Everyone thought Lucia was the thief because she was wearing a maid's uniform… until Mateo spoke up and said he had seen the real person hiding the necklace.

The grand hall erupted into a chaotic, deafening symphony of shocked murmurs and frantic whispers. The previously impenetrable wall of wealthy silence had been completely shattered by the tears of an eight-year-old child. Valeria lunged toward her nephew, her sophisticated composure entirely destroyed by panic.

"You are lying!" she shrieked, her voice echoing wildly.

Mateo flinched violently, shrinking back from her aggressive, terrifying advance. Seeing the boy in immediate danger, a sudden, fierce surge of protective adrenaline washed over Lucía.

"Do not yell at him!" the maid screamed, shocking everyone in the room, especially herself.

Her voice, previously small and defeated, now rang with absolute, fierce defiance. Valeria spun around, her eyes blazing with pure, unadulterated hatred.

"You shut your mouth, you filthy little rat!"

But the dynamic in the room had fundamentally shifted. The taller police officer was no longer looking at the maid; his sharp, highly suspicious gaze was locked entirely on the champagne satin purse resting on the sofa. He took a deliberate, heavy step toward it.

"Ma'am, we are going to need to take a look inside that bag."

Valeria quickly positioned her body between the officer and the sofa, her chin raised in desperate, arrogant defiance.

"You absolutely do not have the right to search my personal belongings without a warrant!" she snapped.

"We have a direct, verbal accusation from an eyewitness," the officer replied calmly, his hand resting near his utility belt.

"He is just a confused, lying child!" Valeria protested frantically, her voice pitching higher.

"Which is exactly why we will conduct a careful, thorough search to clear up this unfortunate misunderstanding," the officer countered, stepping closer.

Valeria snatched the purse from the sofa before the officer could reach it, clutching it tightly against her chest as if her very life depended on it.

"This is completely ridiculous! I am the mistress of this estate!"