Chapter 4 - THE FAMILY TABLE
Adrian did not sleep.
Neither did Elena.
By sunrise, three independent copies of Marco’s evidence were in separate secure locations.
The flash drive contained shipping manifests, photographs, recorded conversations and account numbers.
Cecilia Moretti appeared in eleven files.
Salvatore appeared in nineteen.
But the most frightening document was a succession agreement.
If Adrian died without a wife or child, controlling authority over multiple Moretti family trusts would pass temporarily to Salvatore.
With Cecilia as co-trustee.
Elena stared at the page.
“They wanted you dead.”
“They may still.”
“Why haven’t they done it?”
Adrian leaned against the desk.
“Because killing me is easy.”
She looked at him.
He smiled without humor.
“Surviving what comes after is not.”
Adrian controlled men loyal to him personally.
Businesses.
Judges.
Politicians.
If he died suspiciously, half of New York would begin asking questions.
“They needed someone else blamed,” Elena said.
“Marco.”
Her stomach turned.
“He discovered it.”
“And then died before they could use him.”
“So what changed?”
Adrian looked toward the hallway.
“You.”
Elena froze.
“Me?”
“Cecilia saw you in my study.”
“She insulted me.”
“She tested me.”
Elena’s throat tightened.
“And you defended me.”
“Yes.”
“Then Bianca did the same.”
“Probably on instruction.”
“They wanted to know if I mattered to you.”
Adrian said nothing.
That was answer enough.
Elena stood.
“I don’t.”
His eyes lifted.
“I’m staff.”
“You’re Marco’s widow.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“No.”
The way he said it made her pulse shift.
Before either could continue, Thomas knocked.
“Sir.”
“Yes?”
“Your family has arrived.”
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“All of them?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Mrs. Moretti says there is an emergency family breakfast.”
Elena almost laughed.
“Breakfast?”
Adrian looked at her.
“In this family, breakfast can be a declaration of war.”
The dining room filled by nine.
Cecilia.
Salvatore.
Bianca.
Adrian’s younger cousin Luca.
His mother, Rosa.
Two uncles.
An attorney.
Three men Elena knew only by reputation.
Mia sat in the kitchen with Thomas.
Elena intended to remain downstairs.
Adrian had other ideas.
“Come.”
She stared.
“Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
“Because I am not walking into a room full of people who already think I’m too fat to carry their breakfast trays and giving them a new reason to talk.”
His expression changed.
“Who called you fat?”
Elena immediately regretted the sentence.
“Forget it.”
“Name.”
“Adrian.”
“Name.”
She laughed bitterly.
“You want a list?”
His face went still.
That was when she realized he truly had no idea how bad it was.
“Cecilia.”
He absorbed it.
“Bianca.”
His jaw tightened.
“Your cousin Francesca once asked whether I needed two uniforms stitched together.”
Adrian said nothing.
“Elena—”
“Another guest told me I had the perfect body for surviving winter.”
His expression turned murderous.
“And yesterday, someone in this house moved my chair away from the staff table and said maybe standing during lunch would help.”
Adrian became silent in the way dangerous men became silent when rage moved beyond shouting.
Elena touched his sleeve.
“No.”
He looked at her.
“You wanted to know.”
“I did.”
“Now you do.”
She lowered her voice.
“I don’t want anybody hurt.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
His eyes held hers.
“Yes.”
That answer mattered.
Adrian entered the dining room.
Elena followed reluctantly.
Conversation stopped.
Cecilia looked openly pleased.
“How nice.”
Adrian took his seat at the head.
“Elena sits here.”
He pointed to the chair at his right.
The room froze.
Elena almost refused.
Then she saw Bianca smiling.
That same cruel smile.
Elena sat.
Salvatore leaned back.
“This is inappropriate.”
Adrian poured coffee.
“So is smuggling weapons through my shipping terminals.”
Silence crashed through the room.
Cecilia’s face changed.
Only slightly.
But Adrian saw it.
Salvatore did not move.
“Careful, nephew.”
“I am.”
Adrian placed a photograph on the table.
Marco.
Elena’s husband.
Bianca looked away.
Interesting.
Adrian noticed.
“Anyone remember him?”
No one answered.
