Chapter 2
Claire opened her eyes to the sound of a machine beeping beside her bed.
For several seconds, she couldn’t remember where she was.
Then pain ripped through her shoulder.
Her breath caught.
The terrace.
The glass.
Emma screaming.
Claire tried to sit up.
A hand immediately pressed against her good shoulder.
“Don’t.”
Henry Whitmore’s voice was quiet, but there was something different in it.
Fear.
Claire had worked for the Whitmore family for almost four years.
She had seen Henry furious.
She had seen him grieving after his daughter-in-law, Olivia, died.
She had seen him cold enough to silence an entire boardroom with one look.
She had never seen him frightened.
“Emma?”
“She’s safe.”
Claire closed her eyes.
Only then did she breathe.
“Where is she?”
“At home. Daniel is with her.”
Claire looked toward the window.
Darkness covered the city.
“How long?”
“Thirty-six hours.”
Claire stared at him.
“What?”
“You were unconscious most of yesterday.”
Her hand moved toward the bandage around her forehead.
Fragments came back.
A crack above them.
Emma looking up.
Claire running.
Glass exploding against stone.
Then nothing.
Henry pulled a chair closer.
“There’s something you need to know.”
Claire studied his face.
“What happened?”
Henry reached into his coat pocket.
He placed a clear evidence bag on the bedside table.
Inside was a short piece of white braided rope.
Claire’s stomach tightened.
“I found this beneath the terrace railing.”
She looked at him.
“Rope?”
“One end was cut. The other had been tied around the release mechanism controlling the canopy supports.”
Claire went still.
The glass canopy hadn’t simply collapsed.
Someone had made it collapse.
“Who knows?”
“Almost nobody.”
“Police?”
“Not yet.”
Claire’s eyes widened.
“Henry.”
“I wanted to understand what we were dealing with first.”
“Someone tried to kill Emma.”
“I know.”
“Then call the police.”
“I will.”
He leaned forward.
“But I need you to hear everything.”
Something in his tone chilled her.
Henry took out his phone.
“The terrace camera stopped recording seven minutes before the canopy fell.”
Claire swallowed.
“Power failure?”
“No.”
“Technical problem?”
“No.”
“Then someone turned it off.”
Henry nodded.
“The system administrator login was used.”
“Who has that?”
“Daniel. Me. And Victoria.”
Claire’s eyes lifted.
Victoria Hale.
Daniel’s fiancée.
Perfect hair.
Perfect smile.
Perfect red fingernails.
Claire felt suddenly cold.
“No.”
“I haven’t accused anyone.”
“Emma said something before I passed out.”
Henry’s expression sharpened.
“What?”
Claire searched her memory.
Emma crying.
Tiny hands gripping Claire’s sleeve.
Then a sentence.
She remembered.
“She kept saying, ‘The red lady pulled it.’”
Henry’s jaw tightened.
“Red lady?”
“I thought she was confused.”
Claire looked at the evidence bag.
“She wasn’t.”
The hospital door opened.
Daniel entered.
His shirt was wrinkled.
His eyes were bloodshot.
He crossed the room in three steps.
“You’re awake.”
Relief broke across his face.
He took Claire’s hand.
“Thank God.”
Claire had never seen Daniel lose control.
Now his fingers trembled around hers.
“How’s Emma?”
“She keeps asking for you.”
“I want to see her.”
“You will.”
Daniel glanced at his father.
Something passed silently between them.
Claire noticed.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Daniel looked away.
Henry answered.
“Emma remembered more.”
Claire’s pulse quickened.
“What did she say?”
Daniel’s voice came out rough.
“She said she saw a hand behind the curtains.”
Claire waited.
“Red nails,” he continued.
“And a diamond ring.”
No one spoke.
Claire knew that ring.
Everyone did.
Victoria wore it constantly.
A large pear-shaped diamond surrounded by smaller stones.
Daniel had given it to her six months earlier.
Claire looked at him.
“Where is Victoria?”
His expression hardened.
“At the house.”
“With Emma?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
Daniel exhaled.
“I moved Emma into Dad’s guest wing. Security is outside.”
Claire relaxed slightly.
“What did Victoria say?”
“That Emma is traumatized and confused.”
Henry gave a bitter laugh.
“She also said Claire might have accidentally pulled something when she ran across the terrace.”
Claire stared at him.
“She blamed me?”
“She suggested it.”
Daniel’s face darkened.
“I told her never to say it again.”
The door opened once more.
This time Victoria walked in.
Claire immediately noticed her nails.
Dark red.
And the ring.
Still on her finger.
Victoria carried white flowers.
Her expression filled with concern.
“Oh, Claire.”
She approached the bed.
“You’re awake.”
Claire watched her.
Victoria set the flowers down.
“What you did for Emma was heroic.”
“Was it?”
