Chapter 4
Chloe clutched the vintage locket defensively against her chest, her fingers curling around the silver metal as if protecting her last remaining lifeline.
"It belonged to my mother... the only thing she left me before she disappeared twenty years ago," Chloe whispered back, her voice breaking with fresh emotion.
Victoria burst into hysterical laughter, crossing her arms over her crimson velvet dress with a cruel, mocking sneer.
"Oh, spare us the tragic orphan sob story, you pathetic little thief!" Victoria shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the maid.
"She stole that trinket from my jewelry box on her very first day of employment, Jaxson! She is a common liar and a criminal!"
Jaxson did not look at Victoria; he did not blink, nor did he loosen his grip on the black braided leather whip still dangling from his hand.
"She didn't steal it, Victoria, because I recognize the crest stamped on that silver teardrop," Jaxson stated, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper.
"That crest belongs to the Sterling family trust—the exact same trust your husband looted the night my sister vanished."
Victoria’s arrogant smirk evaporated instantly, the blood draining completely from her face as she staggered backward against the marble pillar.
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"You... you're a ghost," Victoria stammered, her knees trembling beneath her expensive gown as the terrifying truth dawned upon her.
"I am the reckoning you and your husband spent thirty million dollars trying to bury," Jaxson corrected her with terrifying calm.
