Chapter 20 - The Letter from the Shadows
Three months into their idyllic married life, Studio Moretti had expanded its operations across Europe. Anna was balancing her burgeoning architectural firm with her role as Julian’s partner in managing their cultural foundation, while Ethan and Sophie thrived in their private international academy in Lugano.
Life was harmonious, complete, and surrounded by love.
One stormy July evening, while the rain lashed against the French windows of Villa Bellinzona and lightning illuminated the peaks of the Swiss Alps in brilliant silver flashes, Anna sat in her private studio, sketching the blueprints for the upcoming Venice Biennial pavilion.
Julian was in Milan finalizing an international infrastructure consortium, expected home later that night. Ethan and Sophie were fast asleep in their bedrooms upstairs, guarded by the villa's discreet security team.
The study door opened quietly, and Elena, the villa’s head housekeeper, walked in carrying a silver tray. On it lay the evening mail, consisting mostly of architectural journals and correspondence from the Ministry in Rome.
"Excuse me, Signora Francesca," Elena said softly. "This arrived by special courier an hour ago. The courier insisted it had to be delivered directly to your hands."
Anna looked up, setting her pencil down. "From whom?"
"There was no return address on the envelope, Signora. Only a wax seal from an attorney's office in Zurich."
Curious, Anna thanked Elena and took the thick, cream-colored envelope. She broke the crimson wax seal and slid out a heavy piece of parchment.
As her eyes scanned the elegant, typed lines, the warmth in the room seemed to evaporate instantly.
*Dear Signora Francesca Moretti-Rossi,*
*We represent the estate of the late Nicole Laurent, who passed away four days ago in federal custody at the Danbury Correctional Facility following complications from a sudden illness.*
*Prior to her passing, Miss Laurent executed a codicil to her final will and testament, as well as a sworn deposition that was sealed under private custody until her death.*
*Among her personal effects held in a private vault in Geneva is a sealed medical dossier and a birth certificate dated three months before your divorce from Jason Vance.*
*According to Miss Laurent's sworn affidavit, the child she carried was not Jason Vance’s.*
*Furthermore, Miss Laurent has designated you, Francesca Moretti, as the sole legal guardian of a two-year-old girl currently placed in private foster care under an assumed identity in Canton Ticino, Switzerland.*
*The affidavit contains a single handwritten note from Miss Laurent to you:*
*'Jason thought he was using me. I thought I was using him. But the truth about who fathered my child will bring down the entire Rossi dynasty. If you want to know what Julian hid from you before you ever set foot in Milan, come to Geneva alone.'*
The paper slipped from Anna’s fingers, fluttering onto the unfinished architectural drafts on her desk.
Outside, a deafening crack of thunder shook the villa, followed by the distant rumble of an approaching car on the wet gravel driveway below.
May you like
The headlights swept across the ceiling of her studio. Julian was home.
Anna stood frozen by her desk, her heart pounding against her ribs like a trapped bird, staring at the letter as the sound of Julian’s familiar, confident footsteps echoed up the grand marble staircase...
