Chapter 9 - The Missing Watch
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The peace was short-lived.
At eight o'clock the next morning, screaming echoed down the central staircase.
"It’s gone! My mother's heirloom diamond watch is gone!" Vanessa shrieked, running into the dining room where Evelyn was drinking her morning coffee.
Evelyn set down her cup, frowning. "Vanessa, calm down. Are you sure you didn't just misplace it?"
"I left it on my nightstand right before I went down to the garden!" Vanessa cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks. "It’s worth eighty thousand dollars! I checked everywhere!"
She turned abruptly, pointing a trembling finger at Adrian, who was standing by the sideboard holding a fresh carafe of coffee.
"He was in my room!" Vanessa yelled. "He brought up my morning juice twenty minutes ago!"
Evelyn turned to look at Adrian, her expression turning unreadable. "Adrian... did you go into Miss Hale's room?"
"I delivered her orange juice to the table outside her room, as instructed," Adrian stated calmly. "I did not enter her suite."
"He's lying!" Vanessa shouted, pulling out her phone. "I'm calling the police right now! I want a full search of the staff quarters! I want his room searched!"
Teresa walked into the room, her voice trembling. "Miss Hale, none of our staff would ever steal—"
"Shut up!" Vanessa barked. "I know how people like him operate! They see something shiny and they think they can pawn it off to pay their pathetic debts!"
Adrian stepped forward, his posture entirely unbothered. "If you want to call the police, Miss Hale, please do. In fact, let me dial the station for you."
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Vanessa sneered, tapping furiously on her phone screen. "Oh, you think you're bluffing? Let's see how brave you are when the local sheriff puts you in handcuffs!"
Evelyn sat silently at the table, watching Adrian's unflinching demeanor and Vanessa's hysterical rage. She took a slow sip of her coffee, a cold, calculating look entering her eyes.
