He claimed it was only a proposal.
Mercedes insisted I had been considering it.
I told the officers I hadn't.
Andrés then quietly informed the inspector that the restaurant had preserved footage of the confrontation, along with the booking and order records.
The waiter, a young man named Luis, stepped forward.
"I heard him threaten her," he said.
Javier stared at him.
"You were eavesdropping?"
Luis's face reddened, but he didn't retreat.
"I was serving your table."
Mercedes turned toward the manager.
"Do you realize who my family is?"
Andrés met her eyes.
"Yes, madam. You're guests who must follow the same rules as everyone else."
The silence that followed was almost beautiful.
Javier looked from the officers to the envelope, then toward me.
For the first time, I saw him without the authority he'd spent years performing.
He was frightened.
Not of losing me.
Of losing control.
