Chapter 3 - The Cubic Zirconia Queen
"Eviction?" Beatrice screeched, her voice cracking. "This estate has been in the Vance family for four generations! You cannot simply walk in here and—"
"The estate," the lawyer interrupted coldly, "was quietly remortgaged three years ago to save your son's failing development firm. The Sterling Fund purchased that debt. Since you are in default, the property defaults to the fund."
Chloe’s eyes darted wildly around the room. The luxurious life she had just secured by destroying Julian’s marriage was evaporating before her eyes. Panic set in. If the Vance money was gone, she needed an exit strategy. Fast.
She backed away slowly, slipping up the stairs while Julian and Beatrice argued pointlessly with the marshals. Entering the master suite, she rushed to her vanity and grabbed the antique leather jewelry case. The Habsburg diamond. Beatrice’s prized heirloom. Chloe had pocketed it during the gala chaos, intending to frame Seraphina. Now, it was her golden parachute.
She pulled out a jeweler’s loupe she kept for appraising her "gifts" and examined the massive, glittering stone in the morning light.
Chloe gasped. She dropped the stone onto the glass table, horrified.
It wasn't a diamond. It was a high-grade cubic zirconia replica. There was a tiny, microscopic engraving on the side of the setting: Property of Vance Estate - Replica.
The real Habsburg diamond had been sold off years ago. The Vance family’s entire existence was smoke and mirrors.
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"Looking for a way out, Chloe?"
She spun around. Julian was standing in the doorway, his eyes dark, having caught her holding the stolen jewel. The realization hit him like a freight train. Seraphina hadn't stolen the diamond. Chloe had. And his mother had known.
