Chapter 3 - The Mirror Breaks
By 1:00 PM, cars were pulling up the winding driveway of the Sutherland estate. I sat in Lena’s car parked down the street, watching through high-powered binoculars as wealthy socialites, local politicians, and business partners stepped out in tailored suits and designer dresses.
"Look at them," Lena said, taking a sip of coffee from her thermos. "They have no idea they're walking into a crime scene."
"Marguerite won't cancel the party," I said, leaning back against the headrest. "Her pride is too large. She would rather pretend everything is fine in front of her friends than admit her life is falling apart."
Through the lens, I saw Marguerite standing at the front door, forcing a radiant, rigid smile as she greeted her guests. But Weston was standing near the grand window inside, frantically pacing with his phone glued to his ear.
"His primary credit lines were frozen twenty minutes ago," Lena noted, checking her tablet. "When he tries to settle the catering balance or pay for the bar service tonight, none of his corporate cards will clear. The bank has flagged everything tied to his corporate ID."
"What about the boutique records?" I asked.
"Solid," Lena replied, turning the screen toward me. "The paper trail shows that over $400,000 was systematically siphoned out of your personal salary account over five years and redirected to cover Marguerite’s personal tax debts. They left their fingerprints everywhere because they never expected you to look."
I touched the faint bruise on my scalp where Weston had yanked my hair the night before. The physical pain was gone, replaced by a cold, absolute clarity.
"They thought I was stupid because I was quiet," I murmured.
May you like
"Quiet isn't stupid," Lena said softly. "It just means you were taking notes."
At 2:30 PM, three black sedans pulled up to the driveway—not guests, but representatives from the State Revenue Agency, accompanied by legal couriers serving formal freeze notices directly to the front door in full view of forty-eight high-society guests.
