Chapter 6 - The Setup
The morning sun filtered through the high arched windows of the mansion's main corridor, casting long geometric shadows across the polished marble floors. I was carrying a stack of freshly laundered linens toward the west wing when a heavy hand grabbed my arm, spinning me around. It was Vanessa. She wore a tailored cream coat over a silk dress, her dark hair pinned into an immaculate updo, but her eyes were wild with suppressed panic.
"You think you've won something, don't you?" Vanessa hissed, stepping into my personal space. Her diamond necklace caught the light, sparkling like ice. "A little maid from a condemned tenement plays the victim, and suddenly Luca is turning his entire board upside down."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Ms. Bellini," I said, trying to pull my arm away.
"Don't play innocent with me," she spat, her voice rising sharply. Before I could react, she reached into her large leather handbag, pulled out a heavy diamond tennis bracelet—one I had seen glinting on her wrist at dinner—and shoved it deep into the front pocket of my black apron. "You're a thief, Emma. You steal from the guests, and by noon, Luca will see you for what you really are."
"What are you doing?" I gasped, stepping back in horror as she raised her voice, turning toward the foyer where two estate guards were standing near the double doors.
"Help! Someone help me!" Vanessa cried out, theatrical tears instantly welling in her eyes. "My bracelet! It's missing from my dressing case, and she has it! She was hovering over my jewelry box this morning!"
The guards rushed forward, their faces stern and professional. "Miss Reed, empty your pockets."
My heart hammered against my ribs. I looked toward the staircase, and there, standing on the landing halfway down, was Luca. His dark gaze swept over the scene, taking in Vanessa's feigned distress, the guards' rigid postures, and my own frozen panic. He descended the stairs in slow, measured strides, the atmosphere in the hallway dropping ten degrees.
"What is the meaning of this?" Luca asked, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.
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"Luca, thank God," Vanessa sobbed, rushing to his side and clutching his arm. "I caught her red-handed. She took my diamond bracelet from my suite. Search her apron, Luca. Look at what kind of person you're keeping in your house."
Luca looked down at me. I didn't look away, holding his gaze even as my hands trembled at my sides. He didn't reach for the pocket. Instead, he turned his cold, piercing eyes toward the security camera mounted discreetly in the corner of the ceiling.
