The Heir They Denied
"Because once Stella married into the Gallo family, she, as the 'mother of the heir,' could have laid legal claim to a significant portion of the family's assets."
"She was playing you, Don Gallo. Planning to use your name and your money to bail out her bankrupt family."
"It was a con, Don Gallo. An elaborate, long-term scam."
Matteo collapsed into his leather chair, which screamed in protest.
A film reel played in his mind: Stella's crocodile tears, her trembling victim act, her threats of "family war." Every word she'd said in the hospital, every piece of jewelry she'd flaunted in the basement.