“She was horrible, Caden,” Kasey sobbed, leaning hard against the door of the waiting Rolls-Royce. “That woman deliberately hurt me. And the way she looked at me… like I was garbage.”
Gisele, guiding her children toward a waiting SUV, stopped. She turned, her expression hidden behind her sunglasses. “A small correction,” she said, her voice calm and clear enough to carry. “Not like you were. In my eyes, you are.”
She let her tone drop. “A third-rate actress who tries to trip a five-year-old in public.”
Kasey’s face went white, then flushed red. “You’re lying!” she shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at Gia. “It was your daughter! She tried to steal my diamond earring!”
Kasey claimed that in the confusion, one of her custom earrings had vanished, and she was certain the little girl had taken it.
Behind Gisele, Leo, hidden from view, gave his mother a tiny, almost invisible OK sign. In the split second his mother had confronted Kasey, his small, quick fingers had done their work. The diamond earring wasn’t stolen. It was tucked inside Kasey’s own designer handbag.
Gisele pulled Gia closer, her face all motherly concern. She spoke to Caden, voice steady. “Mr. Sterling, since Ms. Mack is making such a serious accusation, maybe we should call airport security. A simple search would clear this up.”
A small crowd had gathered, phones already out. Murmurs rippled through them.
Gisele kept her eyes on Kasey. “I’m sure Ms. Mack’s custom jewelry has her initials, KM, engraved on it. Once it’s found, there won’t be any question about the owner.” She let a small, knowing smile touch her lips. “After all, moving something that valuable from someone’s ear into their own purse takes a certain speed. Not everyone can manage it.”
The implication hung there. Kasey’s face drained. Her hand flew to her handbag—a dead giveaway.
The crowd’s murmurs grew louder. “Is she trying to scam a little kid?” someone whispered. “She hid it herself and tried to blame them?”
Gisele stood her ground, the picture of a wronged mother protecting her young. Kasey was trapped. A search would brand her a liar and a fraud, and that story would be everywhere in minutes.
She turned to Caden, crocodile tears filling her eyes. “Caden, you have to believe me! It wasn’t me!”
Caden’s patience had run dry. His face showed nothing but deep irritation. “Enough, Kasey,” he said, voice flat. “Stop embarrassing yourself.” He didn’t move to defend her.
Just then, Gia, overwhelmed by all the tension, fumbled her crystal ball again. It dropped to the pavement with a soft clink.
As if pulled by something unseen, Caden bent down. He picked up the ball, pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket, and carefully wiped the dust off. He held it out to Gia, and when he spoke, his voice was startlingly gentle. “Here. Hold on to it tightly this time.”
Gia, no longer afraid, looked up at the tall, imposing man. In a tiny voice, she said, “Thank you, handsome uncle.”
Something shifted in Caden’s chest—a faint tap on a locked door. He’d never once spoken to his own son, Rhys, with that kind of softness.
He placed the ball in Gia’s hand, then took Kasey by the arm and guided her firmly into the car. He didn’t look back.
As the Rolls-Royce pulled away, Caden glanced in the rearview mirror. He saw the woman, Thea, stroking her daughter’s hair. The look in her eyes, the two children… the cloud of suspicion in his mind thickened.
A discreet black SUV pulled up, and a woman named Martha opened the door for Gisele and the kids.
Once they were inside and moving through city traffic, Gia looked up at her mother. “Mommy, why did that lady want my ball?”
Gisele hugged her tight. “Because, sweetie, six years ago, she didn’t just want your ball. She stole everything that belonged to me, to you, and to your brothers.”
A cold light flickered in Gisele’s eyes. “But now, Mommy’s going to take it all back. Piece by piece.”
Leo, sitting beside them, spoke with a calm logic that didn’t match his age. “That man, Caden Sterling. He has to be our father. But he didn’t recognize us, and he helped that bad woman.”
He paused, his small face serious. “So until we get him away from her, he’s an enemy, too.”
Gisele stroked his hair. “You’re right, Leo. Which means we have to be very, very careful.”
Leo’s small hand clenched into a fist. “I’ll protect you and Gia.”
