Chapter 1 - THE WOMAN NO ONE HELPED.
Emma lay motionless on the white rug while champagne still sparkled in Claire Whitmore’s glass.
Daniel stood several feet away, calm enough to look bored.
When Robert rushed into the sunroom, he dropped beside Emma, supported her head, and checked her breathing.
“Emma, can you hear me?”
She did not answer.
A faint bruise darkened her right cheek.
Claire sighed as though the scene had interrupted dinner.
“She has always been unstable.”
Daniel added, “She fell. She makes everything dramatic.”
Neither of them moved to help the woman Daniel had married.
Robert lifted Emma carefully and carried her toward the arched doors.
Daniel stepped into his path.
“You’re overreacting.”
Robert’s voice turned cold.
“Get out of my way.”
Outside, he placed Emma on a padded blanket in the stationary pickup and called the medical team.
Then he faced the mansion.
“Nobody leaves until security reviews every camera.”
Daniel’s confidence vanished.
May you like
Claire’s glass slipped in her hand.
Above the sunroom door, the camera’s red light was no longer blinking.
