Chapter 2 - The Woman in the Blue Dress
Lorenzo reached the stairs before anyone else.
Vincent followed.
I ran after them.
The security director shouted something behind us, but all I heard was Emma’s name inside my head.
Emma.
Emma.
Emma.
I had left her with Rosa, one of the older housekeepers, for less than fifteen minutes.
That suddenly felt like an unforgivable amount of time.
“Emma!”
My voice echoed through the upstairs corridor.
No answer.
Lorenzo was already pulling open the servants’ wing door.
My room stood twenty feet away.
The door was open.
A vase lay shattered outside it.
Rosa sat against the wall with one hand pressed to her forehead.
“Where is she?”
I dropped beside her.
“Where is Emma?”
Rosa blinked at me.
“She—someone—”
Vincent knelt.
“Who?”
“I didn’t see.”
My knees nearly gave out.
Then a tiny voice came from inside my room.
“Mama?”
I ran in.
Emma was under the bed.
I dropped to the floor.
She crawled into my arms so quickly that her forehead struck my chin.
I barely felt it.
“I’m here.”
She clung to my neck.
“I’m here.”
Lorenzo stopped in the doorway.
His face changed when he saw her.
Not relief exactly.
Something more violent.
Controlled fury.
Vincent helped Rosa stand.
“What happened?”
Rosa pressed a cloth to the small cut above her eyebrow.
“I was sitting outside. Emma was playing. Someone came from behind.”
“You didn’t see who?”
“No.”
“Man or woman?”
“I don’t know.”
“Perfume?”
The question came from me.
Everyone turned.
Rosa blinked.
“What?”
“Did you smell perfume?”
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
“Yes.”
My stomach turned.
“White flowers?”
Rosa looked surprised.
“Yes.”
Vincent’s eyes sharpened.
Vivien’s perfume.
Lorenzo looked at me.
“How did you know?”
I said nothing.
“Sophia.”
Emma tightened her arms around my neck.
I could feel Lorenzo waiting.
Could feel Vincent waiting.
I had kept silent for six days because Vivien had threatened my child without technically threatening her.
Now someone had attacked Rosa outside my room.
The camera had gone dark.
I could no longer pretend silence was protection.
“Because Vivien wears it.”
Lorenzo’s expression did not move.
“Lots of women wear perfume.”
“Not that one.”
Vincent spoke carefully.
“Sophia, what are you saying?”
I looked at him.
That was difficult.
Because the secret involved him.
Six days earlier he had been kissing Vivien.
If Lorenzo learned that, whatever existed between the two men would change permanently.
Vincent seemed to understand from my face.
His color drained.
“Sophia.”
Lorenzo noticed.
“What?”
Vincent looked away.
That was enough.
Lorenzo’s attention snapped toward him.
“What the hell is going on?”
I put Emma on the bed.
“Sweetheart, stay here.”
“No.”
“I’m not leaving.”
I moved only a few feet away.
Then I said it.
“Six nights ago, I saw Vivien in the west library.”
Lorenzo waited.
“With Vincent.”
Silence.
Vincent’s jaw flexed.
Lorenzo turned toward him.
“What does that mean?”
Vincent spoke first.
“Boss—”
“What does that mean?”
I forced myself to continue.
“They were kissing.”
The room changed.
I could not explain it differently.
There was no explosion.
No shouting.
Lorenzo did not punch Vincent.
That would have been easier.
He simply looked at him.
For a long time.
Vincent lowered his eyes.
“It happened.”
Lorenzo’s voice was almost calm.
“How long?”
“Once.”
Vivien’s voice came from behind us.
“Lorenzo.”
She stood at the end of the corridor.
Royal-blue dress.
Diamond bracelet.
White-flower perfume.
Her eyes went straight to me.
Only for a second.
Then to Vincent.
Then Lorenzo.
“It happened once.”
Lorenzo turned.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“I heard Rosa was hurt.”
“You knew fast.”
Her face tightened.
“Everyone downstairs knows.”
Vincent stepped between them.
“Vivien, don’t.”
She stared at him.
“You told him?”
“Sophia did.”
Something cold flashed through her eyes.
Then disappeared.
She looked at Lorenzo.
“It was a mistake.”
Lorenzo said nothing.
“A stupid, humiliating mistake.”
Still nothing.
“I was scared about the wedding. You were working every night. Vincent was there. We drank too much.”
Vincent shook his head.
“Don’t blame alcohol.”
Vivien stared at him.
“Why are you helping her?”
“Because you’re lying.”
My breath caught.
Lorenzo turned toward Vincent.
“What part?”
Vincent’s voice dropped.
“We didn’t drink.”
Vivien’s face went pale.
Vincent continued.
“She came to me sober.”
“Stop.”
“And she asked whether I thought you would still marry her if you discovered she’d been checking your private financial accounts.”
Lorenzo’s eyes narrowed.
“What accounts?”
Vivien took one step back.
Vincent seemed to hate every word leaving his mouth.
“Trust structures. Isabella’s inheritance. Your succession documents.”
