Chapter 4 - THE WOMAN THEY CALLED A LIAR
By noon, Della became the villain.
The first video appeared online at 11:17 a.m.
It showed Della holding a champagne tray.
Cordelia saying something.
Della stepping forward.
Then the recording jumped.
The next image showed Cordelia standing beside the shattered mirror while Della sat in a chair.
The shove was missing.
The hair pulling was missing.
The moments that mattered had vanished.
A caption beneath the video claimed Della had intentionally created a confrontation.
Another account claimed she had been trying to attract Luca Moretti's attention all evening.
By two o'clock, strangers were analyzing Della's pregnancy.
Her job.
Her clothes.
Her income.
Her face.
Someone found an old photograph of her working at a restaurant six years earlier.
Someone else posted the apartment building where she lived.
Della stared at the screen in disbelief.
"How do they even know where I live?"
Luca was standing across the hospital room speaking quietly into his phone.
He ended the call.
"They shouldn't."
"That's not an answer."
"No."
"Did your people do this?"
His expression hardened.
"No."
"Then who?"
"The Vances have a public relations firm on permanent contract."
Della laughed without humor.
"So Cordelia shoves me, and now I need a public relations department?"
"You need evidence."
"I had evidence."
"Someone removed it."
Della looked at him.
"From your hotel."
The accusation landed.
Luca did not defend himself.
"Yes."
"Which means someone who works for you helped them."
"Yes."
That answer frightened her more than denial would have.
A knock came at the door.
A young woman wearing an Ashworth Grand uniform stepped inside.
Della recognized her.
Maya Chen.
Night receptionist.
Maya looked terrified.
"Mr. Moretti."
Luca turned.
"What happened?"
Maya closed the door behind her.
"I shouldn't be here."
"Then why are you?"
She looked toward Della.
"Because I saw the original footage."
Della sat straighter.
"You did?"
Maya nodded.
"Before it disappeared."
"Who deleted it?"
"I don't know."
Luca's eyes narrowed.
"But you know something."
Maya swallowed.
"The security system creates a backup copy every time footage is manually exported."
"Where?"
"Basement server room."
Luca immediately reached for his phone.
Maya shook her head.
"It's gone."
Luca stopped.
"How?"
"Somebody accessed the room at 3:12 this morning."
"Who?"
"The entry log was wiped."
Della felt a wave of exhaustion.
"Then we have nothing."
Maya hesitated.
"Not exactly."
She reached into her coat.
A small flash drive appeared in her hand.
"I copied something before I came here."
Luca took it.
"What?"
Maya's face had gone pale.
"Not the shove."
Della's disappointment lasted only seconds.
Maya continued.
"It's footage from the hotel loading entrance."
"Why does that matter?"
"Because forty minutes before the reception, Evan Vance met with our assistant security director."
Luca's eyes sharpened.
"Patrick Sloan?"
Maya nodded.
Della frowned.
"Why would Evan meet hotel security before Cordelia ever touched me?"
Nobody answered.
Maya looked at Della.
"There is something else."
She reached into her pocket again.
This time she removed a folded note.
"It was taped beneath my windshield when I left work."
Luca opened it.
May you like
Three words were written across the paper.
ASK DELLA ABOUT OWEN.