Salvatore eventually said, “Security employee.”
“He was murdered.”
Cecilia reached for her coffee.
“You don’t know that.”
Adrian looked at her.
“I never said how he died.”
Cecilia’s cup stopped halfway to her mouth.
Elena’s heart slammed.
Adrian leaned back.
“There it is.”
Cecilia recovered.
“Everyone heard about the accident.”
“Did they?”
He looked around.
“Because we kept it private.”
Salvatore stood.
“This is ridiculous.”
“Sit.”
Adrian barely raised his voice.
Salvatore sat.
That showed Elena more than any gun could.
Adrian placed copies of the manifests down.
“Someone stole from me.”
Another file.
“Someone sold weapons through my routes.”
Another.
“Someone arranged to blame Marco Rossi.”
Cecilia looked toward Elena.
And smiled.
“There’s the real problem.”
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“What?”
“She’s feeding you this.”
Elena stared.
Cecilia continued.
“A lonely widow with a child finds her way into a powerful man’s study. Suddenly old accusations appear.”
Adrian’s eyes went cold.
Cecilia kept going.
“You think she doesn’t understand what she’s doing? Women like her know exactly how sympathy works.”
Elena’s face burned.
“Women like me?”
Cecilia looked at her body deliberately.
“Yes.”
Adrian stood.
The chair scraped backward.
Every man at the table went still.
But Elena stood too.
“Let me.”
Adrian looked at her.
“Let me answer.”
Something in his face softened.
He sat.
Elena turned toward Cecilia.
“You think because I clean this house, I don’t hear you.”
Cecilia’s smile vanished.
“You think because my uniform is a size eighteen, I should apologize for taking up space.”
Nobody moved.
“You think because my husband died and I needed work, I’m desperate enough to trap any rich man who looks at me twice.”
Bianca lowered her eyes.
Elena continued.
“I have been mocked in this house for two years.”
Rosa Moretti looked shocked.
“By whom?”
Elena glanced around.
“Enough people.”
Rosa’s face tightened.
Cecilia scoffed.
“This is becoming theatrical.”
“No.”
Elena looked at her.
“This is becoming inconvenient.”
That landed.
Adrian almost smiled.
Then Mia appeared in the doorway.
“Mama?”
Elena turned.
“Mia, sweetheart, go back—”
Mia walked directly toward Adrian carrying a plate.
Toast.
She placed it in front of him.
“You didn’t eat.”
Nobody at the table breathed.
Adrian looked at the toast.
Then at Mia.
“Apparently not.”
“Eat.”
Cecilia closed her eyes.
Adrian picked up the toast.
He took a bite.
Mia smiled.
Then she looked around the table.
“Why everybody mad?”
Adrian’s gaze settled on Cecilia.
“Because some adults forgot their manners.”
Mia nodded knowingly.
“My mommy says you say sorry.”
Cecilia stiffened.
Mia looked directly at her.
“Say sorry to Mommy.”
The room went dead silent.
Elena whispered, “Mia.”
“No.”
The toddler crossed her arms.
“She made Mommy sad.”
Cecilia looked at Adrian.
He said nothing.
That was worse.
Finally Cecilia stood.
“This is absurd.”
She moved toward the door.
Adrian spoke.
“Sit down.”
Cecilia stopped.
He placed the toast down.
“You will apologize.”
Her face turned red.
“To a maid?”
Adrian’s voice became ice.
“To Elena.”
Cecilia stared at him.
Then at Elena.
“I’m sorry you were offended.”
Mia frowned.
“That’s bad sorry.”
Adrian looked down to hide a smile.
Elena nearly laughed.
Cecilia did not.
Then Salvatore’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
Adrian noticed.
“Problem?”
Salvatore stood.
“We’re done here.”
He walked toward the door.
Adrian’s security chief entered at the same moment.
“Sir.”
“What?”
“We intercepted a message from Mr. Salvatore’s driver.”
Salvatore froze.
The security chief held up a phone.
“Someone is coming for the Rossi child.”
Elena’s blood turned to ice.
Mia looked up.
“Me?”
Adrian rose.
May you like
And for the first time that morning, everyone at the table understood exactly how dangerous Adrian Moretti could become.
---
