“A Don Doesn’t Date Fat Girls,” She Spat. He Locked The Door “Watch Me Make You My Wife”
Chapter 8
Bianca stared at Matteo.
“What does that mean?”
He ended the call.
“I’m going to find out.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“We find out.”
Matteo hesitated.
Then nodded.
Luca agreed to meet them the following evening.
The meeting took place in an abandoned theater.
Bianca hated the location.
Matteo hated it more.
“Stay behind me.”
“I’ve heard that one before.”
“This time, listen.”
She almost smiled.
Luca appeared from the shadows.
He was elegant, gray-haired, and calm.
He looked at Bianca.
“You have your mother’s eyes.”
Bianca stiffened.
“You knew my mother.”
“Yes.”
“What was she like?”
Luca smiled.
“Brilliant.”
Matteo stepped forward.
“Tell us about the trust.”
Luca sighed.
“Your father built it for Bianca.”
“We know.”
“No.”
He looked at Bianca.
“You know the money exists.”
“What’s the rest?”
Luca took out a folder.
“Your mother wasn’t just your father’s wife.”
Bianca frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“She was the true owner of Moretti International.”
Bianca’s face went blank.
“What?”
“Your father managed the company. Your mother owned it through a family trust.”
Bianca stared.
“Why?”
“Because her family had built the company before marriage.”
Matteo looked at Luca.
“Then why did your family get involved?”
“Because your father believed the De Lucas were stealing.”
“Were we?”
Luca looked at Matteo.
“Not me.”
A pause.
“Your father trusted your father.”
Matteo’s expression changed.
“My father?”
“Yes.”
Luca’s voice became quiet.
“Your father wasn’t the criminal everyone believed him to be.”
Bianca looked between them.
“Then who was?”
Luca didn’t answer.
He handed Matteo another photograph.
It showed three men.
Bianca’s father.
Matteo’s father.
And Victor Russo.
On the back was a date.
The night Bianca’s father died.
Luca spoke.
“Russo wanted the company.”
“And my father?”
“Refused.”
“What about your brother?” Matteo asked.
Luca looked at him.
“Your father was trying to expose Russo.”
Matteo’s jaw tightened.
“Then who killed him?”
Luca shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No.”
Luca looked at Bianca.
“But you should believe this.”
He handed her a letter.
It was from her mother.
The paper was old.
Her hands trembled as she read.
Bianca,
If you ever read this, it means the people I feared were patient enough to wait.
You were never supposed to inherit a fortune. You were supposed to inherit a choice.
Choose a man who protects your dignity, not a man who protects his pride.
Bianca’s eyes filled with tears.
The final line stopped her heart.
And never marry a man because the world tells you that he is the only man powerful enough to keep you safe.
She looked at Matteo.
He understood immediately.
“This isn’t a message telling you to marry me.”
“No.”
“It is telling you to choose for yourself.”
Bianca nodded.
Luca stepped backward.
“One more thing.”
Matteo raised his gun.
“What?”
Luca looked toward him.
“Russo isn’t after the money.”
“Then what does he want?”
Luca answered:
“Bianca.”
Silence.
“Why?”
“Because she’s the last person who can legally unlock the trust.”
Bianca felt cold.
“So this was never about twenty-two million.”
“No.”
Luca’s gaze hardened.
“It’s about everything your family owns.”
Then the theater lights went out.
A gunshot echoed.
Matteo grabbed Bianca and pulled her down.
Someone had entered the building.
And they weren’t there to negotiate.
