CHAPTER 2 — THE WOMAN EVERYONE BLAMED
The police arrived twenty minutes later.
The gala was immediately canceled.
Guests were questioned one by one.
Victoria sat in a private room, furious.
“This is a setup.”
Detective Marcus Reed placed a tablet on the table.
“We know.”
Victoria looked at him.
“You believe me?”
“I believe someone wants you to look guilty.”
Victoria leaned forward.
“Then find them.”
Marcus nodded.
“We will.”
Meanwhile, Emily sat alone in another room.
She was still shaking.
Marcus entered.
“You're Emily Carter?”
“Yes.”
“You worked for Victoria?”
“I was an assistant.”
“Why did Victoria accuse you?”
Emily hesitated.
“She believed I stole her necklace.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Do you know who did?”
Emily shook her head.
But Marcus noticed her expression.
“You're hiding something.”
Emily looked away.
“I saw someone.”
“Who?”
“Her daughter.”
Marcus stopped.
“Olivia Sterling?”
Emily nodded.
“She came out of Victoria's private room just before the necklace disappeared.”
“Why didn't you tell anyone?”
Emily looked terrified.
“Because Olivia threatened me.”
Marcus leaned closer.
“What did she say?”
“She told me that if I spoke, I'd lose my job.”
“That doesn't sound serious enough to frighten you.”
Emily's eyes filled with tears.
“She knows where my younger brother goes to school.”
Marcus became silent.
Now he understood.
Olivia wasn't simply threatening Emily's career.
She was threatening her family.
That evening, Marcus reviewed the security footage.
At 8:42 p.m., Olivia entered Victoria's private room.
At 8:49 p.m., Emily entered carrying flowers.
At 8:53 p.m., Olivia left.
At 8:56 p.m., Emily left.
At 9:02 p.m., the necklace disappeared.
The evidence seemed to point toward Olivia.
But there was something strange.
At 9:10 p.m., the security camera had been remotely disabled.
Someone with technical access had done it.
Marcus checked the system.
The command had come from inside the mansion.
Then he discovered something even more disturbing.
The same system had been accessed three months earlier.
On the exact day Victoria met the mysterious man from the video.
Marcus printed the records.
There was one name attached to both incidents.
Daniel Sterling.
Victoria's husband.
But Daniel had told police he had been out of town that evening.
Marcus immediately called him.
“Mr. Sterling, where are you?”
“At my hotel.”
“Which hotel?”
Daniel gave him the name.
Marcus checked.
Daniel had never checked in.
For the first time, Marcus realized that the gala mystery was much bigger than a stolen necklace.
Someone had been manipulating Victoria's life for months.
The necklace.
The fake video.
The missing documents.
The threats.
They were all connected.
Meanwhile, Emily returned home.
She found an envelope underneath her apartment door.
Inside was a photograph.
It showed Emily standing beside Victoria.
On the back was a message:
“Stop talking.”
Emily's hands trembled.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
A man's voice whispered:
“If you want your brother to stay safe, forget everything you saw tonight.”
The call ended.
Emily immediately called Marcus.
“I need to tell you everything.”
May you like
But before she could continue, the lights in her apartment went out.
Someone was standing behind her.
