Chapter 6 - The Framing at the Anniversary
At the Castellanos’ third-anniversary reception later that month, thirty high-profile guests filled the grand ballroom of the Lake Forest estate—union bosses, appellate judges, shipping executives, and senior lieutenants.
Josie was present only to work. Sitting at a small mahogany desk in the foyer, she managed guest credentials and security clearances.
At 9:00 p.m., Rafe excused himself to take an urgent telephone call regarding a delayed freight vessel at Pier 42.
The moment Rafe stepped into the private library down the hall, Camila walked gracefully to the center of the foyer floor.
Suddenly, Camila touched her right earlobe, letting out a soft, theatrical gasp.
"My earring," she announced, her quiet voice instantly drawing the attention of the surrounding guests. "It's gone. The canary diamond drop... my father gave it to me on my wedding day."
The background music seemed to die down. Guests began checking the hardwood floor, looking under velvet sofas and side tables.
Camila walked slowly toward the foyer desk where Josie was cross-referencing manifests.
"Only the catering servers and the secretary have been moving through this part of the room tonight," Camila observed, her voice carrying clearly across the quiet foyer.
Thirty influential guests gathered near the archway to watch.
Camila stopped three feet from Josie’s desk, her eyes cold and predatory despite her warm smile. "Josie, dear... to settle the matter quickly so everyone can enjoy the evening, would you mind having your belongings checked?"
The request was an overt, public humiliation. Dozens of eyes locked onto the quiet secretary sitting in her plain, long-sleeved blouse.
Josie looked up from her desk. She saw the trap clearly. She knew that refusing would be spun as an immediate admission of guilt.
"Of course, Mrs. Castellano," Josie said calmly, her voice entirely steady.
She lifted her small, worn black handbag and handed it to Marco, one of Camila’s personal security guards.
Marco unzipped the bag and turned it upside down over a marble side table.
The contents spilled out into the bright chandelier light: An old leather wallet containing twenty-two dollars. A set of apartment keys on a plain ring. Two inexpensive blue ballpoint pens. A handful of rubber bands. A monthly city bus pass. And a folded slip of paper in her rounded handwriting, reminding someone to lock the door twice.
Nothing else.
Camila’s eyes narrowed slightly, but her expression remained serene. "Perhaps it caught on your coat in the cloakroom? Marco, bring Miss Kavanaugh’s coat."
Marco walked into the adjoining cloakroom and returned holding Josie’s plain black winter coat.
In front of thirty silent guests, Marco reached into the coat's right pocket and turned it inside out.
A heavy, glittering platinum earring set with a massive canary yellow diamond fell out, striking the marble table with a sharp, clear clink.
The room went dead silent.
Josie stared at the sparkling diamond lying on the marble.
She knew, with absolute certainty, that she had never touched that earring. She understood instantly that Camila had orchestrated the entire scene to humiliate her and force Rafe to banish her from the organization forever.
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And she understood the lethal price of standing in a room full of mobsters and accusing the Don's wife of lying.
Before Josie could speak, the heavy library doors opened down the hall. Rafferty Castellano walked back into the foyer.
