Chapter 3 - The Aftermath in the Ballroom
The silence in the room shattered into chaos.
Vanessa stood frozen, her mouth open in utter disbelief. "What?! Luca, you can't be serious! Over an old maid?! Over a pie?! Our families have a legal contract! The Bellini Shipping Group is merging three container terminals with your logistics company next month! You can't cancel a wedding over a misunderstanding with a servant!"
"She isn't a servant," Luca replied, his tone chillingly flat. "She is family. And you just proved to everyone in this room—and to my mother's memory—that you are incapable of seeing people as anything other than transactions."
Luca gestured with his hand. Instantly, two tall, suit-clad security guards stepped out from the side doors of the ballroom. They didn't touch Vanessa, but they positioned themselves on either side of her, effectively cutting her off from the rest of the room.
"Escort Miss Bellini to her car," Luca commanded without looking back. "Ensure her personal items are collected from the guest suite. She is no longer permitted on any Moretti property."
"Luca! You're making the biggest mistake of your life!" Vanessa shrieked, her composed, aristocratic facade crumbling into raw, hysterical rage as the guards firmly guided her toward the foyer. "My father will ruin you for this! The Bellinis will pull every contract from your docks! You'll be fighting a war on three fronts by tomorrow morning!"
Her voice faded down the marble hallway until the heavy oak front doors slammed shut, echoing like a gunshot through the house.
The thirty guests remained standing, paralyzed by the sudden, dramatic destruction of the city's most anticipated high-society union. Luca turned back to face the room. His posture was commanding, his expression unreadable.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Luca announced, his voice smooth and steady. "The catering staff will serve dinner shortly. Please enjoy the food, the wine, and the music. But as you can see, there will be no engagement celebration tonight. You are welcome to stay, or my drivers will escort you home."
He didn't wait for a response. Luca took Rosa gently by the elbow, guiding her toward the velvet-upholstered head chair at the main table—the very seat that had been reserved for Vanessa.
"Sit down, Mama Rosa," Luca said gently, pulling out the heavy chair himself.
Rosa looked at him, her eyes softening. "Luca, bambino, I didn't mean to break up your wedding. I only wanted to give you your mother's letter."
"You didn't break it up, Rosa," Luca said, taking the chair beside her and sitting down. "You saved me from marrying a serpent. My mother knew what she was doing when she gave you that letter twenty-six years ago. She knew I was stubborn, and she knew I might be blinded by ambition when it came time to choose a wife."
He looked up, his eyes finding me where I was still standing near the service doors, my hands empty, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"Emma," Luca called out.
May you like
"Yes, Mr. Moretti?"
"Stop standing by the kitchen door," Luca said. "Bring two more plates to this table. You're sitting with us."
