Chapter 1: The Truth Beneath the Crystal
The marble foyer fell into a silence so complete that even the dust drifting through the air seemed afraid to move.
Emily remained on the staircase, both hands wrapped protectively around her unborn child. Her breathing came in shallow bursts as she stared at the mountain of shattered crystal lying exactly where she had been standing only seconds before.
The chandelier.
If Sophie hadn't pushed her...
She would already be dead.
Daniel's furious voice echoed through the mansion.
"She attacked my wife! Somebody call the police!"
Several guests instinctively stepped toward Sophie, but then a metallic clang interrupted the chaos.
Everyone looked down.
A pair of industrial pliers lay on the marble floor.
The jaws were wrapped with fresh strands of electrical wire that matched the broken cable hanging from the ceiling.
Nobody spoke.
Emily slowly lifted her eyes toward her husband.
"...Daniel?"
His face lost all color for the briefest moment.
Then his expression hardened.
"It isn't mine."
Nobody believed him.
One of the mansion's electricians pushed through the crowd.
He knelt beside the pliers, examining the cut wire.
His face tightened.
"This wasn't an accident."
He pointed toward the ceiling.
"Those support cables were deliberately weakened. Someone cut almost all the way through them."
The room erupted with whispers.
Daniel took one slow step backward.
Only Sophie noticed.
She saw his right hand disappear inside his tailored jacket.
Her stomach tightened.
Something was terribly wrong.
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Daniel wasn't trying to defend himself.
He was preparing to finish what he'd started.
