Chapter Seven

Knight Villa,

Ariana locked her bedroom door. She put the black box on her desk.

She opened it again. Blue brooch. Mother's Light.

Same scratch on back. She touched it.

Two years ago, small workshop behind Cole house. She was 20, hands shaking, trying to set blue diamond. Her mother sat next to her, coughing but smiling.

"Ariana, it's too expensive, don't make for me," mother said.

"It's not expensive. I made it. For you," Ariana said.

Her mother wore it that same night to Robert's company dinner. Linda was jealous. Chloe said, "Fake, cheap."

After mother died, brooch disappeared. Linda said she threw it away with mother's old clothes. "No space in house," Linda said.

Liar.

Ariana closed box. She took out her phone. Text to Maya.

Maya: Boss, you okay? Auction news already on hot search. "Ethan Knight's new wife spends 5M on brooch"

Ariana: I got it back. My mother's.

Maya: Shit. Linda sold it? That bitch.

Maya: Server fix tonight? Ray's people still trying.

Ariana: 9 PM. I will come to cafe. Bring laptop.

Maya: You be careful. Ethan's assistant Leo was asking about Starlight black cards at bank. My friend at bank told me.

Ariana read that and frowned. Ethan was fast.

She deleted messages. She hid box inside her closet, behind winter clothes. Not safe to wear it now.

Knock on door.

"Ariana?" Rose's voice. Soft.

Ariana opened door.

Rose stood with small tray, tea.

"You didn't eat lunch. You ran upstairs fast. Victoria talked too much, don't mind her," Rose said.

"I'm fine, Grandma Rose," Ariana said.

Rose looked at her eyes. Red.

"You cried?"

"No. Dust."

Rose didn't believe but didn't ask. She put tea on table.

"That brooch, it means something to you, right?" Rose asked.

Ariana hesitated. Then nodded, small.

"Yes. It looks like my mother's."

Rose smiled, understanding. "My husband gave me a brooch too, 40 years ago. I lost it once. I cried three days. I understand."

She patted Ariana's hand.

"Don't let Victoria bother you. She is cold but not bad. She worries about Ethan. Ethan never liked any girl. Now he brings you. She is scared."

"I know," Ariana said.

"And Ethan," Rose whispered, leaning close. "He asked Leo to check your card. He is suspicious. But he is also worried. He never checks a girl's card before."

Ariana looked up, surprised Rose knew.

Rose winked. "I have ears everywhere in this house. Be careful, dear."

Rose left, closing door softly.

Ariana sat on bed. Ethan worried? No, suspicious. Same thing for him.

She needed to move USB from Cole house. She forgot.

Her old room in Cole house, small, corner, mold on wall. She lived there 10 years. Under old desk drawer, she taped a small black USB. Starlight logo on it. It had Starlight Group early designs and Ghost backup codes. If Linda and Chloe found it...

She stood fast.

She had to go back tonight. Before they find it.

Cole House, 5 PM.

Linda and Chloe came back from auction early. Robert was at office. House quiet. Maids cleaning.

Chloe slammed bag on sofa.

"5 million! 5 million! That useless bitch has Starlight black card! Mom, did you see her bag? She held it like treasure!"

Linda sat, thinking, face tight.

"Starlight black card is only for top people. I tried to get one last year, bank said no. Minimum 100M assets. How does she have it?"

"She stole it! She must have stolen Ethan's card! Or she is sleeping with someone from Starlight!"

Linda looked upstairs, to the small corridor where Ariana's old room was.

"Her room," Linda said. "We never searched properly when she left. She packed one bag fast. Always locking door. Maybe something is hidden there."

Chloe stood. "Let's go now!"

They went upstairs. Small door at end, near laundry room. Not like Chloe's big pink room.

Door locked? No, Ariana left it open when she left with one bag. But now it was dusty.

Linda pushed door open.

Room small. One bed, thin mattress. One desk, old, wood peeling. One closet, empty now, door broken. One window, small, mold smell.

"This is where she lived?" Chloe covered nose. "So dirty! Like maid room!"

"Search," Linda said.

They started.

Chloe opened closet, empty. Kicked bed, nothing. Looked under bed, only dust and one old sock.

Linda opened desk drawers. First drawer empty. Second drawer empty, but bottom felt loose.

She pulled drawer out completely.

Underneath, taped with black tape, a small black thing.

USB.

Chloe came close. "What is that?"

Linda peeled the tape, took USB. Small, black, with silver star logo on side. Starlight logo.

"Starlight," Linda whispered. "Starlight Group USB."