Victoria paused.
Claire’s eyes dropped to the ring.
For the first time, she noticed something caught near one of the prongs.
A tiny white fiber.
Her heartbeat changed.
Henry noticed it too.
His gaze became razor sharp.
Victoria followed their eyes.
Then casually curled her fingers.
Claire’s mouth went dry.
“That’s pretty.”
Victoria smiled.
“My ring?”
Claire nodded.
“May I see it?”
Silence.
Daniel frowned.
“Claire?”
Victoria gave a small laugh.
“Of course.”
But she didn’t remove it.
Claire held out her hand.
Victoria’s smile tightened.
“Why?”
Henry stood.
“Give her the ring.”
Victoria turned toward him.
“What is going on?”
“The ring.”
Daniel stared at his fiancée.
“Victoria.”
Her face changed.
Only slightly.
But Claire saw it.
Fear.
Victoria pulled the ring off.
Before placing it into Claire’s palm, she rubbed her thumb over one side.
Henry moved instantly.
“Stop.”
Victoria froze.
“What?”
“You were trying to remove something.”
“I was not.”
Henry took the ring.
Daniel stepped closer.
He saw the fiber.
His face drained of color.
Victoria stared at all of them.
Then laughed.
It sounded forced.
“You cannot be serious.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Why is there white fiber on your ring?”
“I don’t know.”
“The rope beneath the canopy is white.”
Victoria’s eyes widened.
“Rope?”
She looked at Henry.
“You found a rope?”
Claire caught the mistake.
So did Henry.
He had never told her what had been found.
Daniel’s voice became very quiet.
“How did you know there was something beneath the canopy?”
Victoria’s lips parted.
“I didn’t.”
“You just said—”
“I heard him say rope.”
“No,” Claire whispered.
“He didn’t.”
Victoria looked at her.
Something cold appeared behind the concern.
“You’re medicated.”
Claire felt anger rise through the pain.
“I’m not deaf.”
Victoria turned to Daniel.
“This is insane. Your employee is accusing me of trying to murder your daughter.”
“Claire didn’t accuse you.”
Henry held up the ring.
“But this might.”
Victoria’s face became pale.
She reached for it.
Henry moved it away.
“I want my ring back.”
“You’ll get it back after it’s examined.”
“You have no right.”
Daniel stepped between them.
“My daughter almost died.”
Victoria stared at him.
“I love Emma.”
“Then help us understand.”
“I don’t have to prove myself to you.”
Daniel’s face broke for a moment.
“Yes, you do.”
Victoria took one step backward.
Then another.
Her eyes moved from Daniel to Henry.
Finally, they settled on Claire.
“You’ve always wanted this family to distrust me.”
Claire stared at her.
“I almost died protecting Emma.”
“And somehow you’re still making this about me.”
Henry reached for his phone.
“I’m calling Detective Monroe.”
Victoria’s composure vanished.
“No.”
Everyone looked at her.
She quickly corrected herself.
“I mean… shouldn’t we think about Emma first? Police will frighten her.”
Henry’s eyes narrowed.
“A murderer will frighten her more.”
Victoria’s face tightened.
“I did not hurt that child.”
“Then you have nothing to fear.”
Henry made the call.
Victoria stood in the middle of the room, silent.
Daniel didn’t touch her.
That seemed to frighten her most.
Twenty minutes later, Detective Sarah Monroe arrived.
She photographed the ring before placing it in another evidence bag.
Then she asked Victoria to stay.
Victoria refused.
Sarah’s expression remained calm.
“You’re not under arrest.”
“Good.”
“But leaving while we’re discussing possible attempted murder won’t make things easier.”
Victoria looked toward Daniel.
“Tell her.”
Daniel didn’t move.
Victoria’s voice cracked.
“You’re really choosing them over me?”
Daniel looked at her for a long moment.
Then said the words Claire knew would change everything.
“I’m choosing my daughter.”
Victoria’s eyes filled with tears.
But the tears disappeared almost as quickly as they came.
“All right.”
She picked up her purse.
“I’ll answer questions.”
Sarah nodded.
“In the hallway.”
Victoria followed her toward the door.
Before leaving, she glanced back at Claire.
For one terrifying second, the mask slipped completely.
There was no sadness.
No confusion.
No fear.
Only hatred.
Claire felt it like ice against her skin.
Then Victoria smiled again and disappeared.
Daniel sat down heavily.
“I brought her into my daughter’s life.”
Henry placed a hand on his son’s shoulder.
“We don’t know everything yet.”
Claire looked at the doorway.
“No.”
Her voice came softly.
“But she thinks we know too much.”
At that exact moment, Henry’s phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed immediately.
“What?”
Daniel stood.
“What happened?”
Henry listened.
May you like
Then looked directly at Claire.
“Emma’s missing.”
