Chapter 5 - The Phone Call
"Forty-three children are waiting," Luca stated firmly into the phone, his voice a low, commanding rumble that echoed off the stainless steel appliances.
Victoria squeezed her eyes shut for a fraction of a second. She knew exactly who he was talking to.
On the other end of the line, the director of the shelter confirmed the worst. The children had been sitting in the dining hall for two hours with empty plates. But the director added a horrifying detail: the shelter hadn't just missed a food delivery tonight. They hadn't received the massive $100,000 corporate donation check that Victoria was supposed to personally deliver that morning to keep their heating running through the winter.
Luca’s jaw locked. The muscles in his tattooed neck strained.
He didn't say goodbye. He just slowly lowered the phone, his gaze dropping to the floor for a small, cinematic pause before snapping back to his sister.
"Spoiled," Luca repeated, his voice dangerously quiet.
"Luca, please," Victoria whispered, her hands shaking. "I was going to send them a different catering company tomorrow! I swear!"
From the far end of the long kitchen, a heavy set of footsteps approached.
It was Chef Armand. A distinguished man in his sixties with thick grey hair, wearing a spotless white chef's uniform. Armand had worked for the Moretti family for thirty years. He had watched Luca grow up. And he had been standing quietly in the shadows by the walk-in freezer, observing the entire confrontation.
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He walked purposefully down the aisle, his face etched with deep, quiet disgust.
👉 What game-changing piece of evidence is the Chef holding in his hands?
