Chapter 4 - He Saw Everything
Celeste slowly released Marin.
Marin stumbled backward, coughing.
Rafael crossed the kitchen.
He did not look at Celeste first.
He went to Marin.
“Can you breathe?”
Marin nodded.
“Look at me.”
She raised her eyes.
“Can you breathe?”
“Yes.”
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“My back.”
Rafael turned toward the kitchen manager.
“Call Dr. Russo.”
Celeste snapped, “She doesn’t need a doctor.”
Rafael looked at her.
Nobody spoke.
Not even Celeste.
He pointed toward the door.
“Private dining room.”
“Rafael—”
“Now.”
Celeste walked out.
Rafael looked around the kitchen.
“How many of you saw that?”
Nearly every hand rose.
His expression hardened.
“And how many of you have seen something like it before?”
Nobody moved.
Then one dishwasher slowly raised his hand.
A waitress followed.
Then another.
Soon nearly half the kitchen had a hand raised.
Rafael stood completely still.
Marin whispered, “Mr. Santoro.”
He turned.
“Please don’t fire anyone.”
His brow furrowed.
“Why would I?”
“Because we didn’t report it.”
Rafael looked at the employees.
“They were scared,” Marin said.
“Of Celeste?”
Marin hesitated.
“Of disappointing you.”
That hurt more than Rafael expected.
He looked at Bernadette.
She said nothing.
She didn’t need to.
Rafael turned toward everyone.
“Listen carefully. Nobody here loses a job for telling the truth.”
The room remained silent.
“If anyone retaliates against an employee for speaking to me, that person answers directly to me.”
He looked at Marin.
“Including Celeste.”
---
Inside the private dining room, Celeste stood with her arms folded.
Rafael entered alone.
She spoke first.
“She provoked me.”
“You put both hands around her neck.”
“She insulted me.”
“So?”
Celeste stared at him in disbelief.
“So?”
“Yes. So?”
“I’m your fiancée!”
“And she’s my employee.”
“That’s exactly my point.”
“No.” Rafael closed the door. “That’s mine.”
Celeste shook her head.
“You’re going to throw away four years because I lost my temper?”
“No.”
He removed his engagement ring from the chain where he kept it while working and placed it on the table.
“I’m ending four years because today I saw who you are when you think nobody important is watching.”
Celeste’s face drained of color.
“You cannot do this to me.”
“I just did.”
“My father has business with your family.”
“I’ll speak to him.”
“Our wedding is in six weeks.”
“Cancel it.”
“Three hundred people have invitations.”
“Send three hundred new messages.”
Celeste’s composure broke.
“You son of a—”
“Careful.”
“Or what?”
Rafael stepped closer.
His voice remained calm.
“You’ve spent too much time listening to stories about my family and not enough time listening to me.”
Celeste’s breathing became shallow.
“You think you’re better than me?”
“No.”
“You threaten people for a living.”
“I make deals with people who know exactly what room they walked into.”
He pointed toward the kitchen.
“Marin was serving dinner.”
Celeste picked up a wineglass and hurled it at the wall.
It shattered.
Rafael didn’t flinch.
“Get out.”
She laughed bitterly.
“You’ll regret humiliating me.”
“Probably.”
“You think that waitress will thank you?”
“This has nothing to do with whether she thanks me.”
Celeste grabbed her purse.
At the door, she turned.
“She’s been stealing from you.”
Rafael’s expression changed.
“What?”
Celeste smiled.
“Check the private wine inventory.”
“Explain.”
“I saw her near the cellar two nights ago. Ask Leo about the missing bottles.”
Rafael stared at her.
“You’re accusing Marin of theft now?”
“I’m telling you to investigate your perfect little victim.”
Then Celeste left.
Rafael remained alone.
Ten minutes later, Leo Danner confirmed six bottles of rare wine were missing.
Combined value: nearly thirty thousand dollars.
Security footage showed Marin entering the private cellar after midnight.
Alone.
Rafael stared at the screen.
Abel stood beside him.
“Could be innocent.”
“She entered a locked cellar.”
“She have authorization?”
“No.”
“What do you want to do?”
Rafael looked toward the medical office where Marin was being examined.
“Ask her.”
Abel nodded.
“And if she stole them?”
Rafael’s answer came without hesitation.
“Then Celeste being guilty doesn’t make Marin innocent.”
---
Marin sat with an ice pack against her neck when Rafael entered.
She immediately stood.
“Sit.”
She sat.
Rafael placed a tablet on the table.
“Marin, I need you to answer something.”
She saw the security image.
Her face changed.
Rafael noticed.
“You recognize it.”
“Yes.”
“Why were you in my private wine cellar?”
Marin said nothing.
“Six bottles are missing.”
Her eyes widened.
“I didn’t take them.”
“Then why were you there?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Rafael stared at her.
“You need to.”
“I can’t.”
“Marin.”
Tears filled her eyes, but her voice remained steady.
“Then fire me.”
Rafael frowned.
“You’d rather lose your job than explain?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She looked down at the brass tag attached to her keys.
“Because the answer isn’t mine to give.”
May you like
For the first time that night, Rafael realized Celeste might not be the only person inside his building keeping a dangerous secret.
---
