Chapter 6
Dorothea denied owning Marlowe.
Technically, she was almost correct.
She managed the holding company.
The beneficial ownership was spread through two family trusts created after her husband died.
Harlan was one beneficiary.
His sister, who lived in Arizona and had no involvement in the publishing business, was another.
Dorothea controlled the trust administration.
The conflict was obvious enough that D’Angelo House should have been told.
It had not been.
Marciano wanted to terminate every Marlowe contract immediately.
Rebecca stopped him.
“Existing foreign publishers aren’t responsible for this.”
Marciano hated that.
Elisa almost smiled despite herself.
“You’re learning.”
He looked at her.
“Don’t enjoy this.”
“I’m enjoying it a little.”
That small moment mattered.
For days, Elisa had felt like a wife being rescued by her older brother.
Now she was part of the decisions.
The independent review expanded.
So did the consequences.
A bestselling author’s agent threatened to move future books if D’Angelo House could not guarantee clean licensing practices.
The board questioned why Marciano had allowed Harlan so much authority.
Marciano had no satisfying answer.
“He was family.”
Rebecca replied:
“That isn’t a control system.”
Elisa heard the sentence.
So did Marciano.
At home, Luca began asking why Daddy no longer slept with Mommy.
Elisa kept the explanation simple.
“Mom and Dad have grown-up problems.”
“Did Grandma make the problems?”
“Grandma made some bad choices.”
“Did Daddy?”
“Yes.”
“Did you?”
Elisa paused.
Children rarely allowed adults to preserve flattering versions of themselves.
“Yes.”
“What?”
“I stayed quiet when people treated me badly.”
Luca considered that.
Then returned to his toy truck.
Elisa’s relationship with Marciano shifted too.
He wanted her and Luca to remain at the townhouse indefinitely.
She started looking at apartments.
“You don’t need to leave.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
“Because I left Harlan’s house. I’m not moving into yours permanently.”
Marciano leaned against the kitchen counter.
“You think I’m controlling.”
“I think you love by taking over.”
He said nothing.
“That’s different from Harlan,” Elisa added. “But it can still make it hard to breathe.”
Marciano looked hurt.
He also listened.
That was new.
Then Rebecca called.
The financial review had found something unexpected.
Marlowe’s commissions were too high.
May you like
But most of the money had not gone to Harlan.
It had gone somewhere else.
