Chapter 4 - The Surveillance GhostA collective gasp rippled through the gathered crowd. Whispers erupted like a swarm of angry hornets.
“What do you mean, emptied?” Celeste stammered, her composure cracking for the first time. “That vault holds my engagement ring and the family emeralds!”
“My family emeralds, Celeste,” Mason corrected coldly, stepping closer to her until she was forced to step back. “And they were moved to our downtown bank vault three days ago—a fact that only three people in this entire mansion knew about: myself, my head of security, and you.”
Celeste’s face turned the color of ash. “Are... are you accusing me?”
“I don’t make accusations without proof,” Mason said, turning to Jerry. “Jerry, unlock the west wing security terminal right now. Print out the manual override logs for 2:00 AM. Let’s see who really turned off the cameras.”
Panic flared in Celeste’s eyes. She spun around toward the exit, her high heels clicking frantically against the marble. “This is a ridiculous circus! I am leaving this wretched house immediately. Mason, you will hear from my lawyers by morning!”
“Stop her,” Mason ordered.
May you like
Two burly private security guards materialized from the foyer archway, blocking the double doors. Celeste was trapped like a cornered animal.
Evelyn stood frozen holding Lily, watching the high-society predator unravel piece by piece. But the most shocking revelation was yet to come, sitting quietly in the pocket of Evelyn's apron—the folded piece of crayon paper Lily had drawn that morning.
