Chapter 4 - THE MAN WHO STARTED IT
William Morrison arrived at the hospital with two attorneys.
He did not ask to see his granddaughter.
He asked to see Emma.
That told her everything.
The hospital refused.
Emma was still a patient.
So William waited in a private consultation room downstairs.
Luca’s attorney recommended Emma do nothing until she was discharged.
Emma disagreed.
“I want to see him.”
Luca studied her.
“You just gave birth.”
“I’m aware.”
“You don’t need to prove anything.”
“I’m not.”
She looked through the nursery glass.
“I need to know what kind of family thinks my daughter is a financial transaction.”
Luca nodded.
“Then I go with you.”
“No.”
His expression shifted.
Emma continued:
“You can wait outside.”
Derek would have argued.
Luca did not.
“Fine.”
That mattered.
Twenty minutes later, Emma entered the consultation room in a wheelchair because the nurse refused to let her walk that far.
William Morrison stood when she entered.
Sixty-four.
Silver hair.
Expensive suit.
He looked remarkably like Derek.
Same controlled expression.
Same habit of making impatience look like intelligence.
“Emma.”
“William.”
He smiled.
“Still stubborn.”
“You haven’t seen me since my father’s funeral.”
“I remember.”
“Do you?”
His smile faded.
“Your father and I had differences.”
“You mean you stole his company shares.”
“Allegedly.”
“My father wrote otherwise.”
“Michael wrote many things when he was angry.”
Emma placed the letter on the table.
William did not look surprised.
That frightened her.
“You knew this existed.”
“I suspected.”
“You also knew the trust existed.”
“Yes.”
“Did Derek?”
William’s silence answered.
Emma nodded slowly.
“So you sent him.”
“No.”
“You expect me to believe your son accidentally fell in love with the daughter of a man you cheated?”
William leaned forward.
“Derek developed feelings. I learned about the relationship later.”
“Before or after he started requesting information about my trust?”
That landed.
William’s jaw tightened.
Emma continued:
“Why are you challenging my daughter’s inheritance?”
“Because the ownership transfer is legally defective.”
“How?”
“Michael’s twelve percent was never actually his.”
“Then why create a trust?”
“Because he was trying to steal from Vittorio and me.”
Emma almost laughed.
“Everyone seems to remember my father differently now that twenty-eight million dollars is involved.”
William lowered his voice.
“You don’t know the Morettis.”
“No.”
“You should be grateful for that.”
Emma looked toward the closed door.
Luca was somewhere beyond it.
“What are you trying to say?”
“Vittorio Moretti was not your father’s friend.”
Emma waited.
William continued.
“He used Michael.”
“For what?”
“Clean money.”
“Explain.”
“Your father was legitimate. No criminal record. No known ties. Vittorio used the restaurant group to move funds.”
Emma’s stomach tightened.
“Did my father know?”
“Eventually.”
“And when he found out?”
“He wanted out.”
That matched the letter.
Then William said:
“That’s why Michael died.”
Emma went still.
“You said construction accident.”
“I said that was the report.”
“Did Vittorio kill him?”
William leaned back.
“Ask Luca.”
Emma’s heartbeat accelerated.
“What does Luca know?”
“More than he told you.”
The door opened.
Luca stood there.
His face had become cold.
William smiled.
“Perfect timing.”
Emma looked at Luca.
“What does he mean?”
Luca’s eyes stayed on William.
“Careful.”
William laughed.
“You think she deserves truth now?”
Emma’s voice sharpened.
“Luca.”
He finally looked at her.
“What happened to my father?”
Luca said nothing.
William answered.
“Michael Hayes died because he agreed to testify against Vittorio Moretti.”
Emma’s mouth went dry.
May you like
Then William added:
“And Luca’s father knew exactly where Michael would be the morning he died.”
