Chapter 3: The Missing Minutes
Luciano stared at the message until the screen dimmed.
The words remained burned into his mind.
*You should have protected your wife better.*
It was not a threat.
Not exactly.
It was worse.
It was a reminder.
Someone wanted him to feel responsible.
Someone wanted him to replay every second of that night and wonder if he had failed Celeste.
He locked the phone and walked back toward her room.
But before he opened the door, he stopped.
For the first time in his life, Luciano Valenti hesitated.
Not because he was afraid.
Because he understood something.
His enemies knew his weakness.
And his weakness had never been anger.
It was love.
Celeste was awake when he entered.
She looked at him immediately.
“You found something.””
It wasn’t a question.
Luciano sat beside her.
“How did you know?””
“Because you have that expression.””
“What expression?””
“The one you get when you’re trying to protect me from something.””
He looked away.
Celeste reached for his hand.
“Luciano.””
He hated how fragile she looked.
The woman who had walked into the Valenti family with confidence.
The woman who challenged Dario without fear.
The woman who never allowed anyone to make her feel small.
Now she was lying in a hospital bed because of them.
“They sent the police a video,” he said.
Her fingers tightened around his.
“A video of what?””
“Of me and Dario.””
Celeste frowned.
“But the recording showed what happened.””
“Not the beginning.””
Her expression changed.
“What?””
“They cut out the part where Dario and my father were talking.””
A silence followed.
A heavy, painful silence.
Then Celeste whispered.
“Your father helped him.””
Luciano didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
Celeste closed her eyes.
“I wanted to believe I misunderstood him.””
“I know.””
“I wanted to believe maybe he froze. Maybe he didn’t know what to do.””
Luciano watched her.
“But he knew.””
Her voice cracked.
“He knew.””
By noon, the hospital hallway had become a battlefield.
Luciano’s attorney, Marcus Hale, arrived with documents and a laptop.
He was one of the few people Luciano trusted outside the family.
A man who had spent years cleaning up Valenti business disputes without asking unnecessary questions.
But even Marcus looked disturbed.
“I reviewed the footage that was submitted.””
“And?””
Marcus placed the laptop on the table.
“The edited version starts at 9:47 p.m.””
Luciano leaned forward.
“When did the original begin?””
“We don’t know.””
“Find out.””
Marcus hesitated.
“That may be difficult.””
Luciano looked up.
“Why?””
“Because the file was copied several times before it reached the police.””
Celeste slowly sat up.
“Copied?””
Marcus nodded.
“Someone created a chain of copies. Every time the file was transferred, the original information became harder to trace.””
Luciano’s jaw tightened.
“They planned this.””
“Yes.””
“Who had access to the phone?””
Marcus looked between them.
“That’s the problem.””
Luciano stood.
“Nora had it.””
“Nora found it.””
“Who else?””
Marcus opened the file.
“The phone belonged to the reception photographer’s assistant. It was placed near the flowers because they were testing angles for event photos.””
Celeste looked confused.
“But why was it recording?””
Marcus turned the laptop toward them.
“That is what we need to find out.””
A notification appeared.
New message.
Marcus clicked it.
A video file.
No sender.
No subject.
Just one attachment.
Everyone froze.
Luciano looked at Marcus.
“Open it.””
Marcus hesitated.
“It could be dangerous.””
Luciano stared at the screen.
“So is everything else in this family.””
Marcus opened the file.
The video loaded.
At first, it showed nothing.
Just the bottom of the staircase.
The flowers.
The phone.
Then voices entered.
Dario.
And another person.
But the sound was distorted.
Celeste leaned closer.
“Can you increase the volume?””
Marcus adjusted the audio.
Static filled the room.
Then a sentence became clear.
“…after tonight, he won’t be able to control himself.””
Luciano’s face changed.
That was Dario.
Then another voice.
A deeper voice.
Older.
Augusto.
“Make him believe he is defending his family.””
The room went silent.
The video continued.
Dario laughed.
“And if he attacks me?””
Augusto replied.
“Then everyone will finally see what he is.””
Luciano stopped breathing.
Not because he was surprised.
Because he understood.
The entire night had been designed around one moment.
His reaction.
His anger.
His reputation.
Dario had not just wanted to hurt Celeste.
