Chapter 8
Marcus asked to speak with me alone.
I almost refused.
Then I remembered something Ellie said.
Smile for the video.
I needed to know how deep his part went.
He stood across from my desk without sitting.
Good.
“What did you do besides record?”
His face tightened.
“I helped Victor hide it.”
“How?”
“I deleted messages.”
My expression changed.
“From who?”
“Nina. Two capos. One of the bodyguards.”
“Who?”
“Daniel Price.”
I knew Daniel.
Quiet.
Reliable.
“He saw something?”
Marcus nodded.
“He tried to stop Victor two weeks ago.”
“What happened?”
“Victor removed him from the estate rotation.”
I stared.
“And you allowed it.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Marcus swallowed.
“Because Victor had something on me.”
There it was.
Everyone eventually arrived at leverage.
“What?”
He looked away.
“I borrowed money from one of the family businesses three years ago.”
I remained still.
“To gamble?”
“No.”
“To help my brother.”
“What happened?”
“He owed people.”
I understood.
Marcus paid quietly.
Victor discovered it.
Used it.
“How much?”
He told me.
Not enough to destroy Marcus.
Enough to embarrass him.
That made the whole thing worse.
“You let my daughter suffer over something I might have forgiven in five minutes.”
His face crumpled.
“I know.”
“No.”
My voice hardened.
“You know now.”
Silence.
“Then you were more afraid of embarrassment than of what happened to Ellie.”
He closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
That answer saved him from lying.
Not from consequences.
I leaned back.
“Why record?”
“At first Victor wanted the chat.”
“Later?”
Marcus looked at me.
“I started keeping copies outside the group.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew someday you would find out.”
My jaw tightened.
“And you wanted proof you weren’t the worst person in the room.”
He did not answer.
That was answer enough.
Marcus had not protected Ellie.
He had protected his future defense.
I looked at him.
“You’re going to give me every copy.”
He nodded.
May you like
“Then?”
“Then you’re going to learn the difference between documenting cruelty and stopping it.”
