Meanwhile, Aurelle's legal team prepared an application for urgent court relief if necessary.
Diana hated the delay.
Her mother's necklace could be sitting in a storage facility.
It could already have been transferred to another institution.
Or it could be with someone who believed they had a legitimate security interest.
But she knew that recovering valuable property required more than declaring herself the owner and demanding someone hand it over.
She needed evidence.
And she needed a lawful process that would protect the piece from further movement.
Patricia's attorney contacted the company three days after her dismissal.
The manager disputed the termination.
She claimed Diana had been aggressive.
Said the encounter occurred during a stressful period.
And argued that her actions were an attempt to maintain security at a high-value boutique.
The letter didn't deny that physical contact occurred.
Instead, it characterized the contact as an effort to direct an unauthorized visitor away from a restricted area.
The security footage told a different story.
Diana was standing in an open customer area.
She had asked for an appointment to be verified.
She wasn't threatening anyone.
And Patricia stepped toward her before making contact.
Multiple witnesses confirmed the sequence.
The company maintained the termination decision.
But Helena advised Diana not to treat the employment dispute as proof of involvement in the necklace transaction.
The two matters needed to be examined separately.
Patricia could have mistreated Diana without participating in an unauthorized asset transfer.
Or she could have been involved in both.
The evidence would decide.
Diana agreed.
She wanted accountability.
Not an excuse to ignore inconvenient facts because she'd personally been humiliated.
Amira returned to work the following Monday.
She was nervous.
The manager who'd controlled her schedule and performance reviews was gone.
Several employees were being interviewed.
And rumors about the missing necklace had spread throughout the luxury-retail community.
Some coworkers treated her as though she knew more than she did.
Others avoided discussing the investigation.
But Clara welcomed her warmly.
She asked Amira to help prepare an unrelated client commission for inspection.
For almost an hour, they examined the work of a skilled stone setter.
Clara explained the importance of proportion, the security of the setting, and the small details that distinguished careful craftsmanship from attractive but careless assembly.
Amira listened closely.
Then asked whether she might be able to observe more work in the restoration department.
Clara smiled.
"I think we can arrange an appropriate training opportunity."
Amira looked surprised.
"Really?"
"Yes."
For a moment, the young woman seemed unable to speak.
Then she smiled.
"Thank you."
Clara studied her.