Victoria: Go ahead, Ethan! Open it! Show everyone what kind of criminal we hired to work in this house!
Ethan: I will, Victoria. But if this bag is empty, you are going to apologize to this girl in front of every guest here tonight.
Victoria: Why would I apologize to a servant? I know my four-hundred-thousand-dollar diamond necklace is in that cheap leather bag!
Ethan slowly pulled the zipper back, the sharp sound cutting through the tense silence[cite: 1]. He pulled the leather flaps open and reached inside. Resting right on top of a black velvet lining was a heavy, glittering diamond necklace that caught the bright light of the chandeliers[cite: 1].
Annette: Oh my goodness![cite: 1] It really is in there!
An older woman in a teal dress gasped in horror, covering her mouth with her hand as she backed away[cite: 1]. Gasps rippled through the elite crowd, and people began whispering and pointing at the weeping maid[cite: 1].
Lily: No... no![cite: 1] I don't know how that got in my bag! I've never seen that necklace before in my life!
Victoria: See?! I told you! She's a thief! She tried to steal my family heirloom right off the vanity table!
Lily: Sir, please believe me![cite: 1] I was in the kitchen setting up the dessert trays all night! I only brought my bag out here five minutes ago because my shift was ending!
Victoria: Lies! You snuck into the VIP dressing room while I was talking to the estate trustees!
Ethan: Victoria, calm down. Let's look at this reasonably before we drag the police into this.
Victoria: Reasonably?! Ethan, that necklace is worth more than this girl will make in her entire lifetime! She should be locked up for grand larceny!
Lily: I would never steal anything! My mom is in the hospital, and I need this job to pay her medical bills! If I get arrested, she won't get her treatment!
Victoria: Oh, give me a break! A sob story isn't going to save you from federal prison, sweetie.
Ethan: Victoria, that is enough out of you. You've already slapped her across the face in front of my guests[cite: 1].
Victoria: She deserves more than a slap! She invaded my privacy and tried to ruin my family's evening!
Ethan: This is my house, Victoria. And no one gets arrested under my roof until I am absolute certain of the facts.
Victoria: What more proof do you need?! The necklace was inside her bag! Her hands were on it!
Ethan: Physical evidence is only part of the story. I want to know how it got there.
Victoria: She put it there! Are you completely blind, Ethan? Why are you protecting a maid over your own business partner's daughter?
Ethan: Because something about this situation doesn't add up. And I intend to find out what really happened before another second passes.