Chapter 7 - The Camera in the Hall
Vanessa called Mia a liar.
That was her second great mistake.
“She’s three!”
Vanessa shouted.
“She doesn’t understand what she saw!”
Damian stepped between her and the child.
“Enough.”
Charles finally spoke.
“Damian, don’t destroy your future because of a toddler’s imagination.”
Damian turned.
“Interesting choice of words.”
Charles’s eyes narrowed.
Owen arrived carrying a tablet.
“We checked the hall camera.”
Vanessa went still.
The video showed her entering the guest wing at 7:12.
Leaving three minutes later.
Nobody else entered Elena’s room.
The officer holding the bracelet looked at Vanessa.
“Ms. Hale?”
She swallowed.
“I went in to speak to Elena.”
“Elena was downstairs.”
“I didn’t know that.”
The lie sounded weak even to her.
Damian looked at the officers.
“I want to file a complaint.”
Vanessa snapped toward him.
“Against me?”
“For planting evidence.”
Charles stepped forward.
“This is getting absurd.”
Damian looked directly at him.
“Is it?”
Owen handed him the ledger.
Charles saw the cover.
For the first time all evening, real fear crossed his face.
Damian noticed.
“So you recognize it.”
Charles recovered quickly.
“I recognize nothing.”
Vanessa whispered.
“Damian.”
He opened the book.
“Marco Reyes.”
“Foundation access codes.”
“Board schedules.”
“Charles Cross.”
Guests had begun pulling out phones.
Charles lowered his voice.
“Not here.”
“You picked the battlefield.”
Damian handed the ledger to his attorney.
Vanessa suddenly lunged for it.
Owen blocked her.
“Don’t touch me!”
She screamed.
The polished socialite vanished.
“You think he cares about you?”
Vanessa shouted at Elena.
“You think any of this is about some stupid cake?”
Mia flinched.
Damian’s expression became lethal.
Vanessa pointed at Elena.
“He’ll get tired of playing hero.”
“Men like Damian don’t marry women who clean their floors.”
Elena’s face burned.
Damian walked toward Vanessa.
“No.”
“Men like me almost marry women like you because we confuse polish with character.”
The room went silent.
He removed his engagement ring from Vanessa’s finger.
Not violently.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
“You’re done.”
Vanessa stared at the ring in his palm.
Then she laughed.
A strange, broken laugh.
“You still don’t know everything.”
Damian said nothing.
She looked at Charles.
And Charles’s face told her to stop.
Too late.
Vanessa smiled at Elena.
“Ask him why your husband disappeared.”
Elena froze.
“What?”
Vanessa’s eyes glittered.
“Marco didn’t leave you because he wanted to.”
Charles whispered.
“Vanessa.”
But she kept going.
“He was paid the first time too.”
Elena’s knees almost gave out.
“By who?”
May you like
Vanessa looked directly at Charles Cross.
---
