Chapter 7
The investigation finally reached Helena’s assistant, Denise Parker.
Denise had worked for her for twelve years.
She was loyal.
She was also frightened.
Her attorney arranged the interview.
Denise admitted creating schedules that placed Helena near Leo before custody exchanges.
She admitted moving Maria and the nanny away from certain rooms.
She admitted collecting photographs from staff.
But she insisted she had been told the purpose was defensive.
“Defensive against what?” Julia asked.
“Claire.”
Carmine’s jaw tightened.
“Why?”
“Mrs. Bellucci said Claire was trying to use the courts to separate Leo from the family.”
Claire laughed bitterly.
“She was manufacturing the evidence I later reacted to.”
Denise looked down.
“I didn’t know that.”
Julia asked:
“Did Helena ever say what she wanted to happen if Claire sought majority custody?”
Denise became careful.
Not with her words.
With her face.
Carmine noticed.
“Answer.”
Julia gave him a look.
He stopped.
Denise’s attorney leaned closer.
She eventually said:
“Mrs. Bellucci believed Mr. Bellucci would stop changing the family businesses if Leo no longer lived at the estate.”
Nobody spoke.
Carmine stared at her.
“Explain.”
Denise swallowed.
“She said all the restructuring began because you wanted to make the family safer for Leo.”
That was partly true.
“She said if Claire took him away, you’d eventually realize there was no point dismantling everything.”
Claire’s face changed.
Carmine felt as though someone had struck him.
Julia kept her voice neutral.
“Did Helena ever say she wanted Carmine to lose custody?”
“Not directly.”
“What did she say?”
Denise hesitated.
Then quoted her.
A man remembers what he is when he has nothing left distracting him from it.
Carmine knew Helena’s voice inside that sentence.
He had heard variations his entire life.
Family first.
Weakness invites loss.
Children make men hesitate.
His father believed those things too.
Helena had simply modernized the language.
Carmine stood and walked toward the window.
Claire watched him.
“You were changing the businesses for Leo?”
“Partly.”
“You never told me.”
“You never believed I was actually going to do it.”
Claire did not deny that.
The marriage had failed partly because Carmine always promised change after one more problem.
One more meeting.
One more crisis.
One more year.
Helena may have understood something both spouses had missed.
May you like
This time Carmine had truly started leaving the old structure.
And she was prepared to use his son to drag him back.
