Chapter 8 - THE VIDEO BEHIND THE WALL
Alessandro's private security chief, Nico Costa, brought down an old digital recorder from a maintenance room.
The video showed the spilled wine was caused by Victoria herself. She had knocked over the glass, called Mara a liar, and struck her while two employees begged her to stop. Then Victoria looked directly at a security camera and ordered the manager to delete the footage.
"Send it to Rios," Mara said. "And make copies of Lidia's statement."
"I can put Victoria in jail with this," Alessandro replied.
"You don't put people in jail. Courts decide. That's part of the problem here."
He nodded. "You're right."
Nico hesitated. "There's another recording. From three nights ago."
On screen, Matteo entered the upper hallway carrying a metal box. Enzo followed him. The two men argued outside Isabella's former room. There was no audio, but Enzo raised a hand and Matteo flinched.
"They took the box to the old cold-storage plant," Nico said. "I traced the service vehicle."
Alessandro reached for his coat.
"No," Mara said. "You're not marching in with armed men. They'll destroy the evidence and claim you threatened them."
He called Rios instead. She secured a warrant while Elena filed emergency requests to preserve business records. The raid happened just before midnight.
The box was found behind a wall panel. Its contents included accounting ledgers, undeveloped film, and an old cassette tape labeled IN CASE I DON'T COME BACK.
Rios would not allow anyone to play it until technicians made a verified copy.
But Nico came back from the scene with worse news. Matteo had been found unconscious in the loading bay. In his pocket was an envelope addressed to Mara.
May you like
Inside was a recent photograph of her standing outside the estate.
Someone had been following her long before the confrontation.
