Chapter 5 - The Red Star
The man in the tuxedo struggles to sit up, his hand clutching his red-stained chest.
"That's... that's my family's heirloom," he stammers, blood catching in the corners of his mouth.
"She stole it out of my coat pocket!"
The grandfather slowly pushes himself up from the floor.
He walks three steps forward, stopping directly above the fallen man.
He drops the small red ruby into his own palm, staring down with cold blue eyes.
"This ruby is a synthetic pigeon-blood stone," the grandfather says calmly.
His voice carries effortlessly over the heads of the shocked guests.
"Made in a lab in Germany three years ago."
He tilts his hand.
The stone rolls off his palm, bouncing off the tuxedo man's forehead before landing in the blood on his shirt.
"My family owns the lab," the grandfather continues, his tone flat.
"And my granddaughter doesn't steal junk."
A collective murmur rises from the back row of guests.
The woman in the emerald satin drops her eyes, hiding her face behind her fan.
The young mother stands up, holding the toddler high against her shoulder.
The girl buries her face into her mother’s dark hair, her small hands holding tight.
May you like
The grandfather turns to face the room.
His gaze sweeps over every diamond-laden neck, every polished suit.
