Victoria nodded.
“You may be right.”
Mia considered.
Then:
“Okay.”
Victoria blinked.
“Okay?”
“You apologized.”
“That doesn’t mean I like you.”
Daniel coughed.
One of the security men looked toward the ceiling.
Victoria almost smiled despite everything.
“That seems fair.”
Her phone began ringing.
The name on the screen changed her expression.
Thomas Bell.
Everyone saw.
Victoria looked at her security chief.
He motioned for her to answer.
She did.
“Thomas.”
His voice was faint through the speaker.
“Victoria.”
She went rigid.
“Where are you?”
“At the estate.”
“Why did you take my bracelet?”
Silence.
Daniel could hear the rain.
Then Thomas said:
“I can explain.”
Victoria closed her eyes.
Those four words sounded worse than a denial.
“Stay there.”
“Victoria—”
“Do not leave.”
She hung up.
The security chief immediately started issuing instructions into his own phone.
Victoria looked toward Daniel.
“You may be contacted.”
“About the footage?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll preserve it.”
“Thank you.”
She started toward the exit.
Then stopped.
Daniel was already returning to the truck he had been repairing.
Victoria stared.
“That’s it?”
He looked over.
“What else?”
She seemed almost offended by the normality.
“I just falsely accused you of stealing two million dollars.”
“You apologized.”
“You discovered the man who practically raised me stealing from me.”
Daniel picked up his wrench.
“I discovered a camera recording.”
“It isn’t the same.”
“No.”
“What do you want from me?”
He looked toward Mia.
Then back.
“The repair invoice is on the counter.”
Victoria stared.
“That’s what you want?”
“That’s what you owe.”
She glanced at the paper.
Four hundred eighty-six dollars.
Her mouth almost opened.
Daniel continued.
“If you want to make the other thing right, don’t write me a bigger check.”
“Do something harder.”
Victoria’s expression changed.
“What?”
“Figure out whether this is the first person Thomas let you accuse.”
She stopped moving.
Daniel held her gaze.
“If he knew you’d believe him over me this quickly, there’s a chance he learned that somewhere.”
The words landed harder than he intended.
Victoria went still.
Her security chief looked at Daniel.
Then at her.
Victoria slowly turned toward the door.
This time she left without another word.
Mia waited until the black SUV carrying her disappeared from the lot.
Then she looked at Daniel.
“You were really going to charge her four hundred eighty-six dollars?”
“Yes.”
“She’s a billionaire.”
“The fuel-pump control module doesn’t know.”
Mia shook her head.
“You’re weird.”