Chapter 6: The Name Michael Left Behind
I stared at the document for so long that the words stopped looking like words.
Emma Carter.
My name.
Printed beneath Michael Moretti’s final message.
“This can’t be real,” I whispered.
Luca looked at me carefully.
“What does it mean?””
I looked up.
“I don’t know.””
Vanessa gave a quiet laugh.
“That’s the problem, Luca. She doesn’t know.””
I turned toward her.
“You knew about this.””
“I knew Michael trusted you.””
“I was a housekeeper.””
“No.””
Her voice sharpened.
“You were the person everyone ignored.””
The sentence bothered me because it sounded almost like a compliment.
Almost.
Luca picked up the document again.
“Explain.””
Vanessa leaned against the table.
“Michael was investigating someone close to the family.””
“Who?””
“He never told me the name.””
Rachel crossed her arms.
“You expect us to believe that?””
Vanessa looked at her.
“I expect you to believe what Michael believed.””
The room fell quiet.
Because whether anyone wanted to admit it or not, Michael had been right about many things.
Luca looked at me.
“What did Michael ask you?””
I swallowed.
“Nothing.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“That’s not true.””
I looked at her.
“How would you know?””
“Because Michael wrote it.””
She pointed at the paper.
“He left instructions.””
My heart started beating faster.
“What instructions?””
Vanessa didn’t answer.
Instead, she walked toward the fireplace.
She removed a small black envelope hidden behind a wooden frame.
I had cleaned that fireplace dozens of times.
I had never seen it.
She placed it on the table.
“Michael gave this to me two days before he died.””
Rachel stared.
“You had this for two years?””
“Yes.””
“And you never told Luca?””
“No.””
Luca’s face changed.
“Why?””
Vanessa looked at him.
“Because I was afraid.””
The answer surprised everyone.
Even Luca.
“Afraid of what?””
“That whoever hurt Michael would hurt you.””
The room went silent.
For the first time, Vanessa didn’t look like a woman controlling a situation.
She looked tired.
But I still didn’t trust her.
People who lied for two years didn’t become honest overnight.
Luca opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten note.
His hands tightened as he read.
Then he passed it to me.
I hesitated.
But I took it.
The handwriting was unfamiliar.
The message was short.
Emma,
If you are reading this, it means Luca finally knows what I discovered.
I chose you because you notice things people with money ignore.
You remember conversations.
You remember faces.
You remember details.
Trust your memory.
The person who betrayed me was not a stranger.
They were family.
My eyes moved to the final line.
And that was when my blood turned cold.
Because Michael had written:
“Ask Emma about the night she found the broken watch.””
I stopped breathing.
Luca noticed.
“What is it?””
I slowly lowered the paper.
“I know what he means.””
Rachel stepped closer.
“Emma?””
I looked at Luca.
“Michael’s watch.””
Two years earlier.
Before I worked at the Moretti mansion.
Before I knew anything about their family.
I had been working temporary events.
One night, I had cleaned a private room after a charity dinner.
I found a broken watch near the stairs.
A man had picked it up before I could report it.
I remembered because he told me:
“Forget you saw this.””
At the time, I thought he was just a rude guest.
But now…
I remembered his face.
I remembered the expensive suit.
I remembered the ring on his hand.
And I remembered the symbol engraved into it.
A Moretti family symbol.
Luca leaned forward.
“Who was he?””
My mouth went dry.
“I don’t know his name.””
Vanessa looked at me.
“Yes, you do.””
“No.””
“You saw him.””
I closed my eyes.
The memory came back.
The hallway.
The broken watch.
The voice.
The face.
Then I whispered:
“Anthony.””
Rachel froze.
Luca’s expression changed.
“Anthony Bellini?””
Vanessa’s brother.
The man who had been sitting near the fireplace during the engagement dinner.
The man who had watched Vanessa fire me.
The man who had never once spoken.
Luca stood.
“He was there that night.””
I nodded.
“Yes.””
Vanessa looked terrified.
And for the first time, I believed her.
Because she wasn’t afraid of losing Luca.
She was afraid of what Anthony had done.
Then Luca’s phone rang.
He answered.
A few seconds later, his face went pale.
“What happened?”” Rachel asked.
He looked at all of us.
“Anthony disappeared.””
A pause.
Then:
“And the police found something in his car.””
May you like
Luca looked at me.
“Michael’s missing phone.””
