The Real Mafia Heiress Chapter 01
Every weekend break, the housekeeper’s daughter
moved into my family’s estate.
I’d turned a blind eye to it all this time out of respect
for her mother, who’d served the Moretti family for years.
That all changed the day I came home to find the main
villa’s security passcode completely altered.
Taped to the front door was a crumpled note: Free loader, keep out.
I ripped the note off and banged on the door to call for the housekeeper. “Mrs. Bennett, care to explain this?”
Her daughter, Lilith Bennett, sprawled across my living room couch, legs crossed, sneering at me. “Can’t you read?”
“You mooch off our place every single weekend–have you no shame? If you’ve got nowhere to stay, go sleep on the streets. I hate leeches like you most of all.”
I stood there utterly confused.
Mrs. Bennett rushed forward, lowering her voice to murmur an excuse. “Miss, I’m so sorry. My daughter has no idea I’m merely the Moretti family’s
housekeeper.”
“She’s always had that spoiled attitude and hates
sharing space with outsiders. Don’t your family own a
safe house out in the countryside? From now on,
whenever my girl comes to stay on weekends, you
could head out there instead.”
With that, Mrs. Bennett slammed the front door shut right in my face.
I lingered outside, pulling out my phone to dial the family security line, my tone flat and unyielding.
“Unauthorized parties have breached my private
estate, changed the main residence’s security code,
and squatting in the villa. Bring the family lawyer here immediately.”
I’d never imagined that as the sole heir to the Moretti
name, I’d get called a free loader straight to my face.
Worse still–the villa in question belonged entirely to me.
Twenty minutes later, three black SUVS pulled up to
the gates of the Moretti estate.
Two family bodyguards had barely stepped out to
assess the situation when Mrs. Bennett threw the door
open in a panic.
She scurried over to me, the blood draining from her
face. “Miss, what’s going on? Why’ve you summoned
the family security detail?”
I shot her a cold glance and said nothing.
Torres, our family attorney, sized her up and down, his voice icy and detached. “Are you the individual Miss
Moretti accused of trespassing, altering security
credentials without authorization, and occupying the
main villa against her will?”
The second those words left his mouth, Mrs. Bennett’s
composure shattered. “No, no, sir, it’s all a terrible misunderstanding!”
“I’m Miss Moretti’s housekeeper, tasked with tending
to her daily needs. My daughter’s home from university for break, just visiting for a couple days.”
“The lock malfunctioned earlier, so I called a
repairman out to fix it and reset the code–nothing
more. There’s no usurpation of property here whatsoever.”
She gestured toward the front door with a forced,
nervous smile. “See? I rushed right over to open up for
you all the second I heard the cars pull up.”
Torres glanced back and forth between me and her. “Miss Moretti, would you like to move forward with formal family court proceedings at once?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Mrs. Bennett darted
close, lowering her voice to beg quietly beside my ear.
“Miss, Lilith’s father passed away years ago. I raised
her all on my own, it’s been unbelievably hard.”
“She’s only just started college, at an age where she’s consumed by vanity. Growing up without a father left her temperamental and extreme.”
“If she ever finds out I’m nothing more than the
Morettis‘ housekeeper, she’ll never recover from the
blow. I only lied to her to spare her feelings.”
“Please, think of the twelve years I’ve served Don and
Donna Moretti. Grant me mercy just this once.
Hearing my parents‘ names chipped away at my resolve, if only for a moment.
Mrs. Bennett had been with our family for twelve full years.
When my mother’s health failed her, it was Mrs.
Bennett who tended to her every need day in and day
out–pouring tea, sorting medications, planning every meal with meticulous care.
She’d wept harder than anyone the day my mother
passed, sinking to her knees beside the hospital bed
and clutching my mother’s hand, vowing she’d look after me in her stead.
And for a long time, she’d kept that promise.
After Mom’s death, she ran the sprawling estate
flawlessly, treating me like her own daughter. Every
holiday, I’d slip her a generous bonus, and she’d
always hesitate before accepting it.
Three months prior, her daughter had gotten accepted
into the same university as me.
Mrs. Bennett had been overjoyed, yet wracked with
worry. She was proud her girl had earned her spot, but crushed by the tuition fees far beyond a housekeeper’s salary.
Sympathizing with her struggle to raise a child alone, I’d offered to cover every cent of Lilith’s college tuition.
She’d broken down in tears right then, squeezing my hand and repeating endless thanks, swearing to repay the Moretti family’s kindness for the rest of her life.
Everything shifted last month. I’d come home one afternoon to find Lilith wandering the main villa uninvited.
I was confused, but Mrs. Bennett pulled me aside and whispered, “Miss, my daughter’s got nowhere to stay on weekends. I haven’t seen her in ages, so I let her come spend a few days.”
I nodded and let it go. The estate had endless spare rooms, after all. A little mother–daughter time hardly
seemed worth fussing over.
But slowly, things began to feel off.