He wanted Luciano to become the villain.
Then a third voice appeared.
A voice none of them expected.
A woman.
“You’re underestimating him.””
Luciano looked at Celeste.
She looked equally confused.
Marcus paused the video.
“Who is that?””
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
The next morning, the Valenti family name was everywhere.
Not because of Celeste’s accident.
Because of the leaked footage.
News websites and social media accounts had already begun spreading the edited clip.
The headline was brutal.
*HEIR TO VALENTI EMPIRE THREATENS BROTHER AFTER FAMILY EVENT*
The video showed Luciano grabbing Dario’s jacket.
It showed his furious expression.
It did not show why.
It did not show Celeste falling.
It did not show the conversation before.
The public saw exactly what Augusto wanted them to see.
A powerful man losing control.
A dangerous man.
A man who could not be trusted.
Luciano stood in his office watching the reports.
For years, he had protected the Valenti name.
Now that same name was being used as a weapon against him.
His assistant entered.
“Mr. Valenti.””
Luciano didn’t turn.
“What?””
“The board members are requesting a meeting.””
“Today?””
“Yes.””
He laughed quietly.
“Of course they are.””
The assistant looked uncomfortable.
“There’s something else.””
Luciano finally turned.
“What?””
“Your father already approved the meeting.””
His eyes narrowed.
“My father?””
“Yes.””
Another piece.
Another move.
Augusto was always several steps ahead.
The boardroom was colder than usual.
Twenty executives sat around the long table.
At the head was Augusto.
Dario sat beside him.
The image alone made Luciano understand.
They wanted him to feel surrounded.
They wanted him to react.
Again.
Augusto spoke first.
“Luciano.””
No apology.
No mention of Celeste.
No concern for his pregnant daughter-in-law.
Only business.
“We need to discuss the damage caused by your actions.””
Luciano stared at him.
“My actions?””
Dario leaned back.
“You attacked me.””
Luciano looked at him.
“You pushed my wife down a staircase.””
Dario smiled.
“You still believe that?””
Several executives shifted uncomfortably.
Augusto raised a hand.
“Enough.””
Luciano looked at his father.
“Enough?””
“Yes.””
“You’re worried about the argument, not the attack.””
Augusto’s expression hardened.
“This company cannot survive personal emotions.””
Luciano stepped closer.
“My wife almost lost our child.””
“And you almost destroyed this company.””
The words landed heavily.
Luciano stared at him.
There it was.
The truth.
Not hidden anymore.
Augusto cared about the company.
Not Celeste.
Not the baby.
Not even his own son.
Only control.
Then Dario placed a folder on the table.
“We have another problem.””
Luciano looked down.
Inside were documents.
Legal documents.
A temporary request to remove Luciano from his position until the investigation was complete.
He looked up slowly.
“You planned this before the accident.””
Nobody answered.
Because they didn’t need to.
The silence confirmed everything.
Then the boardroom doors opened.
Everyone turned.
Nora stood there.
She looked nervous.
But determined.
“I found something.””
Augusto’s face changed slightly.
Just slightly.
But Luciano noticed.
Nora walked in holding a small memory card.
“The phone wasn’t the only thing recording that night.””
Dario stood immediately.
“Where did you get that?””
Nora looked at him.
“You know what’s interesting?””
Her voice shook.
“But not enough to stop her.””
The room went silent.
Luciano looked at the memory card.
“What is it?””
Nora swallowed.
“The backup file.””
Augusto’s expression finally broke.
Only for a second.
But it was enough.
Luciano saw fear.
Real fear.
Nora placed the card on the table.
“The phone beside the flowers was only one camera.””
She looked directly at Augusto.
“There was another one hidden in the staircase decoration.””
Dario’s face turned pale.
And before anyone could touch the card, Augusto moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
He reached across the table and grabbed it.
Everyone froze.
Because a man who had nothing to hide would have asked what was inside.
A man who was innocent would have wanted the truth revealed.
But Augusto Valenti didn’t ask.
He tried to destroy the evidence.
And that was when Luciano realized something.
The missing minutes were never the most dangerous part.
May you like
The most dangerous part was what happened after the fall.
Because someone had recorded the moment when Augusto realized the plan had failed.
