. CHAPTER 5 — The Man Who Owned the Floor Beneath Them
Elliot Alden owned Westbridge Galleria, but he did not dress like someone who needed everyone to know it.
No gold watch flashed from his wrist. No entourage followed him. He wore a simple gray coat, dark shoes, and the expression of a man who had spent years listening before speaking.
He looked first at Lily, then at the kitten trembling in Vivienne’s hands.
“Give the animal back to the child,” he said.
Vivienne’s voice cracked with disbelief. “Elliot, surely you don’t believe—”
“I believe frightened things know where safety is.”
No one moved.
Then Pumpkin made the decision for them. He twisted again, slipped from Vivienne’s grip, landed lightly on the polished floor, and ran straight to Lily. The crowd gasped as the kitten climbed her dress with tiny desperate paws until she caught him against her chest.
Lily held him carefully, sobbing with relief.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered into his fur. “I’m sorry.”
Elliot Alden watched, and something old and private passed across his face.
Vivienne tried to laugh. “Animals run to whoever fed them last.”
“Then we will scan him,” Elliot said. “We will review footage. We will call police if necessary. And until then, Miss Cross, you will stop calling a child a thief in my building.”
The silence after that was enormous.
Martin Hale swallowed. “Sir, the gala starts in two hours. The donors—”
“The donors can wait,” Elliot said.
Maria led them to the pet supply store, where the owner brought out a scanner. Lily stood beside Andre, clutching Pumpkin gently. Vivienne stood apart, arms folded, pretending not to hear the whispers.
The scanner beeped against Pumpkin’s shoulder.
The store owner read the number aloud and typed it into the rescue database.
Maria covered her mouth.
“What?” Lily asked.
Maria turned the screen so Elliot could see. “Registered to Second Chance Paws. Emergency foster batch seventeen. Intake name: Marmalade. Status: missing.”
Vivienne scoffed. “Anyone can type information into a database.”
The store owner scrolled farther down. “There’s a note.”
He read it quietly at first. Then his voice changed.
“Last seen during transfer to Cross Charitable Grooming Suite.”
May you like
Every camera in the crowd turned toward Vivienne.
Her diamonds looked suddenly very small.
