CHAPTER 3: Diamonds Smile Before They Bite

Vivienne Vale had practiced tenderness like a language she did not speak at home.
For magazines, she called Lily her little blessing. At charity luncheons, she said marrying Sebastian meant becoming part of a family, not only a fortune. In photographs, she lowered herself to Lily's height and touched the child's shoulder lightly enough to look maternal.
Inside Moretti House, Lily learned to go quiet when Vivienne entered a room.
No one outside noticed because Vivienne understood theater. She bought dolls she never played with, ordered dresses Lily hated, and corrected the child only in hallways where cameras had blind angles.
Elena noticed everything.
She noticed Lily counting chandelier crystals whenever adults argued. She noticed the untouched plates sent back from the nursery. She noticed that the little girl asked whether Elena would still be there after the wedding.
Vivienne noticed Elena noticing.
That was why the firing came so fast.
A maid could be dismissed. A witness needed only a signature and a box for her belongings.
Vivienne lifted her chin as two security men entered from the side corridor.
'Escort Miss Ruiz out,' she said. 'Before Mr. Moretti arrives and mistakes panic for importance.'