Lorenzo’s expression became unreadable.
“And you kissed her?”
Vincent looked ashamed.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“She kissed me. I let it happen.”
“And then?”
“I stopped it.”
Vivien laughed bitterly.
“What a noble version.”
Vincent ignored her.
“She threatened Sophia afterward.”
Lorenzo’s head turned.
I stared at Vincent.
He knew?
“I heard part of it,” he said.
“Why didn’t you tell Lorenzo?”
“Because I was trying to fix my own mistake before destroying his engagement with an accusation I couldn’t prove.”
Lorenzo looked at him.
“You thought hiding it was fixing it?”
“No.”
Vincent swallowed.
“I thought I had time.”
Lorenzo’s eyes went toward Emma.
“You didn’t.”
Vivien folded her arms.
“This is insane. You’re all taking the word of an employee who knows she’s about to be fired.”
“I never fired her,” Lorenzo said.
Vivien blinked.
“You were going to.”
“No.”
“You found Isabella’s medicine in her child’s backpack.”
“And the footage was deleted.”
“That proves nothing.”
“It proves someone with security access removed eight minutes.”
Vivien’s face remained controlled.
“Then investigate security.”
“We are.”
Lorenzo walked toward her.
“You know the medicine cabinet code.”
“So does Vincent.”
“You knew Sophia’s medication bills had increased.”
“Everyone knew.”
“No.”
His voice stayed soft.
“Apparently only payroll knew.”
Vivien’s mouth tightened.
Lorenzo stepped closer.
“And you knew about Sophia’s daughter’s heart condition.”
“She works here.”
“You asked my attorney two weeks ago what happens to Isabella’s trust if I have another child.”
That landed.
Even Vincent looked surprised.
Vivien’s face changed.
“Because we are getting married.”
“You asked whether marrying me automatically gave you control over Isabella’s medical trust.”
“I was trying to understand our future.”
“Our future?”
Lorenzo repeated the words as if they tasted wrong.
Then Isabella appeared at the far end of the hall.
Everyone froze.
She wore pink pajamas and carried a stuffed rabbit.
“Daddy?”
Lorenzo immediately turned.
“Bella, go back to your room.”
She did not.
Her eyes found Emma.
“Is Emma in trouble?”
“No.”
Vivien said, “Sweetheart—”
Isabella flinched.
It was tiny.
But I saw it.
So did Lorenzo.
He walked toward his daughter.
“Bella.”
She looked up.
“Did you give Emma your medicine?”
“No.”
“Did Emma take it?”
“No.”
Vivien exhaled.
“Isabella doesn’t know what happened.”
Isabella looked at her.
Then at Lorenzo.
“Vivien put something in Emma’s bag.”
Nobody moved.
My heart stopped.
Lorenzo crouched.
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
Vivien laughed sharply.
“That’s impossible.”
Isabella’s lower lip trembled.
“She said it was a surprise.”
“What did she put in the bag?”
“I don’t know.”
Vivien stepped forward.
“Lorenzo, she’s five.”
Lorenzo held up a hand.
Vivien stopped.
He kept his eyes on Isabella.
“Where were you?”
“In the sunroom.”
“Was Emma there?”
“She was sleeping.”
“What did Vivien say?”
Isabella squeezed the stuffed rabbit.
“She said not to tell because Emma’s mommy might lose her job.”
My body went cold.
Vivien’s face emptied.
Vincent whispered, “Jesus.”
Lorenzo stood.
“Take Isabella to her room.”
I moved toward the child.
Vivien suddenly said, “No.”
Everyone looked at her.
Her composure cracked for the first time.
“She misunderstood.”
Lorenzo said nothing.
“She saw me put crayons in the bag.”
“Then why tell her not to tell?”
“I didn’t.”
Isabella started crying.
“You did!”
Lorenzo’s face hardened.
“Enough.”
Vivien stepped toward him.
“You cannot seriously believe a five-year-old over me.”
Lorenzo’s voice dropped.
“I believe my daughter.”
Vivien stared.
For the first time since I had known her, she looked frightened.
Vincent’s phone rang.
He answered.
Listened.
Then his entire posture changed.
“Where?”
Lorenzo turned.
“What?”
Vincent lowered the phone.
“Security found the terminal used to delete those eight minutes.”
Vivien’s breathing stopped.
“Whose terminal?”
Vincent looked directly at her.
“The one inside your private dressing room.”
Nobody spoke.
Then Lorenzo’s phone vibrated.
A message appeared.
He read it once.
Then again.
His face went white.
“What is it?” I asked.
He looked toward Isabella.
Then toward Emma.
“Someone accessed Isabella’s emergency medical file last night.”
Vincent frowned.
“From where?”
Lorenzo lifted his eyes.
“From Sophia’s employee account.”
I stared at him.
“That’s impossible.”
The next message arrived.
It contained a photograph.
May you like
A photograph of me sitting at the computer.
And behind me, barely visible in the mirror, someone was standing in the doorway.
