

Vittorio waited in the morning room. The rest of the family had been asked to stay away, though Evelyn remained in the hallway in case Daniel needed someone to redirect the conversation.

The door closed.

Nearly two hours passed.

No one heard raised voices.

When Daniel finally emerged, his face was red, but his shoulders seemed less rigid.

Vittorio followed him to the doorway.

"I didn't understand," the old man said.

Daniel looked at him.

"You didn't ask."

Vittorio's mouth tightened.

"I thought you were stronger than this."

"I was trying to be. That's why I hid it."

Daniel explained that he had left graduate school after months of severe anxiety and increasing reliance on prescription medication. He had entered treatment, begun counseling, and taken a job at a printing shop while rebuilding his life.

He had not wanted money or a family position. He wanted to recover without being treated like a failed investment.

Vittorio had offered to pay for a private doctor.

Daniel declined.

He had offered him a job.

Daniel declined that, too.

Finally, Vittorio had asked what he could do.

Daniel answered, "Stop turning every problem into a test I have to pass."

Now, in the hallway, Daniel looked at Evelyn.

"Are you the woman Uncle Luca married?"

Evelyn almost laughed.

"Only for the weekend."

Daniel considered that.

"Did you know he was lying?"

"Yes."

"Did you tell him it was a bad idea?"

"Several times."

A faint smile appeared.

"Good. He needs that."

Luca heard him.

"I am standing right here."

"I know."

For the first time that weekend, laughter moved through the hallway without anyone trying to stop it.

But the moment did not last.

A black sedan pulled into the courtyard. A man in a charcoal suit stepped out carrying a leather briefcase.

Adrian Bell.

He entered the house as though he owned a key to every room.

"Mr. Caruso," he said to Luca. "We need to discuss the audit."

Luca's expression cooled.

"How did you know about the audit?"

"Your general counsel called my office."

"She called the independent auditors. Not you."

Adrian's eyes moved briefly toward the family.

"Then perhaps we should speak privately."

Vittorio stepped forward.

"Whatever you have to say, say it here."

Adrian hesitated.

Then he opened his briefcase and produced a printed email.

"This concerns Daniel."

Daniel went still.

Luca took the page.

It appeared to show a transfer from a family trust to an account Daniel had used during his treatment.

The payment had been labeled as a consulting fee.

Daniel stared at it in disbelief.

"I never worked for the company."

Adrian's voice remained smooth.

"The records suggest otherwise."

Evelyn took the page from Luca.

The amount was substantial, but the date was wrong. Daniel had been in treatment at the time, and the account number did not match the one he had used for his living expenses.

"This document needs verification," she said.

Adrian's eyes hardened.

"You're not part of the company."

"No. Which means I have no reason to protect a false explanation."

Luca turned to his CFO.

"Leave the records with our counsel. You are not to access the accounts until the audit is complete."

Adrian closed his briefcase.

"You may regret this."

"Perhaps," Luca replied. "But I won't regret checking the facts."

Adrian walked out.

Daniel stared after him.

"Someone is trying to make it look like I stole money."