Chapter 3 - The Heavy Gold Locket
The silence in the backyard was broken only by the sound of Renee thrashing in the deep end.
"Mommy!" Zoe cried out, her small voice piercing the humid Georgia air.
Renee dragged herself to the metal ladder, her uniform clinging to her skin like a lead weight, her twisted ankle shooting blinding pain up her leg. She pulled herself onto the hot concrete, coughing violently, wrapping her arms around her shivering body.
Victoria didn't move to help her. Her eyes were locked onto the small child holding her gold locket.
"Give that back to me, you little brat," Victoria hissed, lunging forward.
But Zoe was quick. She scrambled backward, clutching the locket tightly against her chest, her dark eyes wide with terror. She ran straight to her mother, burying her face into Renee’s wet shoulder.
"It's okay, baby, I'm okay," Renee gasped, pulling Zoe close. She looked up at Victoria, the professional smile finally, permanently gone. "What is wrong with you? I could have drowned!"
Victoria regained her composure, smoothing the front of her crimson dress. The cold, calculating mask slipped perfectly back into place. "Don't be dramatic, Renee. You slipped. You were walking backward and you clumsily fell in. It’s exactly why we shouldn't hire people who can't handle basic instructions."
Renee stared at her, stunned by the sheer audacity of the lie. "You pushed me. Zoe saw you."
"A three-year-old?" Victoria laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Who is Marcus going to believe? His future wife, or a clumsy maid and a toddler who barely speaks sentences? You better watch your step, Renee. Literally. Now, tell your child to hand over my necklace before I call the police and report you for theft."
Renee felt the small, heavy metal object pressed against her chest in Zoe’s fist. She gently pried her daughter’s fingers open.
It was a beautiful, vintage gold locket. Heavy. Expensive. But the clasp had broken when it caught on Renee’s uniform during the shove. The impact with the ground had popped the latch open.
Renee looked down at the exposed inside of the locket.
There was no picture of Marcus. There was no picture of Victoria's wealthy parents.
Inside the locket was a tightly folded, worn piece of paper, and a tiny silver key.
"Give it to me," Victoria commanded, her voice trembling with a sudden, uncharacteristic panic. She took a step forward, her eyes fixated on the open locket. It wasn't anger in her eyes anymore. It was pure, unadulterated fear.
Before Renee could hand it over, the heavy glass doors of the patio slid open.
Marcus stepped out, holding a cell phone, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What on earth is going on out here? Renee, why are you soaking wet?"
Victoria instantly pivoted, her face transforming into a mask of pure distress. She ran to Marcus, burying her face in his chest. "Oh, Marcus! It was awful! I was trying to talk to Renee about the gala preparations, and she just snapped. She started yelling, and then she tripped and fell into the pool. I tried to grab her, but she ripped my grandmother's locket right off my neck!"
Marcus looked at Renee, shocked. "Renee? Is this true?"
Renee sat on the wet concrete, clutching her daughter, the heavy gold locket resting in her palm. She had spent fifteen years swallowing her pride, protecting her job, keeping the peace. But she looked at Zoe, who was shaking with fear because she had watched a grown woman try to hurt her mother.
"No, sir," Renee said quietly, her voice steady and clear. "She blindfolded me and pushed me into the deep end."
"Marcus, she's lying!" Victoria cried, clinging to his arm. "She's trying to steal from us! Look, she still has my locket in her hand!"
Marcus frowned, looking between his soaking wet housekeeper and his frantic fiancée. He walked slowly toward Renee. "Renee, please give Victoria her necklace."
Renee slowly stood up, wincing as her twisted ankle bore her weight. She didn't hand the locket to Victoria. She handed it to Marcus.
"I didn't steal it, Mr. Whitfield," Renee said, looking him dead in the eye. "It broke when she shoved me. And when it opened, I couldn't help but notice what was inside."
Marcus looked down at the open locket in his hand. He saw the tiny silver key. And he saw the folded piece of paper.
Curiosity overpowering him, Marcus gently unfolded the tiny slip of paper.
Victoria let out a strangled gasp, lunging to grab it, but Marcus stepped back, holding it out of her reach.
He read the words on the paper. The color completely drained from his face.
May you like
He looked at his fiancée, the woman he was supposed to marry in a month, as if she were a total stranger.
"Victoria," Marcus whispered, his voice shaking. "Who is Julian? And why does this note say you owe him two hundred thousand dollars by the night of our gala?"
