Chapter 7 - Stripped of Everything
Eleanor looked around the grand room, her eyes darting wildly from face to face, searching for a single ally.
She saw the prominent socialites who had laughed with her an hour ago now looking away, actively avoiding eye contact. She saw city council members quickly slipping out the side exits. She saw her oldest friends whispering behind their hands, their expressions dripping with schadenfreude.
High society is a pack of wolves; the moment they smell blood, they do not offer help—they circle for the kill.
"Marcus," Arthur spoke, not taking his eyes off Eleanor.
"Yes, Mr. Vance?" the general manager answered instantly.
"Call the New York City Police Department. Have Detective Miller from the Major Crimes Division brought in. I am pressing formal felony charges against Eleanor Whitmore and Chloe Whitmore for orchestrated theft, defamation, and aggravated battery against a pregnant woman."
Eleanor’s knees gave out. She slumped against the table, her face chalk-white. "Police? Battery? No... you can't arrest me! I am Eleanor Whitmore! My family founded the Oakridge Country Club!"
"Not anymore," Arthur replied smoothly. "The Oakridge Board received an anonymous disclosure of your offshore tax filings twenty minutes ago. You have been expelled, Eleanor. Effective immediately."
Two uniformed officers entered the ballroom, their heavy boots thudding rhythmically against the marble floor. Behind them was Detective Miller, a no-nonsense investigator known for bringing down corrupt hedge fund managers.
"Eleanor Whitmore? Chloe Whitmore?" Miller asked, holding up a pair of handcuffs.
"Wait! Look at this ring!" Chloe sobbed, frantically pulling the velvet jewelry box from Vivienne’s open purse and holding it out. "It's our grandmother’s diamond! It's worth half a million dollars! She stole it! Arrest her!"
Detective Miller looked at the velvet box, then looked at Marcus.
Marcus produced a velvet pouch from his inside coat pocket. He pulled out a nearly identical, but significantly more radiant, diamond ring.
"The late Mrs. Whitmore’s original ring was liquidated through Sotheby's six months ago by Daniel Whitmore to cover his gambling debts," Marcus announced, handing an auction certification sheet to Detective Miller. "The ring in Miss Whitmore's hand is a synthetic cubic zirconia replica purchased online three days ago for two hundred and forty dollars. We pulled the transaction record from Miss Chloe Whitmore’s personal debit card."
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The crowd erupted into stunned, mocking laughter.
Chloe stared at the ring in her hand as if it had turned into a venomous snake, dropping it onto the floor where it rolled pathetically into a drain vent.
