Chapter 6
Elise moved into the Manhattan townhouse permanently for the time being.
Paolo remained at the estate.
Not because they were separating.
Because Elise needed somewhere Carmela had never treated as her own.
“You can stay here,” Elise told him.
Paolo looked around the guest room.
“But?”
“No guards in the hallway. No family meetings downstairs. No one entering because they share your last name.”
He nodded.
“And your mother doesn’t come near Ava.”
“She won’t.”
Elise held his gaze.
“You said that before your trip.”
That hurt because she was right.
Paolo had mistaken setting verbal boundaries for enforcing them.
The terrace incident destroyed that illusion.
Carmela retaliated socially.
She called relatives and said Elise was using postpartum emotions to turn Paolo against his family.
Three cousins repeated the accusation before Paolo shut it down.
He did not threaten them.
He told them exactly what had happened.
His mother had held his newborn over an open fire while his wife begged for her back.
The calls stopped.
Then one family member changed sides.
Paolo’s cousin Frank Ventresca, who managed estate security, asked to meet privately.
“I should’ve told you something.”
“When?”
“Before your trip.”
Frank admitted Talia had requested changes to Paolo’s travel detail.
Different backup vehicle.
Different maintenance vendor.
Fewer Ventresca security employees traveling with him.
“Why did you approve it?”
“She said you wanted less attention.”
“Did she say I ordered it?”
“Yes.”
Frank looked ashamed.
“I believed her.”
Paolo leaned back.
Everyone believed Talia because Paolo had allowed her to speak for him for years.
“What else?”
Frank hesitated.
“Your mother asked me what route you were taking home.”
“When?”
“The night before you left.”
Paolo stared at him.
“What did you tell her?”
“The normal route.”
The route Paolo would have traveled if his SUV had not developed problems.
The route included a steep section of interstate south of the Catskills.
Carmela had known where he was supposed to be.
Talia had changed his vehicle arrangements.
And both women told Elise he was dead before Paolo returned.
Frank finally asked what Paolo had been avoiding.
“Do you think they tried to kill you?”
May you like
Paolo looked toward the city lights.
“I think I need proof before I let myself answer that.”
