Neither of them spoke for a while.
Then Luca's phone rang.
Serena answered a message from the independent review team and read it twice.
“The company that owns Meridian Consulting has just been identified.”
“Who owns it?” Luca asked.
Serena looked up.
“The controlling interest belongs to a trust established by a member of the Varenzi family.”
Luca went completely still.
“Which member?”
Serena turned the screen toward him.
The name appeared in black letters.
GABRIEL VARENZI.
Luca's older cousin.
The man who had served as interim chairman after Anthony's death.
The man who had repeatedly assured Luca that the old financial problems had been resolved.
The man who had helped persuade him to buy the Bellavere.
Luca stared at the screen.
Then he said something Elena had never expected to hear.
“My cousin knew.”
CHAPTER 7 — THE HEIR WHO WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO ASK QUESTIONS
Gabriel Varenzi had spent most of his life being described as the responsible one.
He was ten years older than Luca, educated at prestigious universities, polished in public, and known for his ability to calm investors when the family business encountered difficulty.
After Anthony's death, Gabriel had managed the company while Luca finished his education and learned the business.
He had been patient.
Supportive.
Almost paternal.
When Luca wanted to sell a struggling property, Gabriel explained why it should be retained.
When Luca questioned an old expense, Gabriel assured him that the records had already been reviewed.
When Luca discovered inconsistencies in the hospitality division, Gabriel called them historical accounting problems that had been corrected years earlier.
Luca had trusted him.
That trust now felt like a room whose walls had quietly moved while he was sleeping.
He summoned Gabriel to the Bellavere the following afternoon.
Elena did not attend the first meeting. Serena advised that the financial review should proceed without unnecessary confrontation, and Luca agreed.
But Elena waited in the office next door, where she could see the corridor through a narrow glass panel.
Gabriel arrived wearing a charcoal suit and a pale blue tie.
He greeted Luca warmly.
“You sounded serious on the phone.”
“I am.”
Gabriel sat down.
“What happened?”
Luca placed a copy of the Meridian records on the table.
Gabriel glanced at the first page.
His expression did not change.
“Where did you get these?”
“From the independent review.”
“Which review?”
“The one examining the Bellavere's payroll discrepancies and the old Employee Welfare Reserve.”
Gabriel leaned back.
“That matter was resolved years ago.”
“Then explaining it should be simple.”
Gabriel looked at the documents again.
“Meridian was a consulting entity used for several corporate restructuring projects. If you need the old contracts, legal can locate them.”
“Meridian received money transferred from an employee welfare account.”
“I don't know the details.”
“The company was controlled by a trust connected to you.”
Gabriel's eyes lifted.
For a moment, the friendly expression disappeared.
Then it returned.
“I have interests in dozens of companies. That doesn't establish wrongdoing.”
“I didn't say it did.”
“Then what exactly are you accusing me of?”
“Nothing. I'm asking you to explain the records.”
Gabriel folded his hands.
“You've been under a great deal of pressure. A new acquisition, an internal review, rumors in the press. I understand why you're looking for answers.”
“Don't patronize me.”
“I'm trying to help you.”
“Then answer the question.”
Gabriel's jaw tightened.
He explained that Meridian had provided consulting services to several Varenzi subsidiaries. The trust's involvement, he said, was part of a standard investment arrangement.
He did not deny that money had passed through the company.
He denied knowing that any of it originated from restricted employee funds.
Luca listened without interrupting.
Then he asked one final question.
“Did you know Daniel Marlowe was investigating those transfers?”
Gabriel's fingers stopped moving.
It lasted only a second.
But Luca saw it.
“Yes,” Gabriel said. “I remember the name.”
“What happened to his report?”
“I don't know.”
“Did you speak to him?”
“Possibly. It was a long time ago.”
“Did you threaten him?”
Gabriel's expression hardened.
“No.”
Luca held his gaze.
“Did you ask my father to stop the investigation?”
“No.”
“Did you tell me the investigation had been completed?”
“I told you the company's financial controls had been reviewed.”
“That isn't the same thing.”
Gabriel stood.
“Be careful, Luca. You are turning an incomplete accounting record into a family scandal.”
“Then help me complete it.”
Gabriel looked toward the door.
“I've spent years protecting this company. I won't stand here while you let an employee complaint destroy everything your father built.”
Luca stood too.
“My father built a restaurant where people could work without being cheated. If someone used his company to steal from those people, finding out won't destroy his legacy.”
Gabriel's face changed.
For the first time, he looked genuinely angry.
“You have no idea what it takes to keep a business like this alive.”
“Then explain it.”
Gabriel said nothing.
He collected his coat and walked out.
Through the glass, Elena watched him pass.
He did not look at her.
But as he reached the corridor's far end, he took out his phone and made a call.
Elena could not hear the conversation.
She could see the tension in his shoulders.