Chapter 11 - The Approach
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Leo walked slowly and deliberately across the ten feet of open floor separating us from his father.
The entire ballroom watched in stunned silence as the twelve-year-old boy in the navy blazer approached the man who had shattered his family. The sheer gravity of the moment was palpable.
Julian looked down at his son, his face crumbling. For a brief second, I saw a flash of genuine shame in his eyes.
"Leo, buddy," Julian choked out, dropping to one knee to be at eye level with his son. "I am so sorry you have to see this. Your mother is just very upset. I promise you, I love you more than anything in the world."
Leo didn't flinch. He didn't reach out to hug his father. He stood perfectly still, his hands resting by his sides, looking at Julian with a profound, chilling emptiness.
"Don't call me buddy," Leo said, his voice surprisingly deep and steady.
Julian recoiled as if he had been slapped across the face. "Leo, please, you have to understand—"
"I understand perfectly, Dad," Leo interrupted, his tone completely devoid of emotion.
Leo reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out his smartphone. He unlocked the screen with his thumb, his eyes never leaving his father's terrified face.
"You said she means nothing to you," Leo said softly, loud enough for Julian and the immediate circle of executives to hear. "You told Mom you love her."
"I do, Leo! I swear I do!" Julian pleaded, tears welling in his eyes as he desperately tried to maintain the illusion of the good father.
"You're a liar," Leo stated simply.
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No one in that room had any idea what my son had secretly saved on his phone. Not even me. I knew about the dashcam audio, but I didn't know how Leo intended to use it.
Leo tapped the screen, maximizing the volume on his phone, and held it up between them.
