Chapter 4 - The Diamond Setup
The alliance was forged in shadows. For three weeks, Maya played the perfect, subservient maid. She kept her head down, took Eleanor’s daily verbal abuse without a flinch, and scrubbed the floors until her hands bled. But every night, she and Julian plotted. Julian used his access to the family accounts to trace the money Eleanor had used to pay off the judge twenty years ago, while Maya painstakingly photographed every document in the hidden drawer.
But Eleanor was not a stupid woman. She was a predator, and predators can smell when the wind shifts.
It started on a Tuesday. Maya noticed Eleanor’s cold eyes lingering on her a second too long. Then, the hidden drawer in the study was emptied. Eleanor had realized someone had been in there.
"She knows something is wrong," Julian whispered to Maya in the pantry. "She’s moving assets offshore. We need to act fast."
"We don't have enough proof yet," Maya hissed back. "We need the original bank tapes."
They were running out of time, and Eleanor made the first strike.
Friday evening, Eleanor hosted a lavish charity gala to celebrate her "philanthropy." The mansion was flooded with politicians, celebrities, and flashing cameras. Maya was tasked with serving champagne, moving silently through the sea of silk and diamonds.
Midway through the evening, a piercing scream shattered the music.
Eleanor stood on the grand staircase, clutching her chest, pointing a trembling finger at her bare neck. "My necklace! The Sterling Sapphire! It’s gone!"
The room erupted into chaos. Security guards immediately locked the doors. No one was allowed to leave. Eleanor marched down the stairs, her eyes scanning the terrified staff lined up against the wall. Her gaze locked dead onto Maya.
"Search her," Eleanor commanded, her voice dripping with venom.
"Ma'am, I haven't left the floor all night," Maya said, trying to keep the panic from her voice.
Two massive security guards grabbed Maya by the arms, roughly patting down her apron. One of them reached into the deep front pocket of her uniform. His hand emerged holding a blindingly bright, heavy sapphire necklace.
May you like
Gasps rippled through the wealthy crowd.
"I knew it," Eleanor sneered, stepping close enough for Maya to smell her expensive perfume. "A thief and a rat. Call the police. I want her locked up for a decade."
