Chapter 3
The weight of Julian’s words settled over the hallway, heavy and suffocating. Elena stared at the diamond necklace resting inside the open beige leather handbag. The puzzle pieces began shifting in her mind, forming a picture far more terrifying than a simple case of theft.
"What do you mean?" Elena’s voice dropped to a harsh whisper. She looked at Julian, her eyes searching his impassive face for any sign of a bluff. "I found it missing from my dressing room. Clara was the only person standing near the exit."
"Convenient, wasn't it?" Julian replied, bending down with practiced grace to retrieve the handbag. He didn't touch the diamonds directly; instead, he picked up the leather strap by its very edge, treating it like a piece of hazardous material. "Too convenient for a hotel that boasts state-of-the-art biometric security. Someone had to let you know it was missing, Elena. Someone had to guide you straight to this hallway, and point you directly at the most vulnerable person in the room."
Clara took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself. The red draped top caught the cool draft from the nearby service elevator. "I didn't take it," she repeated, though this time it wasn't a defense against an accusation, but a reminder of her innocence in a game she never signed up to play. "I was looking for the ladies' room. A man in a gray suit asked me to hold that bag for a second, and then he vanished."
Julian turned his gaze toward Clara, his expression softening just a fraction. "What man?"
"I don't know his name," Clara said, her brow furrowing as she tried to recall the details. "He had a scar running down his left jawline. He wore a badge on his lapel, but it looked... fake. Like a prop."
Elena gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Marcus," she breathed.
Julian’s eyes narrowed. "Your fiancé?"
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"He told me he was going to check on the security of the vault," Elena said, the color completely vanishing from her face now. "He insisted I wear the necklace tonight, even though I told him it was too heavy, too flashy. He said it was a symbol of our upcoming merger."
Julian let out a dry, humorless laugh. "A merger of assets, financed by deceit. Marcus doesn't want you to have that necklace, Elena. He wants you to look like a fool. Or worse, he wants you to take the fall for an insurance fraud scheme that went live the moment you slapped an innocent woman on camera."
