Chapter 3
The tension between Roman and his mother was a suffocating physical weight in the brightly lit room. The nearby bodyguards shifted uncomfortably, their hands resting on the lapels of their dark suits, waiting for their Boss to give an order.
"I did not fall, Daddy," Maisie whimpered softly from the stool, her tiny hands twisting the fabric of her cardigan.
"Be quiet, Maisie," Lorraine snapped instantly, shooting a venomous glare at the four-year-old girl. "You do not speak when the adults are talking."
Roman moved instantly, placing his body entirely between his mother and his daughter. "You will never... speak to her... in that tone... again," he promised, the icy threat hanging in the air.
Before Lorraine could fire back, a quiet, hesitant set of footsteps approached from the right.
Adrian Cole, the forty-four-year-old private family photographer, stepped nervously into the tense circle. Dressed in professional black event attire, his fair skin was pale with anxiety. The heavy digital camera strapped around his neck swayed slightly as he stopped beside Roman. Adrian had worked for the Valenti family for a decade; he knew the cost of interrupting the Boss, but he also knew the cost of withholding the truth.
"Excuse me, Mr. Valenti," Adrian interrupted, his voice shaking slightly.
"What is it... Adrian?" Roman asked, not taking his eyes off his mother.
Adrian quietly approached and turned his glowing digital camera screen toward Roman. "I was doing test shots in the foyer while the guests were arriving."
Roman looked down at the bright LCD screen. The high-resolution photograph displayed on the camera was undeniably clear. It showed Maisie standing near the grand marble staircase, smiling brightly at the lens. Her fair, rosy skin was flawless. There were no oversized sunglasses, no swelling, and absolutely no bloody gauze above her brow.
Roman looked at the timestamp in the corner of the screen.
"This was taken... forty-three minutes ago," Roman observed, his voice dropping into a register of pure, concentrated danger.
"Yes, sir," Adrian said, swallowing hard. He tapped the screen, zooming in on the child's pristine face. "Boss… She was completely fine before that."
Lorraine’s face flushed a deep, furious crimson. The irrefutable digital evidence had just destroyed her lie.
"You insolent little paparazzi!" Lorraine hissed, pointing a trembling, jeweled finger at the photographer. "How dare you eavesdrop on a private family conversation!"
"He is not... eavesdropping," Roman murmured, his dark eyes snapping back to his mother. The terrifying, movie-star charm was completely gone. "He is providing... clarity. Something you... seem incapable of."
"Roman, you are humiliating me!" Lorraine shrieked, her voice rising to draw the attention of the entire room. "I told you she fell! The metadata on that camera must be wrong! He is lying to cause trouble!"
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"The camera... does not lie," Roman stated, taking a slow step toward her. "But you do. Now... you are going to tell me... exactly what happened... in those forty-three minutes."
"I don't have to explain myself to you or to the hired help!" Lorraine yelled, her panic overriding her common sense. She lunged forward, her manicured hands reaching aggressively for Adrian’s camera.
