Chapter 8 - The Shadow of Caruso
Three weeks later, the line between fake engagement and terrifying reality had completely dissolved.
Emma still slept in her east wing suite, but she spent every morning having breakfast with Matteo, every evening reviewing corporate expansion files by his side in his study, and every weekend visiting Sofia at the Lake Geneva estate.
Sofia had treated Emma like a beloved daughter, filling the lake house with Emma’s favorite flowers and teaching her old family recipes. The guilt of deceiving the sweet matriarch ate at Emma daily, but every time she looked at Matteo, the desire to protect him from the political vultures eclipsed her shame.
Then, on a stormy Thursday afternoon, the trap snapped shut.
Emma was working in her small private office at her agency downtown when her desk phone rang.
“Emma Collins,” she answered professionally.
“Miss Collins,” a cold, raspy voice spoke. “This is Donato Caruso.”
Emma’s posture instantly went rigid. “Mr. Caruso. How can I help you?”
“I have a package on my desk, Miss Collins,” Donato said smoothly. “It contains a complete private investigator’s audit of your bank accounts from three weeks ago. Specifically, a wire transfer of five hundred thousand dollars from an offshore escrow account managed by Gabriel Vance, dated thirty-six hours before your surprise engagement announcement.”
Emma felt the blood drain entirely from her face. Her grip on the phone tightened until her knuckles turned white.
“I also have an audio recording,” Donato continued, his voice dripping with triumphant malice. “From a hidden directional microphone outside the lake house guest annex at 7:15 AM on the morning of the banquet. Your voice, Miss Collins, throwing a shoe at Matteo and shouting that he had lost his mind for calling you his fiancée.”
Emma couldn't speak. Her lungs felt completely paralyzed.
“If this file reaches the press tomorrow morning,” Donato said softly, “Matteo Romano will be destroyed. The board will remove him for severe ethical fraud, the Caruso transport licenses will be granted to his main rivals, and his mother’s heart will break into a thousand pieces when she learns her darling son bought a fake bride.”
“What do you want, Donato?” Emma managed to choke out, her voice trembling.
“Come to my private suite at the Palmer House Hotel in thirty minutes. Alone,” Donato ordered coldly. “You will sign a sworn affidavit admitting that you drugged Matteo, staged the bedroom scene, and blackmailed him for money. You take the fall, Miss Collins. You go to prison for extortion, and Matteo gets to play the innocent victim who was tricked by a gold-digger. If you do this, I spare his company.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then tomorrow morning, I burn Matteo Romano to the ground.”
The line went dead.
Emma sat in the quiet office, staring at the receiver. The horror of the situation washed over her like a tidal wave. Donato didn't just want to break the engagement; he wanted to destroy Matteo's empire and force him into absolute submission.
She looked down at the blue sapphire ring shining on her finger.
May you like
She remembered Matteo defending her against Alderman Henderson. She remembered his mother’s warm hugs. She remembered the fierce, protective heat of his kiss in the kitchen.
She grabbed her coat, locked her desk, and walked out into the pouring rain.
