Chapter 11 - Vanessa’s Offer
Vanessa asked to meet the next afternoon.
Helen agreed to a supervised meeting at her office.
“No side conversations,” she told Luca. “And nobody promises anything.”
Vanessa arrived in a gray coat with no jewelry except the engagement ring.
She looked at me.
“I didn’t realize staff would be attending.”
Helen pointed to a chair.
“Claire is a witness.”
Vanessa sat.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then she pulled off the ring and placed it on the table.
A small, careful performance.
Luca didn’t look at it.
“Why Emily?”
Vanessa’s face tightened.
“Because whenever she needed something, everything stopped.”
“She’s my daughter.”
“I was supposed to be your wife.”
“You weren’t in competition.”
“To you.”
The words came out bitter.
Then she glanced at Helen and corrected herself.
“Paul said the family needed structure.”
Helen opened her notebook.
“What did he mean?”
“That Emily had too much influence. That she’d ask questions about the properties.”
“Because she owned one?”
Vanessa looked down.
“Because Anna left things there.”
“What things?”
“I didn’t know exactly.”
Luca leaned forward.
“Then why did you tell her I was ashamed?”
Vanessa’s eyes flashed.
“Because she would have come to you.”
“And you needed her not to.”
Silence.
Helen let it sit.
Finally, Vanessa said, “Paul told me there were documents that could hurt Luca.”
“Did you believe that?” I asked.
She looked at me.
“At first.”
“And later?”
She didn’t answer.
Helen placed a copy of the payment record in front of her.
Vanessa stared at it.
“That wasn’t for the calls.”
“What was it for?”
“Getting the house ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“The sale.”
“It wasn’t yours.”
Vanessa stood.
“I came here to help.”
“Then sit down,” Luca said.
She sat.
For the first time, her eyes filled.
“Paul said if I didn’t finish it, he’d tell you everything.”
“Everything you just told us?”
“Everything from years ago.”
My stomach tightened.
“About my father?”
She looked at me.
Then away.
Helen spoke gently.
“Vanessa, what did you do?”
“I signed invoices.”
“How many?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Did the work happen?”
Vanessa covered her mouth.
“No.”
I stared at her.
While my father delivered groceries with swollen knees, she had been spending money earned by work that never existed.
She opened her purse and removed a small drive.
“Copies,” she said. “I kept them because I didn’t trust Paul.”
Helen didn’t touch it yet.
“Why bring them now?”
May you like
Vanessa looked at Luca.
“Because he’s leaving tonight.”
