Chapter 5 - The Search for Marco
The morning sun rose over Lake Michigan, casting golden hues across the library windows.
Neither Luca nor I had slept a single minute.
The estate was in a state of quiet, high-stakes military operation. Dozens of security personnel, private investigators, and legal advisors were flooding into the lower offices. Arthur Bellini had been arrested at his Lake Forest mansion at 6:00 AM by federal agents acting on evidence Daniel had delivered overnight.
I sat at a side table, helping Daniel organize thirty years of archived Bellini family financial ledgers that Luca’s team had seized during the early morning raid.
Luca walked over to my table, carrying a tray with fresh espresso and hot croissants. He set it down gently in front of me.
"You should be resting, Claire," Luca said softly, his hand resting lightly on the back of my chair. "Dr. Harris said you needed forty-eight hours of complete bed rest for that shoulder."
"I can't rest while you're going through this, Luca," I replied, offering him a soft, genuine smile. "Besides, my arm is in a sling, but my eyes work just fine. Look at this."
I pushed a yellowed ledger page toward him, pointing to a recurring line item from 1996 through 2010.
"Every month, Arthur Bellini made a private transfer of four thousand dollars to a specialized boarding school in Portland, Maine—The St. Jude Academy for Boys," I explained. "The beneficiary account was listed under 'Student #409'."
Luca leaned down close to me, his scent of cedar and dark coffee enveloping my senses. His eyes scanned the ledger page quickly.
"Student #409..." Luca murmured. He turned to Daniel. "Get the headmaster of St. Jude Academy on the phone right now."
Within ten minutes, Daniel had secured the archived student file for Student #409 from Portland. The documents flashed onto the big presentation screen in Luca's office.
A photo appeared on the screen.
My breath hitched in my throat. Luca froze completely.
The picture showed a young man in his mid-twenties. He had dark wavy hair, sharp jawline, hazel eyes, and right beneath his left eye sat the exact same dark birthmark that Luca possessed.
"Marco..." Luca breathed, his voice trembling with profound emotion.
The file revealed that Marco had been raised under the name Marco Vance, believing he was an orphan funded by a charitable trust. He had graduated from top engineering programs and was currently working as a naval structural engineer right here in Chicago—at the very same docks controlled by the Moretti family!
"He's been working at my docks for two years," Luca said, horror and realization dawning on his face. "He's been three miles away from me this entire time, and I never knew."
"Arthur Bellini kept him close," Daniel realized grimly. "He kept Marco working on your docks so he could monitor both of you simultaneously."
Luca turned toward me, his hazel eyes burning with absolute determination.
May you like
"Claire," Luca said, reaching out and gently taking my uninjured right hand into his warm, firm grip. "Come with me to the docks. I want you to be there when I meet my brother."
I looked down at our joined hands, a wave of warmth rushing through my chest. "I would be honored, Luca."
