Katelyn took a long, steady breath, attempting to calm the storm of emotions inside her. She couldn’t afford to think about it any longer.
Just then, her phone buzzed. Aimee’s voice, filled with worry, echoed through the speaker.
“Sweetheart, where are you? Something’s happened!”
Katelyn stopped for a moment, taking a breath. Without wasting time, she stepped out of the car and called out, her voice firm, “I’m here in the parking lot. What’s going on?”
Katelyn had always known Aimee was more than capable in her professional life, so to hear her so shaken meant it had to be something serious.
Aimee’s voice trembled as she said, “There’s a problem with our work. You need to get here right away!”
Katelyn’s stomach tightened, a feeling of dread sinking in. She didn’t hesitate. She rushed to where Aimee was waiting.
Vincent saw the urgency in Katelyn’s movements. His forehead furrowed as he ordered, “Samuel, check out what’s going on.” Samuel gave a quick nod and said, “Got it!”
As Katelyn stepped into the backstage lounge of the jewelry competition, she found Aimee already there.
Aimee, with visible worry, rushed over, saying, “Look at our work. It’s been destroyed.”
Katelyn moved swiftly to the box. Inside, the once carefully arranged jewelry was now a mess, with diamonds spilled everywhere. It was obvious this wasn’t an accident. It was vandalism.
Katelyn’s brow furrowed as she lowered her voice, asking, “Aimee, did you double-check it before you left?”
The timing of the sabotage was too deliberate. It seemed designed to stop Katelyn from competing. Katelyn needed to figure out where and when it happened. Only then could she find the person responsible.
Aimee didn’t hesitate, nodding firmly and saying, “I checked everything. There was nothing wrong when I delivered it.” She thought back to the drive and continued, “The trip was fine. My car went straight here, and no one else touched it.”
Katelyn’s face hardened. It was clear now—the damage must have happened after it arrived. Without hesitation, she pulled out her phone and typed a quick message to Alfy.
“Alfy, review all the surveillance footage in the backstage area of the jewelry competition. My piece has been destroyed.”
When Alfy saw the message, her heart raced. How could this have happened? At events like this, security was always strict. There was even a secure safe for storage as soon as items arrived. But somehow, things had gone wrong. The situation was serious. This could ruin Katelyn’s chances in the competition.
Understanding how critical it was, Alfy replied quickly, “Understood, I’ll check right away.”
Samuel reached the scene, his face showing concern as he asked, “Miss Bailey, do you need assistance?”
Katelyn waved him off.
.
.
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