Chapter 4 - THE FIANCÉE WHO HAD TWO FACES
Vanessa Bellini had been beautiful enough to stop conversations.
At thirty-two, she possessed everything society admired.
Expensive clothes.
Perfect manners.
An effortless smile.
And a family name powerful enough to open doors most people never reached.
Her father, Lorenzo Bellini, controlled several investment and property companies.
He had been a longtime business associate of Victor Moretti, Dominic's older cousin.
The engagement between Vanessa and Dominic was supposed to strengthen both families.
Society magazines called it the wedding of the decade.
Vanessa called it destiny.
But the morning after Dominic ended the engagement, she met privately with Victor.
They sat inside a restaurant overlooking the Chicago River.
Vanessa was furious.
"He humiliated me in front of everyone."
Victor stirred his coffee.
"You humiliated yourself."
Her eyes flashed.
"Careful."
Victor smiled coldly.
"You're the one who couldn't handle a nine-year-old boy."
Vanessa leaned forward.
"That child was supposed to be gone before the wedding."
Victor's expression hardened.
"Lower your voice."
She looked around.
Then whispered, "You promised the placement would be approved."
"It was."
"Then why did Dominic find out?"
"Because you became impatient."
Vanessa folded her arms.
"Benjamin kept asking questions."
"He's nine."
"He's Isabella's son."
The words hung between them.
Victor's smile vanished.
Vanessa continued.
"He has her curiosity. He found the letters."
Victor went very still.
"What letters?"
"The ones Isabella hid in the music room."
For the first time, fear crossed his face.
"Who has them?"
"Dominic."
Victor leaned back.
A long silence followed.
Then he asked, "Did he read them?"
"I don't know."
Victor swore softly.
Vanessa stared.
"Why are you so concerned?"
He looked at her.
"Because Isabella was investigating the foundation before she died."
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
"You told me the records were destroyed."
"Most were."
"Most?"
Victor said nothing.
Vanessa leaned forward.
"Victor, if Dominic discovers what you did with those accounts—"
"Stop talking."
His voice was sharp enough to make her flinch.
He looked toward the river.
Then said something that made Vanessa's expression change.
"Dominic thinks the engagement was about marriage."
She swallowed.
"Wasn't it?"
Victor smiled without warmth.
"No."
He placed a document on the table.
It contained a schedule of trust distributions and family voting rights.
Vanessa stared.
"What is this?"
"Isabella's estate."
Vanessa looked up.
"I thought Dominic controlled everything."
"Not everything."
Victor tapped the page.
"Isabella inherited a substantial interest in the Moretti charitable foundation from her father. The controlling rights pass through Benjamin."
Vanessa frowned.
"He's a child."
"Exactly."
She looked at the document again.
"Then who manages it?"
"His legal guardian, subject to the trust terms."
Vanessa went still.
Understanding dawned.
If Benjamin were declared unable to participate in certain decisions because of severe medical incapacity, a court could appoint someone to manage portions of his interests.
Victor had expected to influence that appointment.
And Vanessa, as Dominic's wife, would have been positioned to claim authority within the household.
The engagement wasn't simply a social alliance.
It was part of a plan to control the trust.
Vanessa stared at Victor.
"You used me."
He laughed softly.
"You wanted the Moretti name."
"And you wanted Benjamin gone."
Victor's expression darkened.
"I wanted the foundation protected."
"From what?"
He looked away.
"From unnecessary scrutiny."
Vanessa leaned back.
For the first time, she understood how dangerous the arrangement had become.
But she wasn't innocent.
She had helped manipulate a child.
She had signed documents containing false statements.
She had threatened staff.
She had concealed records.
And now Dominic knew.
Meanwhile, at the Moretti estate, Dominic received a call from his attorney.
The legal team had confirmed that the signature on Benjamin's psychiatric placement paperwork did not match Dominic's verified electronic signature records.
The supposed medical evaluation had also been conducted through a clinic linked financially to Victor's foundation.
Dominic felt cold.
"Was there a legitimate independent assessment?"
"Not according to the records we've obtained."
"And the placement?"
"The proposed facility has connections to the same network."
Dominic closed his eyes.
For months, he'd trusted Vanessa to help care for Benjamin while he managed family business.
He'd mistaken delegation for responsibility.
Now he understood the cost.
His phone vibrated.
A message from Vanessa.
You destroyed our future over one spoiled child.
Dominic stared at the words.
Then typed a reply.
Benjamin is my son. There is no future with anyone who harms him.
He sent it.
Then blocked her number and forwarded the message to his attorney.
Outside, Benjamin was playing in the garden with Claire.
Dominic watched through the window.
For the first time in months, his son was laughing.
And Dominic made a decision.
May you like
Whatever happened to the family empire, he would never again allow it to matter more than the little boy standing in the sunlight.
---
