Chapter 7
Luca remembered.
Alessandra saw it before he spoke.
His face changed first.
Then his hand tightened around his signet ring.
Ethan smiled.
“There.”
He pointed.
“He remembers.”
Vanessa folded her arms.
“Finally.”
Luca looked at Ethan.
“What did I say?”
Ethan laughed.
“You were drunk.”
“That wasn’t the question.”
“You were furious.”
“What did I say?”
Ethan stepped closer.
Still smug.
Still enjoying the room.
“You said if Alessandra ever came back trying to turn a pregnancy into leverage, I should keep her away until you could figure out whether she was lying.”
Silence.
Tobin looked up at his mother.
Alessandra’s fingers slowly closed around his hand.
Luca stared at Ethan.
“I said if.”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t tell you to threaten her.”
Ethan smirked.
“Threaten?”
He looked at Alessandra.
“You really told him that?”
Alessandra’s eyes hardened.
Luca turned.
“What happened?”
Ethan answered first.
“She showed up crying.”
“I wasn’t crying.”
Alessandra’s voice cut through.
Ethan smiled.
“Fine.”
“Pregnant and dramatic.”
Luca stepped forward.
“Ethan.”
But Ethan was enjoying himself.
He looked at the capos.
“She came into the garage carrying some ultrasound photo like it was a royal decree.”
Alessandra’s face remained still.
Tobin looked confused.
Ethan continued.
“I told her Luca didn’t want another performance.”
Luca’s jaw tightened.
“And?”
Ethan’s smile became uglier.
“I told her if she tried using a baby to crawl back into the Moretti family, she’d learn exactly how little that child protected her.”
Every man behind Alessandra stiffened.
Luca’s face emptied.
“What did that mean?”
Ethan shrugged.
“She understood.”
Alessandra did.
She remembered the underground garage.
The cold concrete.
Ethan blocking the elevator.
Two Moretti guards behind him.
One hand resting inside his jacket.
Not drawing a weapon.
Not needing to.
She was newly pregnant.
Alone.
Divorced.
Still believing Luca hated her.
She walked away.
Luca looked at her.
“You should have come to me.”
Alessandra’s gaze turned cold.
“I did.”
Silence.
That landed.
“I called.”
“I came to your building.”
“I stood under your home.”
Her voice lowered.
“And the man you trusted told me you’d already decided what kind of woman I was.”
Luca looked down.
Ethan smirked.
“Don’t make me the villain for delivering the message.”
Alessandra looked at him.
“You enjoyed it.”
His eyes gleamed.
“Maybe.”
At least honest.
Then Vanessa laughed.
Everyone turned.
“Oh, this is unbearable.”
She looked at Luca.
“You’re going to sit there looking heartbroken now?”
Her voice dripped contempt.
“You called Alessandra useless.”
“You told Ethan she’d fake a pregnancy for leverage.”
“You moved me into your bed before the divorce papers were cold.”
“And suddenly everybody else ruined your marriage?”
Luca’s face hardened.
“Stop.”
“No.”
Vanessa stepped closer.
“You want villains?”
She pointed at herself.
“Hate me.”
Then Ethan.
“Hate him.”
Then at Luca.
“But don’t rewrite yourself into the poor betrayed husband because a cute little boy walked into dinner.”
Tobin looked at Luca.
Luca could barely meet his eyes.
Vanessa saw it.
Her smile became cruel.
“There.”
“You can’t even look at him.”
Alessandra stepped between them.
“Enough.”
Vanessa laughed.
“Why?”
“Afraid the boy might finally understand who his mother dragged him here to meet?”
Alessandra’s expression turned dangerous.
“I didn’t drag him anywhere.”
Tobin whispered:
“I wanted to come.”
Vanessa looked down.
Her lips curled.
“Of course you did.”
“You probably thought billionaires hand out fathers with dessert.”
Alessandra moved one step.
Vanessa stopped talking.
Not because she was afraid.
Because Luca spoke.
“Leave.”
Vanessa turned.
“What?”
“You and Ethan.”
Silence.
Vanessa laughed.
“This is my engagement dinner.”
“Not anymore.”
The room changed.
Her arrogance finally met resistance.
But instead of fear, anger sharpened her face.
She removed her champagne glass from the table.
Then threw the contents onto Luca’s shirt.
Several guests gasped.
Vanessa smiled.
“You don’t dismiss me because your ex-wife walked in with a bastard and a sob story.”
Luca’s eyes went cold.
Then an older waiter near the wall dropped a tray.
Not from clumsiness.
From shock.
Everyone turned.
He stared at Tobin.
Then at Luca.
His face had gone pale.
Alessandra noticed.
“What?”
The waiter swallowed.
“I remember him.”
Luca frowned.
“Who?”
The man pointed toward Tobin’s silver bracelet.
“Not the boy.”
A pause.
“The person who brought that bracelet to the hospital.”
The room froze.
Alessandra stepped closer.
“Who?”
May you like
The waiter looked directly at Vanessa.
“She did.”
