Chapter 10 - Two Cases
Camille’s slap and mine did not cancel each other.
The security footage helped.
Camille snatched the tiara.
Threw it.
Livia bent.
Camille struck her.
I arrived.
Moved Livia behind me.
Camille lifted champagne.
Spoke.
I took the glass.
Threw the champagne.
Slapped Camille.
Different sequences.
Different victims.
Different legal analysis.
The prosecutor offered Camille no immediate diversion because the new voice recording complicated matters.
The child-assault charge remained.
Investigators separately reviewed the business-related threat.
My case stayed simple.
One retaliatory slap after my daughter was safe.
Minimal injury to Camille from the slap and collision with the party table.
I was offered pretrial diversion.
Anger-management assessment.
Community service.
No unlawful contact with Camille.
Successful completion:
Dismissal.
I accepted.
No one from my companies called prosecutors.
No one reminded anyone of charitable donations.
No one whispered:
Massimo Vale handles his own matters.
I told my board chair about the case because reputational disclosure obligations mattered.
She asked:
“Do you need temporary leave?”
“No prosecutor requested it.”
“That was not my question.”
I appreciated her.
We agreed I would recuse from any company decision involving Arden House or Camille while criminal and coercion investigations remained open.
That meant the investment committee could not revisit her proposal even if I wanted it to.
Camille’s own threat made the business pathway more constrained.
Not because revenge.
Conflict management.
Livia heard relatives say:
“Your dad got in trouble too.”
She asked me at breakfast.
“Why?”
“Because I slapped Camille.”
“But she slapped me.”
“Yes.”
“She first.”
“Yes.”
“So?”
I put my fork down.
“So once you were behind me and safe, hitting her was about my anger.”
Livia frowned.
“She mean.”
“Yes.”
“Can yell?”
“Yes.”
“Can throw drink?”
I looked at the ceiling.
“Also not my finest moment.”
She smiled slightly.
“Can say leave?”
“Yes.”
“Can security take her?”
“Yes.”
“So do that.”
Seven-year-old hindsight.
Brutal.
May you like
Correct.
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