Chapter 13 - The Family PhotographOn the morning the forensic accountants began reviewing the consulting agreement, Celeste arranged a photographer.
It was an unusual decision.
The Mercer family had not taken formal portraits in nearly a year.
But Celeste insisted that Leo needed something normal.
“Families shouldn't stop living because of work problems,” she told Adrian.
He stood in the breakfast room reading an email from Evelyn.
“Now isn't a good time.”
“There's never a good time with you anymore.”
“Celeste.”
She lowered her voice.
“He's frightened. He needs stability.”
Adrian looked toward Leo, who sat at the table drawing airplanes.
The boy did not look up.
“Then let him have an ordinary Saturday,” Adrian said.
Celeste smiled.
“Exactly. That's what I'm trying to do.”
She had already booked the photographer.
At eleven, they gathered on the rear terrace.
Autumn leaves drifted across the lawns.
Celeste wore a cream dress.
Adrian wore a navy sweater.
Leo had been dressed in a pale blue shirt and dark trousers.
The photographer positioned them beside a stone balustrade.
“Mrs. Mercer, perhaps put your arm around Leo.”
Celeste reached toward him.
Leo stiffened.
Adrian noticed.
“It's okay if he doesn't want to pose that way.”
The photographer lowered the camera.
Celeste laughed lightly.
“He's just shy.”
Leo whispered, “I don't want to.”
Adrian looked at him.
“Then you don't have to.”
Celeste's hand remained suspended for one awkward moment before dropping to her side.
The photographer pretended to adjust the lens.
Celeste turned toward Adrian.
“Must you contradict me in front of everyone?”
“I'm listening to him.”
Her smile faltered.
The photographs continued.
They captured a beautiful family standing beneath golden trees.
They did not capture the silence afterward.
That afternoon, Celeste selected one image.
In it, she stood close to Adrian, smiling warmly while Leo looked toward the camera with an uncertain expression.
She sent the photograph to a public-relations consultant with a note:
Please prepare a family-centered statement emphasizing our commitment to Leo's welfare and our response to the employee incident.
The consultant asked whether legal counsel had approved public comment.
Celeste replied that she would handle it.
By evening, a statement had appeared on a small local business blog.
It described the hangar incident as a “confrontation involving a suspended employee” and suggested the family's concerns were being exploited during an acquisition process.
Graham's name was not used.
But his identity was easy to infer.
Rebecca read the article aloud at his kitchen table.
“This is disgusting.”
Graham took the phone.
He examined the photograph.
Leo looked unhappy.
That was the first thing he noticed.
The second was the wording.
The statement implied he had been suspended for misconduct and was now retaliating with unsubstantiated accusations.
“Call Mara,” Rebecca said.
“I will.”
He did.
Mara advised him not to respond publicly before counsel reviewed the statement.
A reckless interview could complicate the evidence.
Graham hated that advice.
But he followed it.
Across town, Adrian was furious.
“You authorized a public statement?”
Celeste stood in their bedroom, removing her earrings.
“It was a simple reassurance.”
“You implied Graham was responsible for Leo's danger.”
“I said there was an incident.”
“You let people believe he attacked our son.”
“Adrian, stop protecting that man.”
“I'm protecting the truth.”
She turned.
“Is that what you call it?”
“Yes.”
“Funny. You didn't care about the truth when you slapped him.”
The words struck home.
Adrian stood motionless.
Celeste saw the impact and pressed harder.
“You were there. You saw your son crying. You reacted like any father would.”
“No,” Adrian said quietly. “I reacted badly.”
She stared at him.
“I won't pretend otherwise.”
Celeste folded her arms.
“So now you'll humiliate yourself for an employee?”
“I've already humiliated myself.”
He looked toward the hallway.
“And Leo saw every second of it.”
For a moment, Celeste seemed unsure what to say.
Then her expression hardened.
“You're going to destroy our family.”
Adrian shook his head.
“I'm trying to find out what's happening inside it.”
She looked away.
Her phone vibrated on the dresser.
Daniel.
She ignored it.
Adrian continued.
“Leo is meeting with a child psychologist on Monday.”
Celeste turned sharply.
“Without asking me?”
“He needs someone neutral.”
“I'm his stepmother.”
“And I'm his father.”
The room became silent.
Adrian spoke carefully.
“I don't want you discussing the hangar incident with him until we've received professional guidance.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“You're treating me like a threat.”
“I'm taking his anxiety seriously.”
Celeste looked at the door.
Then she gave a small, humorless laugh.
“Do you really think he'll tell a stranger what happened?”
“I don't know.”
She stared at him.
“You should remember that children sometimes say what the adult questioning them wants to hear.”
Adrian's expression changed.
“Are you suggesting Leo is lying?”
“I'm suggesting memories are complicated.”
He said nothing.
That night, Leo woke to the sound of arguing downstairs.
He padded into the hallway carrying Rocket.
He heard Celeste say something he didn't understand.
“It's all going to become his word against mine.”
Then Adrian answered.
“He's seven, Celeste.”
Leo stood barefoot in the darkness.
He didn't know what his word against mine meant.
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But he understood that grown-ups were discussing whether to believe him.
And he began to wonder whether telling the truth could make his father leave.
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