The little girl sobbed softly against Victoria's shoulder as the heavy silence in the ballroom broke apart. Victoria's husband, Richard, pushed through the ring of stunned guests, his eyebrows furrowed in deep annoyance. He wore an expensive tuxedo and held a glass of champagne in his hand, looking down at his wife kneeling on the filthy floor with utter disgust.
"Victoria, what on earth are you doing?" Richard demanded, his voice sharp and cold. "The press is outside. You are making a complete scene over some homeless kid. Get up and let security handle this right now."
Victoria looked up at her husband, her face stained with black mascara tears. "This is Sarah's daughter, Richard! Look at this picture! Look at this note! My sister is alive!"
Richard's expression changed instantly. A quick flash of deep panic crossed his eyes before he quickly covered it up with a look of fake concern. He bent down slightly and grabbed Victoria's arm, trying to force her to stand up. His grip was surprisingly tight and firm, far harder than necessary.
"Don't be ridiculous, Victoria," Richard hissed under his breath, leaning close so the guests could not hear him. "Your sister has been gone for fifteen years. This is clearly a scam designed to ruin our company's reputation tonight. Give me that paper."
He reached out to grab the handwritten note from Victoria's hand, but the little girl suddenly bit down on his wrist. Richard let out a loud curse and pulled his arm back quickly, shaking his hand in anger. The guests gasped in surprise at the sudden violent movement.
"She is lying!" the little girl screamed, pointing her small dirty finger directly at Richard. "He was the man at our house! He came with those bad papers last week and made my mommy cry!"
The room went completely dead silent once again. Victoria slowly stood up, keeping one arm tightly wrapped around her young niece. She stared at her husband with deep horror and confusion growing inside her mind. The pieces of a terrible puzzle were beginning to fall into place far too quickly.
"What is she talking about, Richard?" Victoria asked, her voice dropping to a dangerous, icy tone. "You told me you stopped searching for Sarah five years ago. You said the investigators found nothing."
"She is a crazy kid, Victoria!" Richard spat, his face turning bright red as he adjusted his bow tie nervously. "You are going to take the word of a filthy child over your own husband? We have a real estate deal to finalize tonight with the trust fund managers!"
"Where is my mother?" the little girl cried out again, clutching Victoria's navy dress. "He locked her in the old house by the river! She told me to run to the bright lights if the car didn't start!"