Chapter 4 - DIANE’S FIRST LIE
Diane Langley was still seated at Table One.
She had not moved.
Not when Victoria was humiliated.
Not when Charles was accused of fraud.
Not when Evelyn claimed to be his daughter.
Not even when security sealed the ballroom.
She simply sat beneath the chandeliers with one hand around a glass of untouched champagne.
Evelyn saw her from the staircase.
Victoria saw her too.
“Mom.”
Diane looked up.
Her face was calm.
Too calm.
Victoria crossed the ballroom.
Evelyn followed several steps behind.
Charles saw them.
His expression changed immediately.
“Victoria.”
She ignored him.
“Victoria, stop.”
She kept walking.
Charles tried to intercept her.
Marcus blocked him.
Victoria reached the table.
Diane looked at her daughter.
“You look upset.”
Victoria stared at her.
“Upset?”
Diane placed the glass down.
“What happened upstairs?”
“You know exactly what happened.”
“No.”
Victoria laughed bitterly.
“You’re lying already.”
Diane’s eyes moved toward Evelyn.
Then back to Victoria.
“Sit down.”
“I don’t want to sit down.”
“Victoria.”
“Did you give birth to me?”
The question hit the room like another explosion.
People nearby stopped whispering.
Diane looked at Charles.
He gave the smallest shake of his head.
Evelyn noticed.
So did Victoria.
“Don’t look at him.”
Victoria leaned toward her mother.
“Look at me.”
Diane slowly turned back.
“Did you give birth to me?”
A long silence followed.
Then Diane said,
“Yes.”
Victoria’s eyes filled with tears.
Evelyn watched carefully.
“Where?”
Diane blinked.
“What?”
“Where was I born?”
“St. Catherine’s.”
“What time?”
Diane hesitated.
Victoria noticed.
“What time, Mom?”
“Early morning.”
“What time?”
“I don’t remember.”
“You told me every birthday that I was born at 2:17 a.m.”
Diane’s mouth tightened.
Victoria’s voice cracked.
“So tell me.”
“Was it 2:17?”
Diane said nothing.
Victoria looked at Evelyn.
Then back.
“Uncle Robert says Margaret Vale gave birth to twins.”
Diane’s face remained still.
“He says Charles took one.”
Still nothing.
“He says that child was me.”
Diane finally spoke.
“Robert has always been unstable.”
Victoria laughed.
“He confessed.”
“He lies.”
“About stealing a baby?”
Diane stood.
“Enough.”
Victoria didn’t move.
“No.”
Diane’s voice sharpened.
“I said enough.”
“And I said no.”
For the first time, mother and daughter stared at each other as equals.
Diane lowered her voice.
“You are emotional.”
Victoria’s face twisted.
“You know what’s funny?”
“What?”
“That’s exactly what Dad says whenever a woman asks a question he doesn’t want to answer.”
Charles looked away.
Evelyn almost smiled.
Victoria noticed.
“Don’t.”
Evelyn’s expression flattened.
“I’m not enjoying this.”
“You should.”
Victoria wiped a tear angrily.
“I treated you like garbage.”
“Yes.”
“I told you I owned people like you.”
“Yes.”
“I put my hands on you.”
“Yes.”
Victoria swallowed.
“And now you might be my sister.”
Evelyn looked at her.
“That doesn’t erase what you did.”
Victoria flinched.
“I know.”
It was the first sincere thing Evelyn had heard from her.
Diane interrupted.
“She is not your sister.”
Evelyn turned.
“Prove it.”
Diane looked at her.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
Evelyn stepped closer.
“DNA test.”
Diane’s expression changed.
Barely.
But enough.
Evelyn saw it.
Victoria saw it too.
“Why did that scare you?”
Diane laughed.
“It didn’t.”
“Then agree.”
Diane picked up her purse.
“We’re leaving.”
Marcus stepped into her path.
“No one leaves.”
Diane stared at him.
“Move.”
“No, ma’am.”
Her voice became colder.
“Do you know who my husband is?”
Marcus almost smiled.
“We’ve covered that question tonight.”
