A Lie With a Diamond Crown
Chapter 10 - A Lie With a Diamond Crown
Before they could reach Lakeview, the smear campaign began.
A gossip site published Celeste’s photograph of Noah Grant’s business card beside the headline MAID CONTACTED REPORTER YEARS BEFORE “SURPRISE” DNA REVEAL. The article claimed Elena had researched the Hawthornes, infiltrated the household, and staged the locket discovery at the gala.
By noon, crowds outside the gate shouted both support and abuse. Old photographs from Elena’s foster years appeared online. Former classmates sold stories. One foster parent claimed she had always been manipulative.
Elena shut off her phone.
“I did call Noah,” she admitted to Vivienne. “Two years ago. He was investigating illegal adoptions connected to St. Agnes. I met him once, but he had no proof and I could not afford a lawyer.”
“Why did you not tell us?” Thomas asked.
“Because the moment I mentioned a reporter, everyone would think exactly what they think now.”
Vivienne did not hesitate. “Then we tell the truth before the lie grows roots.”
Noah Grant arrived at Hawthorne Hall carrying his notes. He was a careful man in his thirties who looked more tired than ambitious.
“Elena never mentioned the Hawthorne family,” he said on camera. “She believed her records had been falsified, and she was correct. My notes from two years ago prove it.”
He produced a recorded interview in which Elena said she did not care whether her parents were rich or poor. She only wanted to know why someone had erased her mother’s name.
The narrative shifted again, but the attack left damage.
That evening, Elena found Celeste alone in the ballroom, removing the diamond tiara from its display case.
“You took the photograph,” Elena said.
Celeste did not deny it. “You had a reporter’s card hidden in your room.”
“You searched my things.”
“I protected my family.”
“No. You protected your position.”
Celeste’s eyes filled, but her voice remained sharp. “Do you know what it is like to be told since childhood that your worth is what you will inherit? I learned six languages, sat through every board meeting, gave up every person Grandmother considered unsuitable. Then you carried in soup and became sacred.”
Elena looked at the tiara. “You think I won because I found a family. I spent twenty-six years believing no family wanted me.”
For one moment, Celeste’s anger cracked.
Then Regina entered.
“Do not let her teach you to pity her,” she said.
Elena turned. “Lakeview Rest Center. Does that name frighten you?”
The tiara slipped from Celeste’s hands and struck the floor.
May you like
Regina did not blink.
But she stopped breathing.
