Chapter 3 - THE MAPLE STREET MYSTERY
The silence in the nursery was so absolute you could hear the grandfather clock ticking downstairs in the grand hall.
Luca’s smile vanished. The warmth in his gray eyes evaporated, replaced instantly by the cold, calculating glare of a mob boss whose territory had just been breached.
"What did you say?" Luca asked, his voice dangerously low.
Emily gripped her coat tighter around her swollen stomach, looking terrified. "The house on Maple Street. The little brick house where I grew up. Mom’s house."
Luca took a step forward, his brow furrowing in genuine confusion. "Maple Street? Why would I sell Maple Street? That house was your mother’s sanctuary. I haven't stepped foot near the deed in years."
"Vanessa called me last week," Emily explained, her voice shaking. "She said... she said that with the wedding coming up, you wanted to simplify the family properties. She told me that as a courtesy, since I was out of your life, I had until this Friday to clear out all of my mother’s belongings before the new owners took possession."
Luca didn't move. He didn't blink. But the muscles in his jaw clenched so hard I thought bone might snap.
"You haven't been in that house in seven years," Luca said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "Not since your mother passed away."
"I know," Emily wept. "I couldn't bear to go back. But it’s all I have left of her—her photo albums, her jewelry, her old piano books. When Vanessa said you ordered it cleared out, I... I didn't want to bother you. I thought you were just erasing us both."
Luca reached inside his tailored jacket, pulling out a sleek leather wallet. He flipped it open, pulled out a gold-embossed key card, and tapped a hidden wall safe behind a painting of the Chicago skyline. The heavy iron door swung open, revealing stacks of legal documents, passports, and old leather-bound ledgers.
He pulled out a single, thick manila folder, flipped it open, and scanned the title page.
Then he handed it to his daughter.
Emily’s hands shook as she took the paper. She looked down, her eyes scanning the legal text.
"Read the signature line," Luca instructed softly.
Emily’s lips parted. "It’s... it’s my name."
"I transferred the deed of Maple Street into your name on your twenty-fourth birthday," Luca said, his voice steady as iron. "That house doesn't belong to me. It never belonged to Vanessa. It belongs to *you*. Nobody has the legal authority to sell it, lease it, or touch a single brick without your explicit, notarized signature."
The blood drained entirely from Emily’s face. She staggered backward, and I instinctively stepped forward, catching her by the elbow to steady her.
"My name," Emily whispered, staring at the document in horror. "I own the house. But... but Vanessa said..."
"Vanessa lied," Luca finished for her. His voice dropped into that dark, terrifying register that made even hardened criminals beg for mercy. "She didn't just lie to keep you away from my engagement dinner. She orchestrated a real estate takeover behind my back."
Emily reached into her purse with trembling fingers and pulled out a crumpled, folded letter. "Two men came to the house yesterday, Dad. They had clipboard inspectors. They said the final sale was going through this morning."
Luca took the letter from her hand. His gray eyes scanned the corporate letterhead of a high-end Chicago property firm. And right at the bottom, under the section marked *Primary Contact and Beneficiary of Sale*, was a signature written in sharp, looping cursive.
*Vanessa Bellini.*
Luca stared at the paper for ten long seconds. The air in the room felt heavy, suffocating, charged with the kind of primal rage that precedes a storm.
Without a word, he turned on his heel and walked out of the nursery.
"Dad, wait!" Emily cried out, waddling quickly after him.
"Stay here, Emily," Luca commanded without turning around, his stride lengthening. "Claire, lock this door. Do not let anyone in."
May you like
"Mr. Moretti—" I started, but he was already flying down the grand staircase toward the ballroom, where thirty elite guests and one terrified fiancée were waiting for a wedding that was about to turn into an execution.
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