Chapter 3
The warm, golden atmosphere of the dining hall felt as though it had suddenly been plunged into ice. Before Mae’s fingers could even brush the intricate gold clasp of the broad bracelet, a shadow fell across the pristine white tablecloth.
Juliette Vance moved with striking, aggressive speed for a woman in a sculpted satin evening gown. She leaned sharply across the low arrangements of cream roses, her diamond earrings flashing violently in the light of the crystal chandeliers. Her manicured hand shot out like a striking viper, her long fingers clamping down hard around Mae’s slender wrist.
Mae gasped softly, her eyes widening in shock as she was halted in her tracks.
Juliette’s grip was surprisingly strong, her fingernails digging into the crisp white cuff of Mae’s sophisticated maid uniform. The thirty-three-year-old fiancée did not look at the maid. Instead, she lifted her chin and looked directly across the table at Gideon, who was watching the sudden interaction with absolute, terrifying stillness.
“She’s stealing your mother’s bracelet,” Juliette announced.
Her American accent carried a tone of amused disbelief, perfectly pitched to draw the attention of the immediate circle of guests. A small, chilling smile lifted the corners of her rosy lips, projecting the image of a protective future daughter-in-law who had just caught a servant in the act of a petty crime.
"I was doing no such thing," Mae protested softly, her voice strained but steady. She tried to pull her wrist back, but Juliette held on tightly.
"It's quite alright, Juliette," Esther whispered frantically, her frail hands trembling as she drew her injured arm close to her body, desperately trying to hide the heavy gold cuff beneath the silk fabric of her dress. "She was only trying to help me."
"Help you relieve yourself of a priceless piece of jewelry?" Juliette laughed lightly, the sound ringing hollow against the carved walnut walls. "Oh, Esther, you are far too trusting of the hired help. We must be vigilant."
Despite her amused tone, Juliette’s cold eyes carefully searched Gideon’s expression. She was testing the waters, calculating whether he would blindly accept her narrative or if she needed to push the lie further.
"Is this the caliber of staff we employ now?" a nearby uncle muttered, setting down his silver cutlery with a disappointed clatter. "Stealing from an elderly woman right in front of us?"
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Mae’s softly oval face flushed with a mixture of profound embarrassment and rising indignation. She looked down at Esther, seeing the sheer, paralyzing terror in the older woman's eyes. Esther was frightened into silence, terrified of the beautiful woman in the satin gown.
Juliette tightened her grip on Mae's wrist, her smile remaining fixed for the audience. She believed she had entirely controlled the narrative, utilizing the bright, luminous setting to mask the dark, treacherous reality of her own actions. She waited for Gideon to summon security and have the beautiful, graceful maid removed from the premises, permanently eliminating the only witness to her cruelty.
