Chapter Sixty One - The Hidden Heiress

Amelia took a seat beside her, her heart pounding with anticipation. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Claudia. I hope you can help me understand what I've discovered." Claudia sighed, her gaze distant. "The scandal you read about in Lucrezia's diary... it involves a love affair between Antonio De Laurentis, Lucrezia's husband, and a woman named Sofia Rossi. Sofia was a talented artist from a working-class family – much like you, in fact." Amelia's eyes widened at the parallel, but she remained silent as Claudia continued. "Their affair was passionate but ill-fated. When Lucrezia discovered it, she was devastated. But instead of exposing the affair, she used it as leverage. You see, Antonio had made some questionable business decisions that could have ruined the family. Lucrezia used her knowledge of the affair to force Antonio to rectify his mistakes and secure the family's fortune." "But that's not all, is it?" Amelia prompted gently. Claudia shook her head. "No, it's not