The emerald earring gleamed in Amanda's palm. The whispers of the crowd turned into a loud, buzzing roar of judgment directed at the woman hanging from the guards' hands.
Seraphina's makeup ran down her face in dark streaks. She shook her head violently from side to side.
"I didn't steal it!" Seraphina sobbed. She twisted her neck and locked her eyes on Julio. She bit down hard on her lower lip, her chest heaving. "Julio, please! Tell them!"
Julio's face was rigid. He looked at the earring in Amanda's hand, then down at Seraphina's tear-stained face. The muscle in his jaw ticked.
He shoved his way past a group of shocked investors. He threw his shoulder into the chest of the security guard holding Seraphina's right arm.
"Get your hands off her," Julio growled.
The crowd gasped again. The heir to the Mathews family was physically fighting security for a thief.
Julio ripped off his custom suit jacket. He wrapped it tightly around Seraphina's shaking shoulders and pulled her flush against his chest. He glared at the room, daring anyone to step forward.
Amanda watched his hands pull the fabric around the other woman. A block of solid ice formed in her chest. Her lungs felt paralyzed.
"Are you insane?" Amanda asked. Her voice cracked. She pressed her free hand hard against her stomach to stop the cramping. "She is wearing stolen jewelry. You are protecting a thief."
Julio snapped his head toward Amanda. The look in his eyes was pure, unadulterated hatred.
"She is not a thief," Julio yelled. He pointed a finger directly at Amanda's face. "You are a liar. You planted that earring on her."
The ballroom went dead silent again.
Amanda's eyes widened. She looked at the heavy emerald in her hand. She looked back at Julio. "What?"
"You are jealous of her," Julio said. His voice echoed off the high ceiling. "Seraphina is brilliant at work. You are nothing but a cold, paranoid shrew. You brought that earring down here and dropped it to frame her, just to ruin this party."
The crowd inhaled sharply. The socialites who had mocked Seraphina earlier were now looking at Amanda with deep disgust.
Amanda's hand began to shake. She held the earring up higher. "This is physical proof! I found it on the floor after she ran out of the hallway!"
Julio scoffed loudly. He pulled Seraphina closer. "You are having a psychotic break, Amanda. You have been acting crazy for months. You make up lies to get attention because you know I am tired of you."
Seraphina buried her face in Julio's chest. She let out a loud, pathetic sob. Her fingers clutched the fabric of his shirt, playing the helpless victim perfectly.
On the stage, Billie leaned into the microphone.
"Amanda, please," Billie said. Her voice was soft and full of pity. "Do not use grandmother's memory to bully someone. It is cruel."
The crowd turned entirely against Amanda. The whispers grew louder, filled with words like "crazy," "jealous," and "pathetic."
Amanda stood alone in the center of the spotlight. The physical weight of the stares pressed down on her shoulders. The room started to spin. Her vision blurred at the edges.
She bit down on the inside of her cheek until she tasted fresh blood. The sharp pain forced her brain to focus. She locked her knees to keep from falling.
She stared directly into Julio's eyes.
"You are throwing away basic facts and human dignity for her?" Amanda asked. Her voice was a raspy whisper, but the room was so quiet everyone heard it.
"The fact is you are a liar," Julio said coldly. "Apologize to Seraphina right now, or I am calling off the wedding."
The threat hung in the air.
Meredith broke through the crowd. She lunged at Amanda. Her manicured hands clamped down on Amanda's wrist. Meredith dug her nails into Amanda's skin and violently ripped the emerald earring out of her palm.
"Shut your mouth!" Meredith hissed in Amanda's ear. "You are destroying this family. Apologize to him immediately."
Amanda looked at her mother's furious face. She looked at the empty space in her palm where the earring had been.
The last thread holding her heart together snapped. It did not hurt anymore. The ice in her chest expanded, freezing everything inside her.
Amanda stood up perfectly straight. She looked at Julio. She looked at Seraphina. She looked at Meredith.
The corners of Amanda's mouth twitched. She smiled. It was a cold, dead, terrifying smile.
She turned her gaze back to Billie on the stage. "Before I apologize," Amanda said, her voice piercing the silence, "tell me, Billie. Does the earring you claim to have lost have my grandmother's initials, 'AR', engraved on the back of the gold setting? Because the one in my mother's hand does. Let us see yours."
Billie's fake tears instantly stopped. The color drained from her face. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The crowd shifted, murmuring in confusion as they noticed Billie's sudden panic.
Julio saw the smile fade from Billie's face, but he was too arrogant to understand the trap. He still thought he had won. He let out a breath and turned to lead Seraphina away.
The heavy wooden doors at the back of the ballroom slammed open.
Rosa, the housekeeper, ran into the room. She was panting heavily. In her hands, she held a silver serving tray high above her head.
"Wait!" Rosa yelled.
