𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇

XLII

— RORI —

"Why don't you take a picture, hm?"

Zephaniah glares at Damiano as these words leave his mouth. In response, the elder grins. But any humour he feels is tied with mutual contempt.

"That is a line of a thirteen year old," he replies. "I was simply noting your miserable expression."

Said expression remains on Zephaniah's face as he argues, "Everyone suddenly acts like everything is okay, and i'm supposed to go along with it? I don't think so."

"What?" Damiano says. "You mean we choose to ignore the mess that you created and enjoy our meal? Are you really that bitter that, for once, dear Zephaniah, the world does not revolve around you?"

Zephaniah nods — not in agreement but in clear contemptuous acknowledgment of Damiano's stance.

"It was you and your father who brought such a storm upon us, i think you'll find."

"We find ourselves going in circles once more," Damiano says. "It's rich that you insist this, considering i went to jail because of you."

Zephaniah forms a tight smile.

"You went to jail because you are evil."

"Lorenzo knows i did not steal charitable funds," Damiano tells him. "You know that he knows that too. So why you try to paint me as the fool is beyond me."

"Hey, you're the one who brought it up." Zephaniah's hands are raised in mock defence. "As far as we're all aware, you landed your own ass in jail. If you're ready to admit your part in the murder of Veronica and my son, we can re-evaluate how you ended up there."

Damiano's expression hardens at this taunt. It is then that i realise just how twisted their feud is.

Neither man is willing to admit to their part in it, and so the rest of us must accept what is public knowledge rather than what is fact — so long as Damiano does not admit to working with Henryk, Zephaniah will not admit that it was he who set Damiano up.

And Damiano makes the mistake of looking at me.

That's right.

It is not my fault that Zephaniah is indignant, but it is my fault that Zephaniah has the upper hand. Somehow.

I could end this. I could tell everyone that i know exactly why Damiano sealed the footage. Or at least i presume that it is because of my involvement.

Damiano must not know that Zephaniah told me he had sealed it. No, he conveniently left that part out when he blackmailed me.

Am i to presume he had intended to blackmail me all along?

And anyway, if i were to now bring all of this up, where would we go from there?

How can i possibly sit here and tell my family that i not only witnessed the murder they discuss so easily, but that, if anyone at this table played a part in it, it was me.

That i fired a gun Xavi still keeps close to this day and killed a man. That i had stolen said gun because i was planning on running away that night and because i at least knew to protect myself. That i had forged my already illegitimate guardian's details on the TSA minor travel consent form.