Chapter 2 - The Surveillance EyeThe murmurs in the ballroom rose to a fever pitch. Eleanor was still huffing, her fingers twitching as if she wanted to tear the rest of my maternity dress to shreds, while Chloe stood triumphantly over the pile of makeup, prenatal vitamins, and keys scattered across the pristine marble.
"Empty!" Chloe sneered, her voice dripping with venom as she kicked my spilled wallet aside with the tip of her satin wedding shoe. "She didn't have it on her. But she’s a professional thief! Look at her! She probably slipped it to an accomplice, or it’s hidden in the restroom!"
"Chloe," a guest murmured cautiously from the front row, adjusting his black tie. "The security cameras... aren't they active? Maybe we should check the footage before accusing her further. It’s a very serious thing to—"
"Quiet!" Eleanor snapped, spinning around to glare at the guest. "My daughter’s multi-million-dollar diamond ring is missing! That heirloom has been in our family for four generations! Are you defending this... this pauper?"
Across the room, the wedding planner—a woman named Sarah—swallowed hard. Her gaze darted frantically from Chloe to the exit doors, and then back to Amanda, Chloe’s sweet, innocent cousin who had been standing quietly near the buffet table all evening.
I didn't blink. I kept my eyes locked on Amanda.
Amanda’s knuckles were white. The silver evening purse clutched against her ribs was shaking violently. She took a slow, calculated step backward toward the heavy mahogany doors leading to the courtyard.
"Going somewhere, Amanda?" I asked softly, my voice cutting cleanly through the ambient noise of the room.
Amanda froze like a deer caught in headlights. "I—I just need some fresh air. It’s suffocating in here with all this... this drama."
"Drama?" Chloe barked a harsh, ugly laugh. "The only drama is that trash trying to ruin my wedding day! Amanda is family. How dare you look at her while you’re the one standing here half-naked and humiliated!"
"Let her go outside," I replied, a cold, steady calm washing over me. "The security cameras don't need fresh air, Chloe. But you might need them to explain why your cousin is clutching your 'million-dollar' ring inside that silver clutch."
Amanda turned completely pale.
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"Lies!" Chloe shrieked, stamping her foot. "Check the cameras then! Call the head of security! Let everyone see this thief exposed!"
"Ask and you shall receive," a deep, resonant voice echoed from the grand double doors at the back of the ballroom.
