Chapter 10 - The Search
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At precisely two o'clock that afternoon, a piercing scream echoed from Evelyn Vance’s sitting room on the second floor, bringing the entire household to a standstill.
I was sitting calmly by the window in the West Wing suite, reading a storybook to Sophie while she hugged her velvet elephant, when heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway. Seconds later, the double doors of our suite were thrown open without a knock.
Camille marched in first, trailed by a pale, furious Evelyn, Martha, and two burly estate security guards. Damon arrived from the opposite staircase a heartbeat later, his dark brows drawn together in annoyance.
"What is the meaning of this?" Damon barked, stepping immediately between the security guards and the settee where Sophie and I were sitting. "Why are there guards in Elena’s suite?"
"Because the woman you are defending is a common criminal, Damon!" Evelyn trembled with outrage, pointing a shaking finger at me. "My emerald anniversary necklace—the one your father gave me before he died—was just stolen from my private wall safe! Less than an hour ago!"
"And Martha saw Elena lurking near the east corridor right before lunch," Camille added smoothly, folding her arms across her chest with barely concealed triumph. "I told you she was only after the Vance fortune! She probably realized the paternity test is going to expose her lies at five o'clock, so she decided to grab whatever she could sell on the black market before running again!"
I stood up slowly, setting the storybook down on the glass coffee table while keeping my voice steady. "I haven't set foot in the east corridor since Tuesday, Mrs. Vance. You are welcome to search every inch of my wardrobe and my canvas bag."
"Search the whole room," Camille ordered the guards, her eyes gleaming maliciously as they drifted toward my daughter on the sofa. "Thieves like her don't hide diamonds in their own pockets. They hide them in places nobody would think to check—like children’s toys."
Damon’s jaw tightened dangerously. "If either of those guards comes within five feet of my daughter, they leave this floor through the window."
"Wait, Mr. Vance," Martha spoke up, feigning nervous hesitation as she stepped forward. "Look at the seam on the little girl’s stuffed elephant. There’s something green glinting inside the cotton!"
Before I could move, Martha lunged forward and snatched the velvet elephant straight out of Sophie’s small hands. Sophie burst into startled tears as Martha ripped the loose stitching open and pulled out a dazzling, tear-drop emerald necklace on a platinum chain, holding it high in the air for Evelyn to see.
Evelyn gasped in horror. "In the child’s toy! How could you be so shameless?!"
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"Call the NYPD Precinct Commander immediately!" Camille demanded, smiling coldly at me. "That’s grand larceny over five hundred thousand dollars. Enjoy Rikers Island, Elena!"
I didn't flinch. Instead, I looked directly past Camille at Damon, who pulled his sleek smartphone from his suit pocket with a terrifyingly calm smirk on his lips.
