Chapter 3 - THE PICTURE FROM THE PARTY
By breakfast the next morning, photographs were already online.
Sienna had deleted most of her own posts.
Guests had not.
One photograph showed the living room glowing beneath chandeliers while Sienna stood beside a display board bearing the name of her new event company:
VELLUM HOUSE EVENTS.
Another showed prospective clients touring the terrace.
A third made Julian’s stomach turn.
Clara was visible through the kitchen doorway carrying a tray of dirty glasses.
The caption read:
Even the house team was incredible.
Clara stared at it.
“I know her.”
“Who?”
“The woman who posted it. I spoke to her for ten minutes last Christmas.”
Julian looked at Clara.
The woman had met her before and still accepted Sienna’s version of her as staff.
That humiliation had not happened because Clara’s clothes looked simple.
It happened because somebody had given guests a story that made the image make sense.
Julian called Sienna.
She declined.
He called Evelyn.
She answered.
“Please tell me you’re not calling to scream at me.”
“Who told guests Clara was staff?”
Silence.
“Mom.”
Evelyn sighed.
“Nobody announced it.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Sienna said Clara preferred not to participate.”
“Why?”
“Because Clara hates those events.”
Clara was sitting across the breakfast table listening.
She closed her eyes.
Julian said, “Did you tell Clara I wanted her in the kitchen?”
“I told her you didn’t need drama while you were closing the Zurich transaction.”
“Did I say that?”
“Not in those exact words.”
“Did I say anything remotely like it?”
Evelyn became defensive.
“You’ve spent years asking me to keep Sienna stable.”
There it was.
Julian had.
He had paid a security deposit after Sienna’s divorce.
Covered six months of rent when her first event-planning partnership collapsed.
Paid off a high-interest business card after Sienna promised it was the last time.
He had told Evelyn more than once:
Just handle it. I don’t need every detail.
Julian slowly sat down.
Clara watched his face.
“You see it now.”
He did.
He had never authorized last night.
But he had spent years teaching his family that his answer would eventually be yes.
Evelyn continued.
“Sienna needed one successful launch. She has put everything into this.”
“Whose money paid for last night?”
Another pause.
Julian felt the answer before he heard it.
“The family expense card.”
He stood.
“How much?”
“I don’t know.”
“You do.”
“Julian—”
“How much?”
“Around thirty thousand.”
Clara looked up.
Julian felt heat rise behind his eyes.
“You charged thirty thousand dollars to an account I fund for family emergencies?”
Evelyn said, “This was an emergency for your sister.”
“Flowers are not an emergency.”
“Her business is failing.”
The room changed.
Julian looked at Clara.
“Failing?”
Clara seemed just as surprised.
Evelyn realized she had said too much.
“I have to go.”
“Mom.”
She hung up.
Julian immediately froze the discretionary family card.
He left the separate account that covered Evelyn’s health-insurance supplemental premiums and basic monthly support untouched.
Then he called the estate’s property manager, Nora Bell.
“I need every vendor invoice from last night.”
Nora hesitated.
“Julian, you should probably ask Sienna.”
“Why?”
“Because some of them aren’t for last night.”
Clara looked across the table.
Julian switched to speaker.
“What does that mean?”
May you like
Nora exhaled.
“Vendors have been coming to the property for months.”
