Chapter 3 - The Digital Shadow
The ambient chatter of the banquet hall hollowed out instantly, a vacuum of sound creeping outward as nearby guests froze in their seats, sensing the sudden shift in atmospheric pressure. Arthur lowered his glass, his brow furrowing into deep, weathered canyons of suspicion as he looked between his furious daughter-in-law and the unfazed server.
Maya—known to the household as Clara—did not waste a single breath on apologies or excuses. Slowly, deliberately, her right hand dipped into the deep pocket of her black vest. She withdrew a sleek, dark smartphone, her thumb swiping across the screen with clinical precision. Without a word, she angled the glowing display downward, placing the illuminated surface directly into Arthur’s field of vision.
The screen displayed a high-resolution, macro photograph of a crystal decanter’s base. Etched discreetly into the heavy glass, right along the bottom rim, was a microscopic, crimson-tinted mark—a distinct chemical signature glowing under the macro lens like a brand of execution.
