Chapter 3
The Seabrook project belonged to a coastal development company in South Carolina.
Emilio owned forty percent.
Clarissa owned twenty.
The remaining shares were held through outside investors.
Helena controlled one trust whose approval was required before Emilio could use certain family-backed collateral.
She had refused to sign.
Giovanni sat at the head of the funeral hall’s private conference room while his attorney laid the documents out.
Emilio stood rather than sit.
That alone told Giovanni how threatened he felt.
“You asked your mother to guarantee your project.”
Emilio’s breath left sharply.
“I asked her to approve collateral.”
“With assets that weren’t yours.”
“They would have been protected.”
Giovanni watched him.
“That is what men say when they want somebody else to carry their risk.”
Emilio’s jaw flexed.
Clarissa stepped closer to him.
Her eyes remained hard.
“Helena was going to destroy the project out of spite.”
Lucia turned.
“Do not talk about Mom like that.”
Clarissa looked back calmly.
“She hated me.”
Lucia stood.
“You were sleeping with her son while helping him hide millions.”
Clarissa’s eyes flashed.
The room tightened.
Giovanni raised one hand.
Nobody spoke.
He looked at Emilio.
“When did Helena refuse?”
“Four days before she died.”
“And then?”
Emilio’s gaze shifted.
Giovanni saw it.
“You went to see her.”
A pause.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“The night before she died.”
Lucia’s face changed.
“You told me you were in New York.”
Emilio’s nostrils flared.
“I drove back late.”
Giovanni leaned forward.
“What happened?”
Emilio rubbed one hand across his mouth.
“We argued.”
“How did you leave her?”
“Alive.”
Clarissa’s eyes moved toward him.
Again.
A reaction too small for anyone else.
Not for Giovanni.
He turned toward her.
“You were there.”
Clarissa held his stare.
Then looked away.
Giovanni’s breathing slowed.
Emilio whispered:
“Don’t.”
Clarissa’s hand tightened around the back of a chair.
“I arrived later.”
Lucia went pale.
Giovanni looked from one to the other.
Both had lied about where they were.
His attorney opened the estate access log.
Emilio’s vehicle entered at 10:18 p.m.
Clarissa’s followed at 10:44.
Helena’s emergency call was placed at 12:06 a.m.
Giovanni stared at the times.
Then his attorney added:
“Lucia’s car entered at 11:21.”
Nobody spoke.
May you like
Giovanni slowly looked at his daughter.
All three had been at the house the night Helena died.
