Chapter 6

Eleanore POV:

The cacophony of celebration downstairs was a distant hum, a mosquito buzzing in my ear. I stood at the edge of the ballroom, a ghost in my own life, watching Josie glitter under the chandeliers. She was the star, radiant and cruel, bathed in the love and attention that had once been mine. I felt nothing but a profound emptiness.

Josie, her eyes scanning the room, found me. A predatory smile touched her lips. She glided over, her new necklace sparkling, a mocking beacon. "Eleanore, you're here!" she chirped, her voice too loud, too sweet. "I hardly recognized you hiding in the shadows. Feeling alright? It must be difficult, watching me receive all this... attention." Her gaze dropped to the heirloom around her throat. "And this. It' s so beautiful, isn' t it? I just adore it. Colbert said it' s always been meant for the truly cherished daughter."

I met her gaze, my expression as flat as the polished marble floor. "It suits you, Josie," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "You've worked hard for it."

Her smile faltered, her victory tasting less sweet when it drew no visible reaction from me. She tried again. "You know, Mom and Dad are so relieved I'm going to New York. They said you were always so fragile, too delicate for the demands of the Knight family, especially with Kayson's... situation. They truly believe I'm stronger, more capable. Don't you agree?"

My silence was my only weapon. I simply looked past her, towards the glittering crowd. Josie, frustrated by my lack of response, her carefully constructed facade crumbling, finally huffed and walked away, back to her adoring public.

My energy, already depleted, ebbed further. I felt a bone-deep weariness. It was time to leave. I turned to go, to escape the suffocating opulence and the stinging indifference.

"My necklace! It's gone!"

Josie's shriek ripped through the ballroom. The music died. Laughter ceased. Every head snapped towards her, then towards me. My blood turned to ice. No.

"Someone stole my necklace!" she cried, her voice laced with theatrical panic. She pointed a trembling finger at me. "Eleanore! You were just standing right here! You were the last one near me!"

A hundred pairs of eyes, glittering with suspicion, turned to me. I felt the weight of their judgment, their immediate conclusions.

"I didn't take anything," I said, my voice calm, steady, despite the tremor in my hands.

"Of course you didn't, darling," my mother said, her voice laced with doubt. She looked at Josie, then at me. "But... Eleanore, where were you going? Why were you standing alone?"

Josie, dissolving into tears, ran to my father, clutching his arm. "She hates me, Daddy! She's always hated me! She's jealous! She wants to ruin everything good in my life!" She sobbed into his chest. "I just want my necklace back! Unless... unless she doesn't want me to marry Kayson Knight! Is that it, Eleanore?"

My father's face contorted in a mixture of confusion and rage. "Eleanore! Give it back! This is not some childish game! That's a family heirloom!"

"I didn't take it," I repeated, my voice flat.

Colbert stepped forward, his eyes cold. "El, just give it back. Don't make a scene. It's embarrassing."

"I told you, I didn't take it," I said, my voice rising in frustration.

Josie, pulling away from my father, her eyes wide with a terrifying innocence, looked at him. "Daddy, please. Make her give it back. Or... or make her prove she didn't take it. Maybe... maybe she needs to be searched."

A collective gasp went through the room. My parents looked horrified at the suggestion, but then their gaze fell upon Josie' s tear-streaked face. My father hesitated, then, "Eleanore, this is outrageous. Please, just cooperate."

"Cooperate?" I asked, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "You want to search me? In front of everyone? For a necklace I didn't steal?" My heart hammered against my ribs. "No."

Josie, seeing her opportunity, intensified her sobs. "She won't let you search her, Daddy! She's hiding it! She's just trying to hurt me, trying to stop the marriage! She' s always been so jealous!"

My mother, her face pleading, looked at my father. "Darling, please. Josie is so upset. We have to do something."

My father, his face grim, nodded. "Guards! Search her!"

Two burly security guards stepped forward. "No!" I cried, backing away. This wasn't happening. Not again. Not in front of everyone.

Colbert grabbed my arm. "Eleanore, don't be difficult!" He shoved me towards the guards. The guards grabbed me, their hands rough. I struggled, screaming, "Don't touch me! I didn't do anything!"

My parents stood by, watching, their faces hardened. Addison, his eyes conflicted, looked away. The guests whispered, their judgment a palpable weight. My world crumbled. They had chosen her. They had always chosen her. The memory of Colbert pushing me down the stairs, Addison leaving me for Josie, flooded my mind. They truly don't care.

As the guards wrestled my arms behind my back, a desperate thought sparked. My little recording device. I carried it everywhere, a shield against Josie's endless manipulations. It was small, tucked into the lining of my dress.

With a surge of adrenaline, I fought back, kicking one guard in the shin. He grunted, loosening his grip. "You want to know the truth?" I screamed, my voice raw and broken, cutting through the stunned silence. "Let's hear it then!" My hand, trembling, reached for the hidden recorder beneath my dress.