LOVING THE DEVIL [02]

Chapter 32.

CHAPTER 32: like mother like daughter

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I assembled all the staff in the hallway, most of them incredibly confused including Corey. As the final few gathered, I turned my attention to the butler with as best of a smile as I could muster before pulling him aside to speak quietly.

"Corey, I know this may go against everything you do, but can you please check my mother's room for a diamond necklace—the same one my grandmother and aunt gave to me for my birthday?" I asked him, my voice hushed. Corey had already done so much for me, but one small final favour from me to him was all I needed. He nodded once with a smile on his face before heading upstairs to my mother's room.

"Madam, is there a reason you gathered us here? We have work to do." I could only recognise that voice to be Leslie's. I'll admit, she had guts to be as respectful to me as she was to my mother, but now that I was an adult, it was clear that was slowly dissipating. I no longer trusted her as I felt about the other staff there.

Every time a maid left, I felt so happy, but when they were replaced, they were all the same. Rude, arrogant and disrespectful. However, I'm sure they worked so hard that they gained mutual support from my mother.

"I'm pretty sure you all know why I'm here—I'm pretty sure the whole damn city knows," I started, my eyes drifting around to the crowd of staff, some of which were nervously twiddling with their fingers or avoided my gaze at all costs, "so who's so stupidly agreed to whatever my mother's said? Who decided to go behind my back and take advantage of my time away from my house?"

I watched as they looked at each other, but it was quite obvious to the chefs that it had more to do with the maids than it did them. They often gazed at each other, muttering amongst themselves before they glanced over at the maids.

Some of them were incredibly confused whilst others just glanced around as they did because they didn't wish to speak to the other ladies, often thinking of themselves so highly compared to them.

I let out a snarky laugh before crossing my arms over my chest and staring around at them. There were a few options as to who it could've been, but even the most trustworthy of them could've taken that necklace. The amount of guilt poor Elaine must be taking on because someone or some people were starving for the recognition.

"I don't have all day," I started, "I know one of you or even more so worked for my mother when you went to my estates and stole my diamond necklace and that was your biggest mistake. Summer Harrington is no longer your employer under my father's rules and when he finds out what you guys did...well, you can say goodbye to this job."

"This is ridiculous—since when have we had to take the word of some rich brat—" I swiftly cut Leslie off, storming in her direction and glaring down at her whilst my patience grew incredibly thin.

My sanity truly was dangling on a really thin thread right now.

"I'm my father's daughter. I'm fully capable of firing you on the spot if I wanted to, so do you want to continue what you were going to say?" that shut her up as quickly as she started speaking, "so no one's going to own up? Either way I'll find out. I just want people to be openly honest about the whole situation."

...and so I can report back to my dad. It wasn't actually my decision on whether staff would be fired or not, but with how he is, I'm pretty sure it's obvious what father would do.