Chapter 7 - THE NIGHT THE HOUSE TURNED AGAINST ROSA| The accusation arrived at seven the following morning.
A diamond bracelet was missing from Valentina's dressing room, and a housemaid had been seen near the door the previous evening.
That housemaid was Rosa Conti.
She stood in the staff corridor while two security officers searched her locker. Her hands trembled as they removed folded uniforms, a small sewing kit, and Nina's school drawings.
"I did not take anything," she insisted.
Valentina watched from the staircase.
"Then you won't mind if we continue searching."
Rosa turned toward her.
"You know I've never touched your jewelry."
Valentina smiled coldly.
"People who steal often say that."
Adriano arrived moments later.
"What is happening?"
Valentina approached him.
"Your housekeeper has been taking things. I tried to handle this privately, but she refuses to cooperate."
Adriano looked at Rosa.
"Did you take the bracelet?"
"No, sir."
He turned toward security.
"Stop the search."
Valentina stared at him.
"You cannot simply dismiss this."
"I can require evidence before accusing an employee."
The security officer held up a small velvet pouch.
"We found this beneath the folded linens."
Rosa's face drained of color.
"I've never seen that."
Valentina folded her arms.
"How unfortunate."
Adriano took the pouch and examined it without touching the jewelry.
"Who last entered the dressing room?"
Valentina replied immediately.
"Rosa. I saw her leaving."
"At what time?"
"After dinner."
"Who else was there?"
Valentina's expression tightened.
"I don't remember."
Adriano turned toward Marcus.
"Review the hallway footage."
Marcus checked the security system, then frowned.
"The camera covering the dressing room corridor was offline for eleven minutes last night."
Adriano looked at Valentina.
"Another outage?"
"How would I know?"
Nina appeared at the end of the corridor, carrying her schoolbag.
She had heard the argument from the staircase.
"Mr. Castellano?"
Valentina spun toward her.
"Not now."
Nina looked at the pouch.
"That isn't where Mrs. Valentina usually keeps her jewelry."
Everyone stared at her.
Valentina's face sharpened.
"How would you know?"
Nina swallowed.
"Because when Mommy cleans your room, the bracelet box is always on the right side of your dressing table. Yesterday, you moved it to the left."
Rosa looked at her daughter in alarm.
"Nina, please."
But Nina continued.
"And the pouch has a blue thread on the corner. I saw it in the sewing room last week. It came from the costume box for the engagement photographs."
Adriano looked toward the pouch.
A tiny blue thread had caught against the velvet lining.
Marcus examined the dressing-room footage from the adjacent camera. Although the main corridor camera had been disabled, a reflection in a mirror showed someone entering the room shortly before Rosa's shift ended.
The figure wore a cream-colored sleeve.
Valentina's sleeve.
The room went silent.
Valentina stared at the screen.
"That proves nothing."
Adriano's voice was cold.
"It proves we're not firing Rosa today."
He ordered the bracelet secured as evidence and instructed Marcus to preserve every camera recording.
Rosa began to cry.
"Thank you, sir."
Adriano shook his head.
"You don't owe me gratitude for refusing to punish you without proof."
Nina looked at the screen once more.
May you like
Then she wrote another line in her notebook.
Mrs. Valentina is trying to make Mommy disappear from the house.
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