Chapter 6
The Lombard emerald had never been part of the Caradonna collection.
It belonged to a private client.
Two years earlier, it had been damaged during an exhibition installation.
Claire explained everything before Isabella asked twice.
A mounting bracket slipped.
The emerald struck a steel edge.
A fracture appeared near one corner.
Value dropped dramatically.
“Who knew?” Isabella asked.
“Me. Preston. Diane.”
“And the owner?”
Claire looked down.
“Eventually.”
That word mattered.
For forty-eight hours, Diane and Preston had discussed replacing the damaged stone with another emerald before telling the client.
Claire refused.
The owner was notified.
Insurance covered the loss.
Nothing illegal happened.
But Diane never forgave Claire for forcing disclosure.
“Why bring that up now?”
“I don’t know.”
Rachel did.
“She’s reminding us there’s history between Claire and Preston.”
Meaning if the audit later depended too heavily on Claire’s judgment, Diane could attack her credibility as biased.
The family began dividing.
Some cousins believed Isabella had allowed one ugly incident with Sophie to become a vendetta.
Others wanted Preston removed immediately.
Isabella refused both demands.
“We finish the audit.”
Her restraint irritated everyone.
It also irritated Sophie.
The child no longer wanted to attend family dinners.
When Isabella mentioned Diane’s name, Sophie asked whether she had to wear “the stealing dress.”
Isabella’s stomach tightened.
The accusation had already attached itself to a cardigan a three-year-old liked.
She put the dress away.
Then she removed Sophie from all family exhibition events until further notice.
That decision cost Isabella too.
Clients loved seeing the next generation at receptions.
Family photographs mattered to older relatives.
Diane called it proof Isabella was ashamed.
Isabella let her talk.
Then an outside auditor found something Claire had missed.
The lowered-value gemstones had not been removed randomly.
Each original stone had increased sharply in value during the previous five years.
Someone had been selecting pieces with especially strong resale potential.
And each swap occurred shortly before Preston negotiated increased insurance coverage on the collection.
May you like
The pattern was beginning to look deliberate.
But not yet for the reason Isabella assumed.
