Chapter 7 - MY MOTHER CAME TO BOSTON
My mother arrived in Boston before sunset.
Of course she did.
Victoria Moretti never waited to be invited into anybody's crisis.
Three black SUVs stopped outside Nathaniel's house at 5:17 p.m.
I walked outside before she could reach the door.
She wore cream wool, pearls, and the expression she used when entering board meetings she already considered won.
“Adrian.”
“Go home.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“You brought me grandchildren and expect me to go home?”
“I didn't bring you anything.”
Her eyes hardened.
“They're Morettis.”
“They're children.”
“They're your heirs.”
“They're not assets.”
For once, that stopped her.
Then Evelyn appeared in the doorway.
My mother's expression turned cold.
“Evelyn.”
“Victoria.”
No affection.
No pretense.
I held up the forged guardianship documents.
“Explain these.”
Mother glanced at them.
“Helen was overzealous.”
“Overzealous?”
“I asked her to determine what legal protections might exist if you discovered the children and Evelyn became unreasonable.”
Evelyn laughed.
“There she is.”
My mother ignored her.
“I was protecting this family.”
“You hid my wife's pregnancy.”
“You weren't thinking clearly in those days.”
“I didn't know she was pregnant because you stole her letter!”
She lowered her voice.
“You were preparing for war with the Bellinis. A wife carrying your children would have been leverage.”
“So you decided for me?”
“I kept you alive.”
“No. You kept me obedient.”
For the first time in my life, I saw fear flicker in my mother's face.
Then Marcus came outside.
“We found Helen.”
Mother turned sharply.
“Where?”
“Logan Airport.”
That reaction was too fast.
“You knew she was leaving,” I said.
“No.”
“Liar.”
My mother slapped me.
Evelyn gasped.
I barely moved.
Victoria stared at her own hand as if surprised she'd done it.
Then she whispered, “You have no idea what I did to save those babies.”
Silence.
“What does that mean?”
Her eyes moved toward Evelyn.
“Ask her why she survived the car accident.”
Evelyn went pale.
“What accident?” I asked.
She didn't answer.
My mother looked at me.
“Six months pregnant. Route 90. Brake failure.”
I turned to Evelyn.
She slowly sat down on the front step.
“I never told you because I didn't know if it was connected.”
Mother shook her head.
“It was.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I ordered Samuel DeLuca to take Evelyn out of Chicago after the crash.”
Everything inside me stopped.
“You worked with Samuel?”
“Yes.”
“You faked his death?”
Her silence answered.
Then she looked straight at me.
“But I wasn't the one who wanted Evelyn dead.”
“Who did?”
Victoria's composure finally cracked.
“Your father.”
I stared at her.
“My father was dead.”
“Not when the first threat was ordered.”
May you like
She swallowed.
“And before he died, he left instructions that no child born to Evelyn Carter was ever to inherit the Moretti empire.”
