Chapter 7 - THE WOMAN WHO WANTED HIM DISCREDITED
Victoria’s strategy changed once the child-welfare investigation continued longer than she expected.
She stopped attacking Melissa.
She started attacking Raffaele.
Her attorney submitted photographs of armed security at the estate.
Articles about Caruso associates.
Old civil suits.
Anonymous quotations describing Raffaele as intimidating.
The argument was clear.
Ava’s statements could not be trusted because everyone around her was supposedly terrified of Raffaele Caruso.
The irony was not lost on him.
Victoria had spent eighteen months happily attending those same dinners, accepting that same security, and planning to marry him inside that same world.
Now it became evidence that everyone but her was dangerous.
The court ordered a full custody evaluation before deciding whether Ava could return to Victoria.
Raffaele’s contact restriction remained.
Melissa received temporary kinship placement.
Then Thomas brought Raffaele the worst news.
“The evaluator wants records concerning your household.”
“All of them?”
“Anything related to violence, weapons, arrests, staff complaints, and the children.”
Raffaele leaned back.
If he refused, Victoria could argue he was hiding danger.
If he complied, he would expose parts of the Caruso world that had never been placed into family-court records.
Thomas said, “You don’t have to decide today.”
Raffaele thought of Eli kneeling.
Ava hiding food.
Staff members afraid to question his fiancée because she carried his authority.
“Yes, I do.”
He had spent his entire life demanding loyalty from other people.
Now loyalty to his son required something different.
May you like
Transparency.
And transparency would cost him.
