Chapter 5 - The Owner Arrives
Gabriel arrived less than ten minutes later.
He had been only a few blocks away when Vivienne called. The officers with him had already been dispatched after Marcus reported a disturbance and possible theft involving a high-value item.
Once the ballroom doors closed, Gabriel removed his jacket and placed it over Vivienne’s shoulders.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“The baby?”
“She’s moving.”
He placed a hand gently against her shoulder.
“I’m sorry I was not here sooner.”
Vivienne looked toward Dominic.
“So am I.”
Dominic attempted to approach them.
Gabriel stepped between him and Vivienne.
“You have done enough.”
Chloe’s fiancé, Nathan, finally spoke.
“I want to see the footage.”
Chloe turned toward him.
“You believe them?”
“I believe evidence.”
Marcus connected his tablet to the ballroom’s presentation screen.
The wedding photographs disappeared.
A security recording appeared in their place.
The first video showed the corridor outside the bridal suite forty minutes before Chloe announced the ring was missing.
Chloe entered the room alone.
Five minutes later, she emerged wearing the ring.
She looked in both directions, removed it from her finger and slipped it inside the folds of a white handkerchief.
The guests began whispering.
Chloe shook her head.
“That proves nothing. I was protecting it.”
The recording continued.
Chloe walked to the floral preparation room.
Eleanor was waiting inside.
There was no camera in the room, but another camera captured the open doorway.
Chloe gave Eleanor the handkerchief.
Eleanor placed it inside a silver champagne bucket and covered it with a folded cloth.
Nathan stared at his bride.
“What were you doing?”
“It isn’t what it looks like.”
Marcus opened a second recording.
This one came from a microphone located near the service entrance. The sound was not perfect, but Chloe’s voice was recognizable.
“Once everyone sees something hidden in her gown, Dominic won’t be able to defend her.”
Eleanor answered.
“He never defends her anyway.”
Several guests turned toward Dominic.
His face became colorless.
The recording continued.
Chloe said, “The copy goes into the lining. The real ring stays in the bucket until after the insurance claim.”
Eleanor replied, “And if the police search her?”
“They’ll find the replica. By the time anyone understands, the story will already be everywhere.”
Nathan stepped away from Chloe.
“You planned to report my grandmother’s ring as stolen?”
Chloe began crying.
“I was trying to protect our future.”
“By committing insurance fraud?”
“The wedding bills are larger than I expected.”
“How much larger?”
She did not answer.
The wedding planner approached Nathan and handed him a folder.
“Four hundred and eighty thousand dollars remains unpaid.”
Nathan looked at the invoices.
“We agreed on a total budget.”
Chloe’s voice rose.
“I deserved the wedding I wanted!”
Gabriel turned toward Marcus.
“Find the champagne bucket.”
One of the security guards returned to the bridal suite.
Less than two minutes later, he came back carrying a silver bucket.
Inside it was a white handkerchief.
Inside the handkerchief was Chloe’s blue diamond ring.
The officer placed it inside an evidence bag.
Chloe stared at it.
Eleanor gripped the edge of a table.
Vivienne looked down at the torn gown beneath Gabriel’s jacket.
The missing ring had never been missing.
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The accusation had never been a mistake.
It had been a performance.
