Amanda walked down the corridor. Her strides were long and aggressive. She gripped the emerald earring so tightly her knuckles turned white. The sharp metal posts dug into her palm, sending sharp spikes of pain up her arm. She needed the pain. It kept the rage from blinding her.
She pushed through the heavy double doors and stepped back into the ballroom. The heat and the smell of roasted meat hit her face, making her stomach roll, but she swallowed the bile down.
Her eyes scanned the massive room. She found them instantly. Julio was standing near a towering champagne pyramid. Seraphina was pressed against his side, her hand resting lightly on his forearm.
Amanda took a breath and stepped forward.
Suddenly, a loud mechanical clunk echoed through the room. The massive crystal chandelier above them went completely dark. The wall sconces flickered and died. The string quartet stopped playing mid-note.
The crowd gasped. The room fell into shadows.
A second later, a single, blinding white spotlight snapped on. It hit the small raised stage at the front of the room.
Amanda stopped walking. She stared at the stage.
Billie walked into the circle of light. She was holding the microphone stand with one hand. In her other hand, she held a small, dark velvet jewelry box. It was open and completely empty.
Billie looked out at the crowd. She blinked rapidly. A single, perfect tear rolled down her cheek. She pressed her free hand against her collarbone.
"I am so sorry to interrupt the party," Billie said into the microphone. Her voice trembled perfectly. "I went upstairs to put on my grandmother's emerald earrings for this special night. But my safe was forced open. The earrings are gone."
A wave of shocked whispers ripped through the ballroom. Guests looked at each other in disbelief. A robbery at the Rogers estate was unheard of.
Meredith pushed her way to the front of the crowd. Her face was purple with rage. She pointed a shaking finger at the head of security standing near the wall.
"Lock the doors!" Meredith screamed. "Nobody leaves until we find the thief!"
Amanda stood frozen in the dark. She stared at Billie's crying face. The emerald earrings belonged to Amanda, not Billie. Billie had lied to the entire room.
The pieces snapped together in Amanda's brain. Billie knew every inch of this house's security—she had grown up patching its old alarm systems with their father. Of course she could bypass a biometric safe in her own childhood home. Billie had stolen the earrings from Amanda's room, given them to Seraphina to wear as a sick joke, and was now using the "theft" to play the tragic victim and ruin the party.
A cold, hard laugh bubbled up in Amanda's throat. She swallowed it.
She pushed past a wealthy real estate developer. She shoved a socialite out of her way. She marched straight toward the edge of the spotlight. Her black heels slammed against the marble floor. The sharp, rhythmic clicking cut through the whispers of the crowd.
People turned to look at her. The crowd parted.
Julio saw her walking. He dropped Seraphina's arm and stepped forward. He glared at Amanda and tugged his tie.
"Stop," Julio hissed under his breath. "Do not make a scene right now."
Amanda walked right past him. She stopped at the edge of the stage, directly in the light. She looked up at Billie.
"The earrings were not stolen," Amanda said. Her voice was not loud, but it was sharp enough to cut glass. It carried across the silent room.
The crowd went dead quiet.
Billie's hand dropped from her collarbone. Her eyes widened. "Amanda, what are you talking about?"
Amanda turned her back to the stage. She looked directly into the crowd. She raised her left hand and pointed her index finger straight at Seraphina. The spotlight operator, following her gesture, swung the harsh beam toward Seraphina, trapping her in a pool of white light.
"They were not stolen," Amanda repeated. "Because I just saw that woman wearing them in the hallway."
Hundreds of eyes shifted instantly from Amanda to the now brightly illuminated Seraphina.
Seraphina gasped. She took a step backward and hit the table holding the champagne pyramid. The glasses rattled dangerously. Instinctively, Seraphina reached up and slapped her hand over her left earlobe, where the remaining earring still hung.
The physical movement was a confession. The crowd murmured.
"Move your hand," Amanda commanded. She took a step toward Seraphina. "Show everyone what is on your ear."
Meredith's eyes narrowed. She looked at Seraphina, then at the security guards. "Grab her," Meredith barked.
Two massive men in black suits lunged forward. They grabbed Seraphina by the arms. Seraphina screamed. She thrashed against their grip, her cheap silk dress tearing at the seam.
"I didn't take anything!" Seraphina shrieked. She looked wildly at Julio. "Help me!"
Amanda walked up to Seraphina. She looked at the woman's terrified face.
"You dropped something in the hall," Amanda said.
Amanda raised her right hand. She slowly uncurled her fingers. Her palm was covered in deep, red half-moon indentations from where the metal had dug into her skin.
Resting in the center of her bruised palm was the heavy, antique emerald earring. The diamonds caught the spotlight and threw fractured beams of light across the room.
The crowd erupted into loud gasps.
Seraphina stared at the earring. The blood left her face entirely. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed toward the floor, held up only by the grip of the security guards.
