Chapter 2 - THE HIDDEN LENS
Emma almost thought she had imagined it.
Lily pointed toward a carved vent above the mirror.
Grant's arrival did not calm the room. It made every servant straighten and every guest step back. Emma realized the truth would now have to survive not only Renata's lies, but the habits of an entire household trained to protect power.
Renata's face changed.
Only for a second. But Emma saw it.
Security chief Owen Marsh entered with two guards. Behind them came Deputy Sheriff Paul Danner, already wearing the lazy smile of a man who had been told which story to believe.
"Step away from the child," Danner ordered.
"She was burning her," Emma said. "Look at Lily's hair."
Renata touched the red mark on her arm. "She attacked me without warning. Lily panicked because Emma has been unstable for weeks."
Owen avoided Emma's eyes.
That scared her more than the deputy.
"Check the camera," Emma said.
Danner looked at the vent. "There is no camera in a private bathroom."
Lily shook her head sharply.
Renata stepped forward. "The child hasn't spoken in years. Don't use her trauma to save yourself."
Emma held Lily tighter. "She said camera. You heard her."
Danner reached for his cuffs.
Then the bathroom doors opened again.
Grant Callahan stood there in a black tuxedo, his expression carved from stone. Guests gathered behind him, drawn by the shouting.
Renata rushed into his arms.
"Grant, she attacked me. She scared Lily half to death."
Grant looked at Emma, then at the burned patch near his daughter's temple.
"Emma," he said quietly, "put Lily down."
Lily buried her face against Emma's shoulder.
Grant's eyes hardened.
Before Emma could answer, the vent above the mirror clicked.
May you like
A tiny red light blinked once.
Then went dark.
