Chapter 2 - The Paper Trail of Greed
The study on the third floor smelled of aged leather, cedar, and the quiet weight of authority. I walked straight to my desk, resting both hands on the dark mahogany surface, staring down at Evelyn Crane as she stepped across the threshold. Her footsteps were hesitant, lacking the cold efficiency she usually displayed downstairs.
"Sit," I said softly.
She sat, smoothing her pencil skirt with trembling hands. "Matteo, if this is about the bookkeeping, there is a rational explanation. The restoration vendor raised their rates unexpectedly, and—"
"Do not call me Matteo," I interrupted, my voice dropping an octave. "You call me Mr. Moretti, just like every other person in this house whom you’ve spent the last six months stepping on."
I pulled the folded document from my inner coat pocket and laid it flat between us. The black ink of the DENIED stamp looked like a stain on my estate’s reputation.
"You signed off on $8,400 in phony marble restoration bills over four months," I said, leaning forward. "Yet, when Anna asked for less than twelve hundred dollars to make sure her disabled child didn't trip over a slab of stone every morning, you stamped it nonessential. Tell me, Evelyn, where did that money actually go?"
Evelyn’s composure broke around the edges. She cleared her throat, trying to muster her usual sharp tone. "Anna is a low-level employee. If we start modifying the estate's historical architecture for every staff member's personal situation, the budget—"
"The budget is mine," I cut in. "The estate is mine. And more importantly, the integrity of what happens under this roof belongs to me. You stole from my accounts to cover up something else, didn't you?"
She remained silent, her jaw tight.
I pulled out my phone and dialed my head of security, Marco. "Marco. I need a full audit of Evelyn Crane’s personal accounts, bank transfers, and every vendor contract signed in the last year. Lock her office immediately. Nobody goes in or out without my permission."
"Yes, boss," Marco replied through the speaker.
Evelyn’s face drained of color. "You can't do this. I've managed this household for eight years!"
"And for eight years, I trusted you to keep order," I said. "Instead, you created a kingdom of small cruelties. You are suspended effective immediately. Go to your quarters and stay there until Marco finishes looking through your files."
She stood up, her mouth open as if to argue, but the look in my eyes made her think better of it. She turned and walked out, closing the heavy wooden door behind her.
I sat back in my chair, rubbing my temples. My mind kept drifting back to the image of Lily clutching her stuffed rabbit, her small body shaking as she apologized for hurting stone. It made something ugly churn deep in my chest. In my world, violence was a tool used against enemies, never against children, and certainly not through neglect.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," I said.
The door opened slowly, revealing Anna. She looked pale, her dark hair pulled back in a loose clip, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her apron.
"Mr. Moretti," she began, her voice barely above a whisper. "I wanted to... I wanted to apologize for the disruption downstairs. Norah shouldn't have brought that paper out. It wasn't her place."
I looked at her closely. Anna had worked here for over a year, quiet, diligent, keeping her head down. I had barely spoken more than ten words to her during that time. I had assumed she was just another quiet worker. Now, seeing the faint dark circles under her eyes, I realized how hard she had been fighting just to stay afloat.
"Norah did the right thing," I said, gesturing to the chair across from me. "Please, sit down, Anna."
She hesitated before walking over and sitting on the edge of the seat, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.
"How long has Lily’s leg been like that?" I asked gently.
"She was born with a mild alignment issue in her hip and knee," Anna explained, her eyes fixed on her lap. "The brace helps align the bones while she grows. It's temporary, but... she gets tired easily. Lifting her leg over high obstacles is hard for her."
"And you asked Evelyn to fix the threshold three months ago?"
Anna nodded. "I offered to pay for half of it out of my own wages over time. I just wanted my daughter to walk into the building without falling. Evelyn told me that if I pushed the issue, she would find a replacement for my position."
A cold anger flared inside me, but I kept my tone steady. "You don't have to worry about Evelyn anymore. She won't be managing anything in this house ever again."
Anna lifted her eyes, shock flickering across her features. "Mr. Moretti, I don't want to cause trouble for your staff—"
"You didn't," I said. "She caused trouble for herself the moment she decided to steal my money and mistreat a child under my roof. Starting today, you report directly to me if you ever need anything for Lily. Do you understand?"
Anna blinked back tears, nodding slowly. "Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Moretti."
"Go back downstairs," I said softly. "Take care of Lily. I'll have the threshold fixed by tomorrow morning."
After she left, I stood by the window overlooking the estate grounds. I had spent years building an empire based on power and control, eliminating threats from rival families and law enforcement alike. But right here, inside my own home, a different kind of rot had taken root.
I picked up my phone again. "Marco?"
"I'm in Evelyn's office now, boss," Marco said. "We just opened her personal safe."
"What did you find?"
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"It's not just embezzlement, Matteo," Marco's voice turned grave. "There are wire transfers coming in from an offshore account linked to the Valenti family. She wasn't just stealing your money. She was selling information about your schedule."
I stared out at the rainy courtyard, my grip tightening on the phone. The simple story of a stolen $8,400 had just turned into a battle for survival.
