Chapter 7
The missing cufflinks finally made partial sense.
Leo traced access to Marcus’s office.
Celeste had entered the shipping-company floor twice during charity events hosted in the same building.
On one occasion, her assistant Leah used Marcus’s office to store auction paperwork.
Leah remembered Celeste going inside alone.
“How long?”
“Maybe fifteen minutes.”
“Did she have permission?”
“She said Marcus knew.”
He did not.
The second time, security video showed Celeste entering with a folder and leaving without it.
Marcus arrived twenty minutes later.
The footage did not show whether she touched his desk.
But the timing mattered.
One missing cufflink set had not been worn by Marcus for nearly a year.
If Ava had found pieces from that set recently, someone had moved them.
Still, Marcus’s behavior made innocence difficult.
He had concealed meetings.
He had known about suspicious reimbursements.
He had benefited from Celeste’s influence.
And he had panicked the moment Ava exposed a physical connection between him and Celeste’s bedroom.
Claire said what Dante was thinking.
“There may be two wrongdoers without one shared plan.”
Dante looked at her.
“You think they were using each other.”
“I think we don’t know yet.”
Ava’s therapist provided one small piece of information with permission.
Ava remembered Marcus visiting Celeste when Dante was away.
But she did not describe hugging, kissing, or sleeping.
She described arguing.
“Mommy gets quiet-mad.”
“What does that mean?” Dante asked.
Dr. Grant answered, “Ava says Celeste talks very softly when she’s angry.”
Dante knew exactly what that meant.
Celeste became quieter as she became more furious.
Ava also remembered paper.
“Uncle Marcus brings paper.”
That was enough.
Dante stopped thinking about an affair.
The more dangerous relationship was whatever existed on those pages.
That night Marcus requested a meeting.
He brought his attorney.
“I will answer questions,” Marcus said, “but not until I know what happens with the financial investigation.”
Dante looked at him.
“That sounds like bargaining.”
“It’s protecting myself.”
“From what?”
Marcus said nothing.
Claire intervened.
“If Marcus has exposure, his lawyer is correct to be cautious.”
Dante hated everybody being reasonable.
Marcus finally said, “There are documents Celeste does not know I still have.”
Dante’s attention sharpened.
“What documents?”
“Copies of invoices.”
“Why keep them?”
Marcus looked ashamed.
“To make sure she kept her word.”
There it was.
Not romance.
Leverage.
But leverage for what was still unclear.
Dante stood.
“What word?”
Marcus’s attorney stopped him before he answered.
The meeting ended.
Dante watched his brother leave.
May you like
He finally had the shape of the truth.
He just did not yet know which one of them had started it.
