"Then perhaps you should stop asking me to give away things that were never promised to you."
For a moment, Vanessa's eyes hardened.
Then she smiled again.
"Fine. We don't have to discuss it now."
She turned toward the ballroom, where several guests were gathering near the stage.
But Eleanor noticed something.
Vanessa's handbag was slightly open.
And inside it, beneath a folded silk scarf, Eleanor could see a small velvet jewelry pouch.
Her heart began beating faster.
She recognized the pouch.
It belonged to the Whitmore family collection.
And she knew exactly what it contained.
Eleanor did not move.
She watched Vanessa disappear into the crowd, her magenta dress catching the golden light with every step.
Something was wrong.
The velvet pouch was supposed to be inside a locked display cabinet at the Whitmore residence. Eleanor had personally checked the collection three days earlier because the foundation planned to exhibit several family heirlooms during the anniversary celebration.
The diamond necklace was among them.
It had belonged to Richard's grandmother, a woman who had built the first Whitmore textile business from a tiny workshop and a handful of employees. The necklace was not merely expensive. It represented the beginning of everything the family possessed.
And now Vanessa appeared to have it.
"Margaret," Eleanor whispered.
Her friend followed her gaze.
"What is it?"
"Do you remember the necklace from Richard's grandmother?"
Margaret nodded.
"Of course. The one with the blue velvet case?"
"Yes."
Margaret glanced toward Vanessa.
"Are you saying she has it?"
"I don't know. But I intend to find out."
Eleanor excused herself and walked toward the quieter corridor leading to the hotel gardens.
She needed a moment to think.
For the past four months, she had noticed strange things happening around the estate.
First, several pieces of jewelry had disappeared from the upstairs dressing room.
Then an antique silver collection had been removed from the library without her permission.
When she questioned Daniel, he told her that the items had been transferred to a secure storage facility.
When she asked for the paperwork, he became irritated.
"Mother, you don't need to involve yourself in every little detail."
Every little detail.
That was what he called the disappearance of objects that had belonged to their family for generations.
Eleanor had remained quiet because she wanted to believe there was an innocent explanation.
She wanted to believe her son was simply overwhelmed by the responsibilities Richard had left behind.
But three weeks earlier, she had received an anonymous envelope.
Inside were photographs of Vanessa entering a private jewelry showroom with several Whitmore heirlooms.
There was also a printed bank statement showing a payment of nearly $180,000.
The account belonged to a company Eleanor had never heard of.
She had taken the documents to her attorney.
And what he discovered was worse than anything she had imagined.
The missing jewelry was only the beginning.
Someone had been transferring money from the family foundation into several private accounts.
Someone had also attempted to change the ownership structure of the Whitmore estate.
And the signatures on the documents appeared to be Eleanor's.
Except she had never signed them.
A voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Mother?"
Daniel stood at the entrance to the corridor.
His expression was tense.
"Why did you leave the ballroom?"
"I needed some air."
"Vanessa says you embarrassed her."
Eleanor looked at him.
"Did she also tell you what she was carrying in her handbag?"
Daniel frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
"The velvet jewelry pouch."
His face changed.
Only for a second.
But Eleanor saw it.
"Mother, please don't start."
"Don't start what, Daniel?"
"Accusing Vanessa of stealing things. She has been under a lot of pressure lately."
"Then perhaps you should ask her why she has something that belongs in the family collection."
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
"She was going to show it to you."
"Without asking?"
He said nothing.
Eleanor stepped closer.
"Daniel, I need you to answer one question honestly. Did you give Vanessa permission to take the necklace?"
He looked toward the ballroom.
"Not here."
"Then where?"
"Tomorrow. We can talk tomorrow."
Eleanor felt something inside her grow cold.
Tomorrow had become his favorite answer.
Tomorrow, he would explain the missing jewelry.
Tomorrow, he would show her the financial statements.
Tomorrow, he would arrange a meeting with the attorney.
Tomorrow, everything would make sense.
But tomorrow never arrived.
"Your father would have answered me," Eleanor said.
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"Don't bring Dad into this."
"Why not? This is his family."
"He's gone, Mother. Things are different now."
Eleanor looked at her son for a long moment.
"Yes. They are."
Then she returned to the ballroom.
At 8:45 p.m., the foundation's chairman announced the beginning of the formal program.
Guests took their seats.
A large screen illuminated the stage, displaying photographs of the foundation's charitable projects over the past twenty-five years.
There were pictures of children receiving scholarships, families moving into new homes, and hospitals receiving equipment funded by Richard's donations.