Chloe took it. "Starlight? That No.2 company? Why does useless Ariana have Starlight USB? Maybe she stole designs? She always drew stupid sketches here, remember? She said she wanted to be designer, we laughed."

Linda's hands shook a little. If Ariana stole from Starlight, that's serious crime. They could use it to kick her out of Knight family, get her shares back, tell Ethan she is thief.

"Let's see what's inside," Chloe said, running to her own room to get laptop.

Chloe plugged USB in.

Pop up: Password protected. Enter 12-digit code.

Chloe typed: 123456789012 - Wrong.

Ariana birthday? 20040812? Wrong.

"Stupid! Need password!" Chloe hit desk.

Linda thought fast. "Don't break it. Take it to someone. Mr. Zhang from auction, he knows tech people. Or we call Ray?"

"No! Ray will take credit! Let's call Investor Li, he knows hackers!"

Linda nodded. "Yes. Investor Li owes us. He can crack."

Chloe pulled USB out, put in pocket. "If inside is money, or Starlight secrets, we can blackmail Ariana. She will have to give us back mother's shares. And leave Ethan!"

Linda smiled, first time today.

"Good. That useless girl thinks she can show off with 5M brooch? We will show her who is useless."

Downstairs, maid passed old room, saw door open, dusty footprints.

Knight Villa,

Ariana changed into black hoodie, black jeans, cap. Not dress now. She looked like boy.

She opened window. Knight Villa wall was high, but she climbed before. She knew where cameras blind spot was - left side near rose bushes. Maya taught her.

She was about to climb when knock.

"Ariana? Dinner is 7 PM, you missed. Victoria waiting," Emma's voice outside door, bored.

"I'm not hungry," Ariana said.

"Whatever," Emma left.

Ariana waited one minute, then slipped out window, down drainpipe, silent.

She landed in bushes. No one saw.

She ran to back gate, small gate Rose showed her last time - old gate, lock broken.

Out.

Street dark. She called Maya.

"I'm coming to cafe now, 15 minutes. Bring everything."

Maya: "Boss, you sure? Ethan's car still in garage, but Leo is outside?"

"I checked. Leo left at 8 PM. Ethan is in study with Victoria."

She took taxi to 24h cafe near Starlight office.

Maya already there, big laptop, two coffees.

Maya was 24, short hair, glasses, same age but looked more tired.

"Boss," Maya whispered, "you got the brooch?"

Ariana showed box quickly under table, then hid.

"My mother's," she said.

Maya eyes red. "That bitch Linda..."

"Forget. USB. I left USB in Cole house desk. Linda and Chloe went back after auction, I think they will search."

Maya froze. "Which USB?"

"Starlight early designs plus Ghost backup."

"Shit!" Maya stood. "If they crack password, they will see your name as owner of Starlight! Ghost codes too!"

Ariana pulled Maya down.

"Password is 12 digits, my mother's death date plus my birthday, they can't guess fast. But they will try hacker. We need to get it back tonight."

Maya nodded, typing fast. "I can track USB if they plug into internet. It has silent tracker you put last year."

Ariana: "Track now."

Maya opened tracker software. Black screen, dots.

One dot blinking: Cole House, Chloe's room, offline now.

"It was plugged 30 minutes ago in Cole House, now offline," Maya said.

"They tried, failed," Ariana said. "Now they will take it to someone."

"We have to go now," Maya said.

At same time, Knight Villa.

Ethan finished meeting with Victoria. Victoria said, "That girl spent 5M, you must control her card!"

Ethan didn't answer.

He went upstairs to Ariana's room, knocked.

No answer.

He knocked again. "Ariana?"

No answer.

He frowned, tried handle. Locked.

"Ariana?"

Silence.

He called maid. "Where is Mrs. Knight?"

Maid: "She was in room at 7 PM, Miss Emma called her."

Ethan looked at window, curtains moving a little. Wind.

He opened door with master key.

Room empty. Bed neat. Closet half open, brooch box gone. Window open.

She sneaked out.

Again.

He stood by window, looking at rose bushes below. Footprints in mud.

He smiled, cold but a little amused.

"Interesting wife," he muttered. "Where do you go at night?"

He took phone, called Leo.

"Leo, follow my wife. She left the villa. 24h cafe area, probably. Don't get caught."

"Yes sir."

Ethan didn't know Ariana was going to Cole house to steal back USB that could expose she was boss of Starlight and Ghost.

And Linda and Chloe already gave USB to Investor Li's hacker friend at Blue Bar, who was trying to crack it right now.