Infobrief

Chapter 2 — The Truth Hidden Behind the Smile

No one returned to the ballroom.

The music below continued.

The guests laughed.

They toasted the newlyweds...

...never realizing the marriage had already collapsed upstairs.

Adrian knelt in front of his son.

His voice shook.

"Look at me."

The little boy hesitated.

Then, for the first time that night, he met his father's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Adrian whispered.

"I should have protected you."

The boy's lip trembled.

"You didn't know."

Adrian closed his eyes.

That hurt even more.

Lena stepped forward.

"Sir..."

"There's something else."

She reached into the pocket of her apron and removed a small envelope.

"I've been collecting these."

Inside were drawings.

Crayon drawings.

One showed the bride yelling while the little boy cried in a corner.

Another showed a broken toy.

Another simply showed a little stick figure standing alone outside a bedroom.

On the back of every drawing...

The same sentence.

Daddy is always busy.

Adrian could barely breathe.

"When did this start?"

Lena swallowed.

"Almost six months ago."

"Right after she moved into the mansion."

The bride suddenly stepped forward.

"Those are children's drawings!"

"They don't prove anything!"

But Adrian wasn't listening anymore.

He looked toward the home's security office.

"Bring me every camera recording from this house."

Her face instantly lost every trace of confidence.

For the first time...

She looked afraid.