“Her hand got caught in the linen closet,” Vanessa said before Luca even asked what happened, never realizing the security footage would later prove she had been there. / Chapter 4 / 61

Chapter 4 - The Best Man’s Burden

Julian Vance excused himself from the table shortly after the toasts concluded. Claiming a sudden migraine brought on by the heavy cigar smoke and rich food, he offered profuse apologies to the couple seated to his left and slipped gracefully through the side exit leading to the private library corridor.

His pace quickened the moment he rounded the corner out of sight of the dining room.

Julian was a man who prided himself on risk management. He had spent years climbing through the financial ranks of the Moretti syndicate, proving his loyalty through clean ledgers, offshore shell companies, and an uncanny knack for making inconvenient debts disappear. But tonight, his stomach felt hollowed out by cold acid.

He walked straight toward the private study wing on the second floor, his leather-soled shoes clicking softly against the marble tiles. He knew Luca’s routines. He knew that at this hour, the boss typically reviewed shipping manifests in his office.

Instead, he found the study door wide open.

The room was dark except for the amber glow of a single desk lamp. Luca Moretti sat behind the massive mahogany desk, his posture rigid, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. He wasn't looking at shipping manifests. On the center of the desk lay a small silver memory card, resting beside a printed hardcopy of four high-resolution photographs.

Julian paused in the doorway, his breath catching in his throat. He forced his features into an expression of polite concern.

"Luca," Julian said, stepping into the room and closing the heavy door quietly behind him. "I heard you left the dining room early. Everything alright with the staff?"

Luca didn't look up immediately. He let the silence stretch, heavy and suffocating, filling the space between them until the ticking of the antique grandfather clock in the corner sounded like a countdown timer.

"Julian," Luca said finally, his voice unnaturally calm. "Come in. Close the door all the way."

Julian obeyed, stepping further into the study. He kept his eyes fixed on Luca’s face, searching for any sign of erratic emotion—anger, betrayal, suspicion. But Luca’s face was like carved granite.

"I was just checking on the security logs from earlier this afternoon," Luca continued, his gaze finally lifting to meet Julian’s eyes. "We had an incident upstairs. A housemaid named Claire got her hand injured in the linen closet."

Julian’s heart skipped a beat, though his exterior remained smooth. "Ah. Unfortunate. The staff can be so clumsy sometimes."

"That’s what Vanessa said," Luca replied softly. He reached out and tapped a finger against the topmost photograph on his desk. "She was very insistent about it. Even knew what the maid was carrying before anyone asked."

Julian swallowed hard. "Well, Vanessa oversees household management. She pays attention to those details."

"She does," Luca agreed. He slid the second photograph forward. It showed Vanessa removing a document from the bottom desk drawer—the very drawer where Luca kept the syndicate’s master ownership deeds and acquisition schedules. "She pays very close attention to my private property."

Julian stepped closer, his eyes scanning the image. The blood drained slowly from his face, leaving his skin the color of old parchment.

"Luca, let me explain," Julian began, his voice losing its steady cadence. "That document—it was just a routine merger review. Vanessa was only looking for—"

"The fourth photograph," Luca interrupted, his voice dropping an octave, turning into something cold and terminal. He turned the final print around so it faced Julian.

The image was crystal clear. Julian Vance standing by the second-floor balcony, accepting a bulky manila envelope from Vanessa’s hands. And written across the back in sharp, unmistakable ink: YOUR WEDDING DATE. And underneath it: DO IT BEFORE HE SAYS I DO.