Chapter 3 - The Ghost of the Callaway Empire
A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the ballroom. Guests exchanged terrified, bewildered glances. The name "Callaway" had been legendary in the city's hotel industry, but eight years prior, Margaret's younger sister, Evelyn Callaway—the rightful sole heiress to the family empire—had vanished overnight without a trace.
At the time, Margaret had publicly claimed that Evelyn ran away to Europe after a secret scandal, leaving Margaret to assume total control of the multibillion-dollar hotel chain.
During that exact same month eight years ago, Clara Reeves—then a nineteen-year-old orphan working her very first shift at the Callaway flagship hotel—had been falsely accused of stealing Evelyn’s favorite diamond pendant. Clara had been fired without pay, blacklisted across the hospitality industry, and forced to work under the radar in low-wage cleaning jobs for nearly a decade just to survive.
Margaret’s hands shook uncontrollably, her glittering champagne gown rustling against the marble floor. "That's... that's insanity! My sister left the country! Everyone knows that! This maid was a thief then, and she's a thief now!"
Clara stepped forward, her voice ringing out crisp and clear before the fifty powerful guests.
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"I didn't steal a jewel eight years ago, Miss Callaway," Clara said, her chin held high. "I walked into the executive suite to deliver fresh linens and saw you standing over your sister's unconscious body while you stuffed her personal safe into a travel trunk."
👉 Keep reading to find out how Clara survived and returned to the estate.
