Chapter 6 - The Necklace

Vanessa did not leave the penthouse quietly.

She argued with security for eleven minutes.

She threatened lawsuits.

She threatened careers.

She told the guards Julian would fire every one of them by breakfast.

None moved.

Finally, the head of security, Daniel Ross, spoke.

“Ms. Cole, please return the property you are wearing.”

Vanessa stared at him.

“What property?”

“The cashmere coat.”

Her face reddened.

“Elena gave this to me.”

“No, she didn't.”

Vanessa looked toward Julian.

He had arrived through the service stairwell after his elevator privileges failed.

“Tell them.”

Julian rubbed his forehead.

“Let her keep the coat.”

Daniel remained still.

“You no longer have authority to dispose of Ms. Vale's personal property.”

Julian's jaw tightened.

Vanessa removed the coat and threw it onto a chair.

“There.”

Daniel looked at the emerald pendant.

“And the necklace.”

Vanessa placed a hand over it.

“This is mine.”

Elena's voice came from the doorway.

“No.”

Everyone turned.

Elena stood beside Miriam.

She had changed out of her rain-soaked evening dress and into a simple black suit.

Julian stared at her.

“Elena.”

She ignored him.

Her eyes stayed on Vanessa.

“That pendant belonged to my grandmother.”

Vanessa lifted her chin.

“Julian gave it to me.”

Elena finally looked at her husband.

“Did you?”

Julian said nothing.

Vanessa's confidence weakened.

“Julian.”

Elena stepped closer.

“My grandmother wore that pendant on her wedding day.”

Her voice remained calm.

“She wore it at my mother's funeral.”

Vanessa looked uncomfortable.

“She gave it to me six months before she died.”

Elena stopped several feet away.

“And you wore it while helping my husband throw me out of my own resort.”

Vanessa reached for the clasp.

“I didn't know.”

“Yes, you did.”

Vanessa froze.

Elena reached into her handbag and removed her phone.

She played a recording.

Vanessa's own voice filled the room.

“Are you sure Elena won't recognize the necklace?”

Then Julian's voice.

“She will.”

Vanessa laughed.

“Then why give it to me tonight?”

“Because she needs to understand she's replaceable.”

The recording ended.

Nobody spoke.

Julian's face became stone.

Vanessa stared at him.

“You recorded us?”

Elena shook her head.

“You recorded yourselves.”

She held up a small security report.

“The penthouse voice-control system automatically archived commands after you instructed it to open the jewelry safe.”

Julian's breathing changed.

Elena looked at Daniel.

“Please secure the pendant.”

Vanessa quickly unclasped it.

Her fingers shook.

She placed it into Daniel's gloved hand.

Elena watched without satisfaction.

She had imagined recovering the necklace many times.

She never imagined it would feel like attending another funeral.

Julian approached her.

“We need to talk privately.”

“No.”

“Elena.”

“Everything we needed to say privately should have been said before tonight.”

His voice dropped.

“You're humiliating me.”

Elena looked at him for several seconds.

Then she gave him the exact words he had given her hours earlier.

“You don't belong here anymore.”

Julian flinched.

Elena turned away.

But Miriam stopped her.

“Elena.”

She handed her a tablet.

“There is something else.”

Elena read the screen.

Her expression changed.

Someone had attempted to access the Vale Legacy Trust files from inside the resort.

The login had failed.

But the username was unmistakable.

May you like

BREAKING NEWS: Washington, D.C. — New Details Just In… See More:

OMG: A Thoughtful Moment From Donald Trump in WashingtonWashington rarely slows down—but for a brief instant, it seemed like it di...

The Honeymoon That Broke My Trust-and the Famiily Truths That Helped Me...

He Framed My 8-Year-Old Daughter as a Thiief at His Wedding—Then the CCT...

JULIAN.MERCER.

And the attempt had occurred six months earlier.