Chapter 5 - The Little Witness
The ballroom was plunged into a stunned, suffocating silence. Celeste’s face went completely white, her perfectly rouged cheeks suddenly looking hollow.
"Lily, sweetie, you're confused," Celeste said, forcing a sickly-sweet smile and taking a step toward the little girl. "You should be in bed. Children shouldn't make up stories."
"I'm not making up a story," Lily said, holding her ground. She looked up at Julian, her large eyes completely serious. "I was playing hide-and-seek with Mr. Vance’s walkie-talkie. I was hiding behind the big plant in the hallway. I saw Celeste go into the room where the maids put their coats. She took the bracelet off her own arm and put it in Mara’s bag."
"You little brat," Celeste hissed under her breath, a flash of pure venom breaking through her facade before she quickly recovered. "Julian, the child is clearly exhausted and traumatized. She doesn't know what she's saying."
Julian didn't look at his fiancée. He was looking at Lily. He knew his niece. Ever since the accident that took her parents, Lily rarely spoke to anyone, let alone strangers. She was exceptionally observant, quietly analyzing the world from the shadows. She didn't lie.
"Mr. Vale," Vance said, his voice low and professional. "Should I call the police for the theft?"
Julian slowly turned his gaze to Celeste. The warmth that had been there earlier in the evening was completely gone, replaced by the cold, calculating billionaire who dismantled rival corporations for sport.
"No," Julian said smoothly. "No one is calling the police. Not yet."
"Julian, she stole from us!" Celeste protested, her voice rising in panic. "You're going to take the word of a seven-year-old over your future wife?"
"I don't take anyone's word, Celeste," Julian replied, his voice like ice. "I take proof. Vance, we have security cameras covering the entrance to the staff locker room, don't we?"
Vance nodded. "Yes, sir. Camera four covers the service corridor and the locker room door."
"Good," Julian said. He turned to the crowd of whispering guests. "Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the champagne. Celeste, Mara, Vance. We are going to the security room. Now."
Mara’s legs felt like lead as she followed Julian’s broad shoulders down the hallway. Celeste walked stiffly beside him, her face a mask of barely contained panic. She knew she was trapped, but the manipulative gears in her head were spinning furiously, trying to find a way out.
May you like
When they entered the security room, a wall of monitors illuminated the dark space. Julian pulled up a chair and gestured for Vance to run the footage.
"Let's see exactly what happened tonight," Julian said softly.
