Chapter 4: The Security Footage They Never Knew Existed
The atmosphere in the garden shifted.
Just minutes earlier, every whisper had been aimed at Andrea. Now the guests were staring at Marco and Valerie, waiting for one of them to explain the mistakes hidden inside the so-called proof.
Neither of them spoke.
Marco finally forced a laugh, though it sounded hollow.
"A typo doesn't make the truth disappear," he said, slipping one hand into his pocket. "The document can be corrected. What matters is biology. Valerie gave birth to Leo, and a DNA test will prove it."
Several guests exchanged uncertain glances.
Valerie immediately regained some of her confidence.
"Exactly," she said, stepping forward. "Andrea knows she can't hide forever. Once the court orders a DNA test, everyone here will know who Leo's real mother is."
Andrea looked at them without blinking.
"You've spent months preparing this performance."
Marco smirked.
"We prepared the truth."
"No," Andrea replied quietly. "You prepared a story."
She reached into the pocket of her dress and took out her phone.
Marco's expression tightened.
"Who are you calling now?"
Andrea didn't answer him.
Instead, she tapped the screen and made a single call.
"Olivia," she said calmly when the line connected. "Please bring the security archive to the garden."
"Right away, Mrs. Rossi."
Marco frowned.
"What security archive?"
Andrea slowly locked her phone and slipped it back into her pocket.
"The one you forgot existed."
A flicker of uncertainty crossed Valerie's face.
Five minutes later, the front door of the mansion opened.
Olivia, Andrea's longtime house manager, walked into the garden carrying a silver laptop and a portable hard drive.
Behind her followed Ethan, the head of household security.
The guests instinctively stepped aside.
Andrea smiled politely.
"Thank you."
Olivia placed the laptop on the dessert table, while Ethan connected it to the enormous LED screen that had been displaying Leo's birthday slideshow only an hour earlier.
The cheerful pictures of Leo laughing on the beach disappeared.
The screen turned black.
Marco folded his arms.
"What exactly are you trying to prove?"
Andrea looked at him.
"The truth."
With a single click, a surveillance video appeared.
A timestamp filled the corner of the screen.
Three Months Earlier.
Andrea Jewelry Headquarters.
The camera overlooked the executive floor.
Employees moved in and out of offices.
Then Valerie appeared.
She looked around carefully before removing a key card from her handbag.
A murmur swept through the guests.
Andrea spoke without taking her eyes off the screen.
"That executive office required my personal authorization."
Valerie had claimed she never entered it alone.
The video showed otherwise.
She unlocked Andrea's office, slipped inside, and quietly closed the door behind her.
The footage continued.
Nearly fifteen minutes passed.
When Valerie finally came back out, she wasn't empty-handed.
She carried a thick folder pressed tightly against her chest.
Marco shifted his weight.
"That proves nothing."
Andrea nodded.
"You're right."
She clicked another file.
A second camera angle appeared.
This one showed the inside of the executive office.
Gasps erupted across the garden.
Nobody had expected there to be an interior camera.
Valerie walked directly toward Andrea's locked filing cabinet.
She unlocked it using a duplicate key.
One by one, she removed confidential files, photographed every page with her phone, then scanned several documents into a portable scanner she had hidden inside her handbag.
She never noticed the small security camera mounted above the bookshelf.
The guests watched in complete silence.
One of Andrea's business partners whispered,
"My God..."
The video wasn't finished.
Valerie opened another drawer.
Inside lay Leo's original birth records.
She carefully removed the hospital certificate, placed it onto the scanner, and made a perfect digital copy before returning it to the drawer.
Andrea paused the video.
She slowly turned toward Valerie.
"Would you like to explain why you needed a copy of my son's birth certificate?"
Valerie's face had gone completely white.
"I... I..."
For the first time all afternoon, she couldn't find the words.
Marco immediately stepped between them.
"Those videos have been edited."
Andrea smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
She nodded toward Ethan.
The security chief stepped forward carrying another folder.
"Every recording from this system is automatically uploaded to three encrypted cloud servers the moment it's captured," he explained. "Each file is digitally timestamped and protected against alteration. Any attempt to edit the footage would permanently change its verification signature."
Daniel, Andrea's attorney, took the folder and held it up for the guests to see.
"The verification reports have already been notarized."
Marco's confident posture finally collapsed.
His shoulders sank ever so slightly.
Andrea noticed.
So did everyone else.
Then Ethan opened one final video.
This time, the footage came from the reception lounge.
Five-year-old Leo sat quietly at a small table, coloring dinosaurs while waiting for his mother to finish her meeting.
A few seconds later, Valerie walked over.
She looked around to make sure no adults were nearby.
Then she knelt beside him.
Although the security camera had no audio, every person in the garden could clearly see what happened next.
Valerie grabbed Leo's wrist.
The little boy tried to pull away.
She tightened her grip.
Leo winced.
Then she leaned close to his face and whispered something that made him lower his head.
When she finally let go, Leo rubbed his wrist exactly where the scar remained today.
The video ended.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Even the wind seemed to stop blowing through the white roses.
Andrea looked down at her son, who was quietly holding her hand.
Then she raised her eyes to Marco.
His face was drained of every trace of confidence.
And in that single moment, she realized something that made her blood run cold.
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Marco had already seen these videos before.
Because instead of looking shocked... he looked terrified.
