THE MAID’S REVENGE: A MOTHER’S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

"Your mother's?" I whispered, staring down at the heavy silver cross in my hand.

The dining room was a sea of staring faces, but I could only see Gabriel. His tall frame seemed to absorb all the light in the room. He reached out and gently took the rosary from my palm. His thumb brushed over a small, almost invisible dent on the back of the crucifix.

"My mother was wearing this the night she died," Gabriel said, his voice stripped of all emotion. "It was stolen from her neck. Twenty years ago. How do you have it?"

Panic clamped down on my chest. "I didn't steal it. I swear to you, Mr. Caruso. I didn't know."

"Then who gave it to you?" he demanded, stepping closer.

Molly squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her face against my apron. I put a protective arm around her, shielding her from the intensity of his gaze.

"My husband," I said, the words tasting like ash. "David. He gave it to me on our wedding day. He said it was a family heirloom."

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. "David who?"

"David Miller."

A sharp breath hissed through Gabriel’s teeth. He looked at me as if I had just struck him. "David Miller has been dead for five years."

"I know," I said, my voice breaking. "He died in a car accident before Molly started kindergarten."

Celeste let out a cruel, mocking laugh from the doorway. "Oh, this is rich. The grieving widow playing the victim. She's a thief, Gabriel. Have her arrested."

"Get out, Celeste," Gabriel roared, the sheer volume of his voice making the crystal glasses rattle. "If you are not off this estate in twenty minutes, I will have my men physically throw you into the street."

Celeste flinched, but she turned on her heel and stormed out, her heels clicking violently against the marble hallway.

Gabriel turned to his security chief, a broad-shouldered man named Elias who had been standing silently near the wall. "Clear the room. The dinner is over."

The guests didn't need to be told twice. They hurried out, murmuring and casting side-glances at me. Within minutes, the grand dining room was empty, save for Gabriel, Elias, Molly, and me.

"Mom?" Molly whispered, looking up at me with wide, terrified eyes. "Are we going to jail?"

"No, baby," I said, stroking her hair. "Nobody is going to jail."

Gabriel sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He looked at Molly, and his hard expression softened slightly. "Molly, no one is in trouble. But I need to speak with your mother alone. Elias will take you to the kitchen and get you whatever dessert you want. Is that okay?"

Molly looked at me for permission. I nodded, trying to force a reassuring smile. "Go with Elias, sweetie. I'll be right there."

As Elias led her away, Gabriel motioned for me to follow him. We walked into his private study, a dark, wood-paneled room lined with books and smelling of leather and scotch. He shut the heavy oak door behind us.

He walked over to his desk, placed the rosary on the blotter, and turned to me.

"Your husband didn't die in a car accident, Beth."

I stared at him. "What are you talking about? I identified the car. The police told me—"

"The police were paid off," Gabriel interrupted softly. "David Miller worked for my father. He was our accountant. And five years ago, he disappeared with three million dollars of our money, the night before he supposedly crashed."

The room spun. I grabbed the back of a leather chair to steady myself. David? An accountant for the mob? A thief? It couldn't be true. My David was a quiet man who fixed washing machines and read to Molly every night.

"You're lying," I choked out. "We lived in a one-bedroom apartment. We struggled to pay rent. If he stole three million dollars, where is it?"

"That is exactly what I have been trying to find out," Gabriel said. He looked at me closely, searching my face for any sign of deception. "He gave you the rosary. He told you it was a family heirloom. What else did he leave you?"

"Nothing," I cried. "Just debt and a broken heart."

I was so consumed by the shock that I didn't hear the study door open.

Elias stood in the doorway, his face pale.

"Boss," Elias said, his voice tight. "You need to come to the kitchen."

Gabriel frowned. "I told you to stay with the girl."

"I did," Elias said, swallowing hard. "But she found something."

I didn't wait for Gabriel. I pushed past Elias and ran down the hallway toward the kitchen.

Molly was sitting on a stool near the butcher block island. She wasn't eating dessert. She was staring at a piece of thick, glossy paper in her small hands.

"Molly," I gasped, rushing to her side. "What is it?"

She looked up at me, her eyes filled with confusion. "A lady in a black coat bumped into me in the hallway. She slipped this into my pocket."

I took the paper from her hands. My breath caught in my throat.

It was a first-class boarding pass for a flight to Zurich, departing tonight at midnight.