Chapter 2 - The Severed Ring
The silence in the west sitting room was heavy enough to feel. Sophia Bell stood frozen by the window, her fingers twitching against the hem of her designer skirt, while Bianca Romano’s chest rose and fell in sharp, agitated rhythms.
Luca Moretti did not raise his voice. In his world, shouting was a confession of lost control, and Luca never lost control.
"Sophia," Luca said, his dark gaze fixed on the doorway. "Leave."
"Luca, wait, you don't understand—" Sophia stammered, casting a desperate look at Bianca.
"I said, leave. Now."
Sophia didn't wait for a second invitation. She dropped the leather riding crop onto the Persian rug, scurried past Luca without meeting his eyes, and the heavy oak door clicked shut behind her.
Only Luca, Bianca, and Emma remained in the room.
Bianca forced a brittle, fragile smile onto her face, stepping forward and reaching for Luca’s arm. Her manicured fingers hovered just above his sleeve before dropping when she saw the ice in his eyes.
"Luca, darling, you’re letting your temper cloud your judgment," Bianca purred, pitching her voice into its most persuasive, honeyed register. "This woman—this maid—is a common thief. She was caught red-handed with corporate documents that could destroy our family’s standing. Sophia and I were just trying to get answers before the board found out."
Luca looked down at Emma. Her wrists were bruised, dark purple crescents blooming against her pale skin where the hemp rope had bitten deep. Yet she was standing tall, her chin raised, refusing to cower.
"Emma," Luca said softly, his voice cutting past Bianca entirely. "What did she mean when she asked what else you know?"
Emma hesitated, her dark eyes flickering toward Bianca, who had suddenly gone as pale as chalk.
"Nothing, Mr. Moretti," Emma whispered.
"Don't lie to me," Luca warned, stepping closer to Emma. The sheer physical presence of the man—towering, broad-shouldered, radiating an aura of lethal authority—made Bianca shrink back an inch. "You’ve been in my house for two years. You manage the east wing, you handle my personal schedule, and you have more integrity than half the capos who kiss my ring. If you know something about the Bennett acquisition leak, you tell me right now."
Emma took a breath, the fight returning to her eyes. "I didn't steal your memorandum, Mr. Moretti. But two nights ago, I was bringing fresh linens to the study while you were in New York. I heard shouting from the hallway. I heard Mrs. Romano—" she paused, looking squarely at Bianca "—talking on the phone. She wasn't discussing corporate terms with a board member. She was speaking with Marcus Vance."
The air in the room vanished.
Marcus Vance was Luca’s most ruthless corporate and criminal rival in the tristate area—a man who had spent three years trying to dismantle the Moretti shipping empire.
Bianca’s face twisted into an ugly snarl. "She’s lying! It’s a fabricated lie to save her own skin!"
"She was reading off the exact figures of the Bennett acquisition contract, word for word," Emma continued, her voice steady and clear. "She told Vance that if he guaranteed her a two-million-dollar payout and an estate in Zurich upon your removal, she would deliver the final signed deeds the night before the wedding."
Luca turned slowly to face his fiancée.
The silence that followed was terrifying. The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.
"Bianca," Luca whispered, his voice dangerously soft.
"It’s not true! She’s a servant trying to ruin our wedding!" Bianca shrieked, tears of pure rage springing to her eyes. "You’re going to believe a maid over your own future wife?!"
Luca reached into his vest pocket, pulled out a small black velvet box, and flipped it open. Inside sat a six-carat diamond ring that had cost more than most houses in Connecticut.
Without a word, he turned his hand upside down. The ring fell from its slot, bouncing twice on the hardwood floor before rolling to a stop against the toe of Bianca’s designer shoe.
"Our wedding is canceled," Luca said, his voice absolute. "Pack your bags. Have your things out of my house by midnight. If you are still on these grounds at 12:01, I won't have my staff escort you—I’ll have my enforcers do it."
Bianca stared down at the ring on the floor, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. The reality of what she had lost—the power, the money, the empire—crushed down on her all at once.
May you like
"You can't do this to me, Luca! My father will—"
"Your father owes me three million dollars in shipping debts," Luca interrupted coldly. "If he opens his mouth, I’ll foreclose on his warehouses before breakfast. Get out."
