Chapter 8 - What Grace Was Trying to Tell Me
I watched the video three times.
Grace looked weak but awake. Matteo bent close to her. She squeezed his hand.
My first reaction was rage.
My second was worse.
Confusion.
"Why would she hold his hand?"
Enzo shook his head.
"Because maybe he was helping her."
I wanted to reject that immediately.
Then I remembered the three knocks beneath the west wing and Matteo's face when he heard them.
Fear, yes.
But not the fear of a guilty man being exposed.
The fear of someone realizing a secret had been found too soon.
I called him.
He answered on the second ring.
"Where are you?"
"Where is my son?"
A long pause.
"Safe."
"That's what Enzo said. I'm tired of that word."
"Luca, listen to me carefully. Mother has people everywhere."
"You signed Nicholas out."
"Because Grace begged me to."
My anger cracked.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"She didn't trust me at first either. Then she showed me what Mother had done."
"What did she show you?"
"The original transfer records. Mother didn't steal eighteen million. She moved eighty-two."
I leaned against the desk.
"For what?"
"To buy enough votes inside the family companies to remove you permanently. Grace found the plan."
I closed my eyes.
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because Mother monitored every call from the estate. Grace figured it out before I did."
"Where is she?"
"I moved her."
"Where?"
"Not over the phone. Meet me at Father's mausoleum in one hour. Come alone."
The line went dead.
Carlo stared at me.
"You can't trust him."
"No."
I looked at the frozen video of Grace holding my brother's hand.
"But Grace did."
Then Enzo opened a hidden folder on the laptop.
Inside was a video recorded by Grace herself.
May you like
She looked straight into the camera and said:
"Luca, if Matteo brings you this, it means I ran out of time."
