Chapter 17 - Lily’s Envelope
Elena did not open the envelope until later.
Inside was a photograph.
Luca kneeling beside Lily at her second birthday party.
Lily had frosting on her nose.
Luca looked ridiculous in a paper crown.
On the back, he had written:
For the loudest little person in the family. Never let the grown-ups convince you quiet means good.
Marcello laughed when he read it.
Lily had barely remembered Luca.
Vanessa had found the picture in Luca’s desk and kept it.
Because Lily was the one person in the family who had not interpreted anything.
A three-year-old simply reported reality.
That became uncomfortable for everyone.
She did not announce it.
Marcello started bringing Lily to the office once a month.
He wanted her to know the company existed without feeling like she existed for it.
One afternoon Lily pointed at the family portraits in the lobby.
“Uncle Luca.”
“Yes.”
“Baby lady sad?”
“Yes.”
“Baby gone?”
“Yes.”
Lily hugged her rabbit.
“Where?”
Marcello looked at Elena.
“Sometimes a baby starts growing and then cannot keep growing. It’s very sad.”
Lily considered this with the serious face only toddlers could make.
“Not her fault?”
“No.”
“Fake belly her fault?”
Marcello almost choked.
“Yes.”
Lily accepted the distinction immediately.
Adults had spent months failing to do the same.
Then Marcello’s assistant entered.
“There’s an update from the investigators.”
“What?”
“They found another beneficiary on the Bell River fee schedule.”
“Who?”
His assistant hesitated.
“Luca.”
May you like
Marcello stared.
His dead brother’s name was listed to receive eight million dollars.
