Nathaniel, a sharp businessman dressed in a tailored grey blazer and black shirt, marched through the double doors into the center of the foyer. He did not rush to comfort Victoria; instead, his gaze remained fixated on the object he held tightly in his hand—a torn piece of the victim's fabric along with a stolen diamond heirloom that Victoria had ripped from the woman's wrist during the shove. "Save her? If you were trying to catch her then why are these in your hand?" Nathaniel demanded in a stern, booming voice that echoed off the high ceilings.
Before Victoria could manufacture another lie, a small, clear voice cut through the quiet tension of the hallway. Tucked safely behind a heavy bronze statue near the foyer entrance, young Lily, a girl wearing a simple plaid dress, stepped into view. Lily looked up at her father with wide, honest eyes, pointing a trembling finger at the matriarch on the landing. "She's lying. I saw her push you," the young child stated with innocent certainty, shattering Victoria's cover story in front of the entire gathering.