Chapter 4 - The Trap is Sprung
The reception was in full swing. The champagne fountain bubbled continuously, the live orchestra played a soaring waltz, and two hundred of the city’s most prominent figures chatted beneath the glittering chandeliers.
I stood near the edge of the ballroom, holding a glass of sparkling water, watching the spectacle. Dominic was busy networking, laughing at the jokes of wealthy investors, entirely ignoring me.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing shriek cut through the music.
"My ring! It's gone!"
The orchestra faltered. The chatter died down instantly.
Chloe was standing near the center of the dance floor, staring at her bare left hand in absolute horror. Her husband, Lucas, looked bewildered, trying to calm her down.
"Chloe, what do you mean? You were wearing it a minute ago," Lucas said, looking around the floor.
"No! I took it off for a second to put on hand lotion near the dessert table!" Chloe cried, her voice carrying easily across the silent room. She looked around, her eyes scanning the crowd with terrifying intensity. "Someone stole it! My million-dollar diamond ring is gone!"
Eleanor rushed to her daughter’s side, her face twisted in theatrical outrage. "Who would do such a thing? In a room full of respectable guests?"
Then, right on cue, Chloe’s eyes locked onto me.
She slowly raised her arm, her finger pointing directly at my pale blue dress.
"Search her."
A collective gasp rippled through the two hundred guests. All eyes turned to me. I stood perfectly still, my hand resting over my stomach, feeling the baby kick gently inside me.
"Excuse me?" I said, my voice calm, contrasting sharply with Chloe's hysterical pitch.
"Search the parasite!" Chloe shouted, advancing toward me, her heavy gown rustling loudly against the marble. "She’s been staring at my ring all night! She’s the only one here who could never dream of affording something like that! She’s cheap trash, and she’s desperate!"
"Chloe, calm down," Dominic said, finally appearing at my side, but he was looking at his sister, not me. "Vivienne wouldn't do that."
"Oh, really, Dominic?" Eleanor sneered, joining her daughter. "Are you going to defend her now? Look at her! She’s been quiet and shifty all evening. Honest people have nothing to hide. If she didn't take it, she won't mind a search!"
Before I could step back, Chloe grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin.
"Let go of me, Chloe," I warned, my voice icy cold.
"Not until you give me back my ring!" Chloe yelled.
At that exact moment, Eleanor stepped behind me. With a sudden, violent yank, she grabbed the back of my pale blue maternity gown.
RIIIIP.
The sound of tearing silk echoed through the silent ballroom like a gunshot.
The outer layer of my dress split completely from my shoulder down to my waist, exposing the plain white silk lining underneath. The cool air of the ballroom hit my bare back. I felt a hot wave of humiliation rise up my neck, but I forced it down, replacing it with a cold, hard resolve.
"Oh my God!" someone in the crowd whispered.
"Did they just rip a pregnant woman's dress?" another guest muttered.
"Dominic," I said, my voice barely whisper-quiet, staring directly into my husband's eyes. "Say something. Do something."
Dominic looked at me, then at his mother, then at the two hundred pairs of eyes watching his every move. He swallowed hard. His face was a mask of cowardice.
"Vivienne..." he sighed, stepping back, removing himself from my space. "Just... let them search your things. We can sort this out afterward. Don't make a scene. It's Chloe's wedding."
In that exact moment, the final, tiny ember of love I had for Dominic Vance died. It didn't burn out; it was snuffed out by his absolute betrayal.
"Good," Eleanor declared, grabbing my designer purse from the table and dumping its contents onto the polished marble floor.
Clatter.
My lipstick, car keys, prenatal vitamins, wallet, and receipts scattered across the floor. Among the items was a sleek, black electronic access card with no markings other than a silver Sterling logo. Chloe kicked the items around with her heel.
"Where is it? Where did you hide it?" Chloe demanded, her face turning ugly with frustration.
Eleanor began roughly patting down the pockets of my torn dress, her hands heavy and disrespectful. I stood there, holding my torn dress together with one hand, protecting my belly with the other, watching them destroy themselves.
"She doesn't have it," a guest near the front said aloud. "Her pockets are empty."
Chloe's expression darkened. "She must have passed it to a server! Or hidden it under the tables! Search the whole area!"
I looked past Chloe’s shoulder. Near the ballroom entrance, the wedding planner was standing completely still, her face pale. Beside her, Chloe’s cousin, Amanda, was clutching her silver evening purse so tightly her knuckles were white.
I looked up at the high ceiling. The small, red light on the security camera above the exit was blinking steadily.
They had forgotten. In their desperation to humiliate me and establish my 'criminal' character before the fraudulent loan documents were processed, they had forgotten who owned the security system of this grand hotel.
I slowly reached down, picked up my phone from the floor, and dialed.
Chloe laughed, a harsh, mocking sound. "What now? Calling the police on yourself, trash?"
"No," I said, meeting Dominic's terrified eyes. "I’m calling my father."
The call connected on the first ring.
May you like
"Dad," I whispered into the receiver, my voice trembling slightly but clear. "It's time. Destroy them."
"Stay exactly where you are, sweetheart," my father’s calm, powerful voice replied. "Security is already moving."
