Jason tried to keep up appearances, but every interaction felt like a test he was failing. He watched Valeria move effortlessly through conversations, her laughter blending with the hum of the estate’s social scene. He envied her ease, her ability to belong where he felt like an outsider.
The discomfort came to a head when a valuable family heirloom—a diamond-encrusted pen and pen holder belonging to Valeria’s grandfather—went missing. The guests were unsettled, and the air grew thick with suspicion.