Chapter 10
Marcus had another motive.
Money.
Not direct theft.
Something more insulting.
He and Delia had been charging “household corrections” against Sofia’s personal allowance account.
I stared at the entries.
Broken glassware.
Damaged linens.
Staff overtime.
Kitchen replacement costs.
Thousands each month.
Sofia knew nothing about them.
“What is this?”
Marcus shrugged.
“She created expenses.”
“How?”
“She kept resisting.”
I almost laughed.
“Resisting creates invoice categories now?”
He said nothing.
I looked closer.
One charge stood out.
LILY CARE — PRIVATE SUPERVISION.
My jaw tightened.
“What private supervision?”
Delia answered.
“Extra attendants.”
“There were none.”
Silence.
The money had been redirected into a fund Marcus controlled.
Not enough to matter financially to me.
Enough to expose purpose.
“You were making money from punishing my wife.”
Marcus scoffed.
“It covered inconvenience.”
My hands curled.
“Inconvenience.”
Again.
Another word designed to make cruelty administrative.
I looked at Sofia.
She stared at the screen.
“They told me you reduced my account because I embarrassed you.”
I turned toward her.
“What?”
“They said you were tired of paying for someone who couldn’t behave like a Montoro.”
I looked at Marcus.
His face changed.
There.
He had used financial control to reinforce the lie.
Not because Sofia needed my money.
Because money confirmed the story.
Raffaele is disappointed.
Raffaele is withdrawing support.
Raffaele might leave.
Every fake charge made the fear more believable.
I almost admired the architecture.
Then I hated myself for not seeing it.
Marcus looked at me.
“You’re making this larger than it is.”
“No.”
I stood.
“You spent five months making my wife smaller than she is.”
May you like
That was what this whole thing had been.
Shrink Sofia enough and everyone else could stay comfortable.
