Chapter 3 - The Secret in the Pantry
As the wealthy guests quietly filed out of the grand dining room under the watchful eyes of the security detail, Olivia stood frozen, clutching the silver food cloche to her chest like a shield.
Her mind flashed back to exactly two hours ago.
The estate had been bustling with caterers. Olivia had been sent to the deep walk-in pantry to retrieve the antique silver serving cloches. The pantry was located at the very back of the kitchen, dimly lit and rarely monitored.
As Olivia reached for the top shelf, she heard the heavy oak door click shut behind her.
She turned around and saw Vanessa. The elegant fiancée was wearing her dark red evening dress, but she wasn't looking for food. She was kneeling on the floor, her hands frantically working the dial of the hidden wall safe concealed behind a false cabinet panel.
Olivia had frozen in the shadows, holding her breath.
She watched in absolute shock as Vanessa pulled a velvet box from the safe. Inside the box was the Moretti family’s most prized possession—a flawless, fifty-carat blue sapphire necklace that Julian’s late mother had specifically requested be given to his future wife on their wedding day.
But Vanessa wasn't just admiring it.
She pulled a nearly identical, cheap glass replica out of her designer clutch purse. With trembling, greedy hands, she placed the fake replica into the velvet box and shoved it back into the safe, slipping the real, priceless sapphire into her own bag.
Olivia had been so stunned by the theft that she accidentally took a step backward. Her leather shoe squeaked loudly against the tile floor.
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Vanessa’s head snapped around. Her dark eyes locked onto the young maid hiding in the shadows.
👉 What horrific threat did the cruel fiancée make to ensure the maid's silence?
