Chapter 3 - LUCA BELANDI DOES NOT RESCUE HER
For the next month, Hannah saw Luca exactly twice.
Both times with lawyers present.
That helped.
The internet had already decided they were having an affair.
Of course it had.
Videos of the first dance had reached millions of views.
One caption:
MAFIA BOSS CLAIMS HUMILIATED BRIDE IN FRONT OF GROOM
Hannah hated it.
Claimed.
As though moving from Connor’s humiliation into Luca’s possession would somehow be romantic.
She gave no interview.
Luca issued one statement through Belandi Imports:
Mr. Belandi attended the reception as a business guest. Any suggestion of a romantic relationship with Mrs. Walsh is false and disrespectful.
That was all.
No dramatic defense.
No threat to media outlets.
Good.
At school, things were harder.
Her principal, Dr. Helen Morris, called Hannah into her office.
“You've been named publicly in a charity investigation.”
“I know.”
“Parents are asking questions.”
“I know.”
“I believe you.”
Hannah’s eyes filled.
Helen continued.
“But belief isn't procedure.”
“I understand.”
They agreed Hannah would remain teaching unless authorities or the board identified a specific conflict.
No theatrical suspension.
No public punishment based on headlines.
The school district requested documentation.
Hannah provided everything.
Then something worse happened.
A local paper published leaked foundation records showing her electronic signature.
Headline:
TEACHER-BRIDE AT CENTER OF WALSH CHARITY QUESTIONS
Hannah threw up in the staff bathroom.
Not metaphorically.
Her colleague Marcus Lee stood outside the door.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Need anything?”
“Five years of my life erased from Google.”
“Unavailable.”
“Coffee?”
“Yes.”
He brought coffee.
Ordinary kindness.
It helped more than grand gestures.
Then Luca requested a meeting.
Rachel attended.
So did Luca’s attorney.
Luca placed several Belandi Foundation records on the table.
“Our foundation paid Walsh Youth Futures six hundred thousand.”
“Yes.”
“We also paid a consulting company called Meridian Civic Strategies.”
Rachel looked up.
“How much?”
“Two hundred forty thousand.”
“For?”
“Port-community outreach.”
Hannah knew that phrase now.
Vague enough to hide anything.
Luca continued.
“Meridian appears linked to Patrick Walsh’s attorney.”
Rachel’s eyes sharpened.
“And your approval?”
“My CFO approved under delegated authority.”
“Did you know?”
“No.”
“Are you certain?”
Luca looked at Hannah.
“No.”
That answer surprised her.
He continued.
“I knew my company paid for community relations around port expansion.”
“I did not examine every vendor.”
“That means I benefited from the same culture of vague invoices I am criticizing in the Walsh foundation.”
Rachel leaned back.
“What are you doing about it?”
“Independent review.”
“External counsel.”
“Voluntary disclosure if reporting obligations apply.”
Hannah watched him.
“Why tell me?”
“Because the papers will find it.”
“And because if I sit here presenting myself as the clean man exposing the Walsh family, I would be lying.”
That mattered.
Then Rachel asked:
“Is Belandi Imports withdrawing from the proposed Walsh port-development deal?”
“Yes.”
Hannah looked at Luca.
“That could cost you millions.”
“Yes.”
“You're doing it because of this investigation?”
“Partly.”
“Partly?”
“Patrick Walsh has spent years assuming my family reputation means I don't care how money moves as long as deals close.”
Luca’s expression hardened.
“He was not entirely wrong about the previous generation.”
There it was.
Not mythology.
History.
“My father did business differently.”
“Illegal?”
Hannah asked.
His attorney shifted.
Luca answered carefully.
“Some conduct associated with the old family companies was criminal.”
“And you?”
“I have not ordered violence.”
“I have not bribed public officials.”
“I have closed or sold businesses I could not defend under ordinary legal scrutiny.”
“That doesn't make my family history clean.”
Hannah appreciated the answer because it did not ask her to admire him.
He was not auditioning for redemption.
After the meeting, Luca caught up to her in the hallway.
Rachel remained ten feet away.
“Mrs. Walsh.”
Hannah flinched again.
He noticed.
“Sorry.”
“My legal name is still Hannah Walsh for the moment.”
“What should I call you?”
“Hannah.”
He nodded.
“Hannah.”
The name sounded different in his voice.
Not possession.
Recognition.
“I wanted to ask whether you need anything.”
She almost laughed.
There it was.
The billionaire question.
Money?
Security?
Lawyers?
“Do you want the real answer?”
“Yes.”
“I need powerful men to stop deciding they can improve my life because they're powerful.”
Luca became still.
Then:
“Understood.”
“That’s it?”
“What else should there be?”
She smiled despite herself.
He continued:
“If you need information related to the investigation, ask through counsel.”
“If you need nothing from me, I will leave you alone.”
He did.
For six months.
May you like
That mattered more than the first dance.
---