Several guests laughed nervously.
Diane looked furious.
Evelyn stepped closer.
“You knew Margaret.”
Diane looked at her.
“No.”
“You knew her.”
“I did not.”
Evelyn removed the silver pin.
Diane’s eyes dropped toward it.
And stayed there half a second too long.
Evelyn saw it.
“You recognize this.”
“No.”
“You do.”
Diane looked away.
Evelyn’s voice hardened.
“My mother kept it for thirty-two years.”
“She said it belonged to the man who destroyed her life.”
Charles suddenly shouted,
“That’s enough!”
Everyone turned.
Diane looked at him.
Something passed between them.
Fear.
Not affection.
Not loyalty.
Fear.
Evelyn noticed.
Then Nathan approached quickly.
He held a tablet.
“We have the balcony footage.”
Evelyn turned.
“Show me.”
Nathan hesitated.
“What?”
“You need to see it privately.”
Evelyn looked toward Charles.
“No.”
“Put it on the screens.”
Charles immediately protested.
“Absolutely not.”
Evelyn smiled.
“Now I definitely want it on the screens.”
Nathan connected the tablet.
The giant display changed.
A security recording appeared.
Timestamp: 9:42 p.m.
The balcony was empty.
Then a figure entered.
Black jacket.
Black gloves.
Face hidden by a cap.
The person walked toward the railing.
Dropped the phone.
Then disappeared into the corridor.
Victoria frowned.
“That could be anyone.”
Nathan advanced the footage.
A second camera captured the figure near the service stairs.
For one second, the person turned.
The face remained hidden.
But the right hand touched the railing.
A ring reflected beneath the emergency light.
Black stone.
Silver band.
Evelyn stopped breathing.
Diane dropped her purse.
It hit the floor.
Everyone looked at her.
Victoria whispered,
“Mom?”
Diane stared at the screen.
Evelyn slowly turned toward her.
“You know that ring.”
Diane shook her head.
“No.”
“You know who it belongs to.”
“No.”
Evelyn walked toward her.
“Who is he?”
Diane backed away.
Charles shouted,
“Diane, don’t say anything.”
Victoria turned on him.
“Why?”
Charles said nothing.
Diane’s breathing became uneven.
Evelyn continued.
“My mother died afraid of that ring.”
“Robert was attacked before he could name its owner.”
“And you nearly collapsed when you saw it.”
“Tell me who he is.”
Diane’s eyes filled with tears.
Then she whispered,
“He isn’t supposed to be alive.”
Evelyn felt cold.
“Who?”
Diane looked at Charles.
Charles shook his head.
“Don’t.”
Diane looked at Victoria.
Then Evelyn.
And finally said the name.
“Alexander Vale.”
Evelyn stared at her.
“My grandfather?”
Diane shook her head.
“No.”
“Margaret’s brother.”
Evelyn frowned.
“My mother didn’t have a brother.”
Diane laughed bitterly.
“That’s what she believed.”
Evelyn went still.
Diane continued.
“Alexander wasn’t her brother.”
“He was her husband.”
The ballroom erupted.
Evelyn could barely hear it.
“My mother was never married.”
“Yes, she was.”
Diane’s voice trembled.
“And Charles wasn’t the man who got her pregnant.”
Evelyn looked at Charles.
Victoria did too.
Charles closed his eyes.
Diane whispered,
“Alexander was.”
Evelyn’s world seemed to tilt.
The message returned to her.
YOU FOUND THE WRONG FATHER.
Victoria whispered,
“So Charles isn’t our father?”
Diane shook her head.
“No.”
Charles suddenly shouted,
“You don’t know that!”
Diane turned toward him.
“I was there.”
Silence.
Charles stared at her.
Diane’s eyes were filled with thirty-two years of hatred.
“I was there the night you helped Alexander Vale steal his own daughters.”
Victoria stopped breathing.
Evelyn stared at Charles.
And suddenly the story became much darker.
Charles hadn’t stolen a child because he was her father.
May you like
He had stolen a child for someone else.
And that someone was still alive.
