Chapter 2 - The Woman Who Came to Take His Son Away|
For a moment, nobody in the dining room seemed to breathe.
Benjamin sat beside his father, his untouched potatoes cooling on the plate, his small fingers wrapped around Luca's hand.
The little boy had just said that a strange woman came to collect him.
A woman who apparently knew his father was still alive.
And Vanessa Bellini looked as though she might collapse.
Luca slowly lowered himself into the chair beside his son.
"Ben, sweetheart, I need you to tell me what happened."
Benjamin glanced toward Vanessa.
She immediately opened her mouth.
"Luca, he's confused. The school counselor merely came to introduce herself."
Luca raised one hand.
"Don't."
His voice was quiet.
But everyone stopped moving.
Then he turned back toward his son.
"Did someone come to the house today?"
Benjamin nodded.
"Yes, Daddy."
"What was her name?"
"I don't remember."
"That's okay."
Luca gently squeezed his hand.
"What did she say?"
Benjamin looked down at his plate.
"She asked if I wanted to go to a new school."
"And what did you tell her?"
"I said I liked my old school."
My heart tightened.
Benjamin attended a small private school in Chicago.
He loved his teacher.
He loved science.
And he loved the reading corner where he could sit for hours with books about planets.
He had never once asked to leave.
Luca nodded.
"What happened next?"
Benjamin swallowed.
"Vanessa said I didn't get to choose."
Vanessa suddenly stood.
"That is not what happened!"
Luca turned his head.
"Sit down."
She froze.
Then slowly lowered herself into her chair.
Benjamin continued.
"The lady asked if you signed the papers."
Luca's expression changed.
"What papers?"
"The ones saying I could go."
Silence spread across the room.
I could hear the grandfather clock ticking in the hallway.
Luca looked at Vanessa.
"Did you sign enrollment documents for my son?"
She forced a laugh.
"I was only making preliminary arrangements."
"Without consulting me?"
"We discussed the possibility of boarding school."
"No," Luca replied. "You mentioned a summer program. I told you Benjamin was too young to spend the entire summer away."
Vanessa's face reddened.
"Luca, you're making this sound sinister."
"Then explain why someone came to collect him."
She looked away.
Benjamin tugged his father's sleeve.
"Daddy?"
Luca immediately turned.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"The lady said something else."
"What?"
Benjamin's eyes filled.
"She said she couldn't take me because you weren't dead."
My heart stopped.
Luca didn't move.
Not even slightly.
Then he asked very carefully, "What exactly did she say?"
Benjamin looked frightened.
"She asked Vanessa why I was being sent away if my daddy was still alive."
Vanessa covered her mouth.
The room went completely silent.
Luca turned toward his head of security.
"Marco."
A broad-shouldered man standing near the doorway straightened.
"Yes, boss?"
"Find out who visited this house today. I want the appointment records, gate logs, and any security footage preserved."
"Understood."
"And Marco?"
"Sir?"
"Nobody approaches my son without my permission."
Marco nodded.
"Of course."
I stood beside the serving cart, trying to steady my breathing.
I had worked for the Moretti family for eleven months.
I knew Luca's reputation.
I knew what people whispered about his connections to Chicago's criminal underworld.
But I had never seen him look frightened.
Now he was staring at Benjamin as though he'd just realized how close he had come to losing him.
Luca turned toward me.
"Claire."
"Yes, sir?"
"Please take Benjamin to the kitchen and make sure he finishes his dinner somewhere comfortable."
Benjamin immediately shook his head.
"No!"
Luca looked surprised.
"Ben?"
His little face crumpled.
"Please don't send me away."
The words broke something inside the room.
Luca moved closer.
"Sweetheart, I'm not sending you anywhere. I only meant you could eat somewhere quieter."
Benjamin looked at him.
"Can Miss Claire stay?"
"Of course."
"And can you come too?"
Luca's eyes filled.
"Yes."
For the first time that evening, the feared Luca Moretti seemed to forget the twenty-four wealthy guests sitting around him.
He picked up his son's plate.
Took Benjamin's hand.
And walked toward the kitchen.
I followed.
Behind us, Vanessa spoke sharply.
"Luca, you cannot simply abandon our engagement dinner!"
He stopped.
For a moment, he didn't turn around.
Then he said:
"My son has been sitting hungry for nearly an hour."
Vanessa stared.
"And?"
Luca slowly looked back.
"The fact that you still don't understand why that matters tells me everything I need to know about tonight."
Her face went white.
He continued toward the kitchen.
Benjamin sat at the small wooden table where Mrs. Carter usually ate her lunch.
I warmed his chicken.
Added fresh potatoes.
And brought him a glass of milk.
Luca sat beside him.
No phone.
No business calls.
No guests.
Just a father watching his son eat.
After a few bites, Benjamin looked up.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Are you still marrying Vanessa?"
Luca hesitated.
Then answered honestly.
"I need to think about some serious things before I make that decision."
Benjamin nodded.
Then whispered:
"Because she said after the wedding, you wouldn't need me anymore."
Luca closed his eyes.
For several seconds, he couldn't speak.
Then he moved his chair closer.
"Benjamin, there is no wedding, no business, and no person in this world more important than you."
The little boy began crying.
Luca pulled him into his arms.
I turned away, wiping my eyes.
Then Marco appeared in the kitchen doorway.
His expression was grim.
"Boss. We found the visitor's name."
Luca looked up.
"Who?"
Marco hesitated.
"Dr. Evelyn Shaw."
Luca frowned.
"Who is she?"
Marco glanced toward Benjamin.
Then lowered his voice.
"She works for a residential placement organization."
Luca went still.
"And?"
Marco swallowed.
"According to the paperwork she received, Benjamin was being placed there because his father had been declared legally incapacitated."
Luca slowly stood.
"What?"
May you like
Marco looked him directly in the eyes.
"Boss, someone submitted documents claiming you were no longer capable of caring for your son."
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