Gregory stepped in front of her. “Until I have the results, you will stay where I can find you,” he said. “If you disappear, I lose the only chance to know the truth.”

Vanessa glared at him. “So I am your prisoner,” she said.

Gregory did not deny it. She was taken to a penthouse overlooking the city. The luxury was suffocating. A lawyer arrived soon after, Trevor Hale, sharp eyed and cold.

“This is reckless,” Trevor said. “Bringing a stranger here based on a necklace will destroy you if this becomes public.”

Vanessa lifted her chin. “I am not a stranger to my own life,” she said. “And I am not a thief.”

Trevor sneered. “A cleaning worker with a priceless heirloom is a classic deception.”

Vanessa held Gregory’s gaze. “Let me call the orphanage,” she said. “Let the caretaker confirm my story.”

Gregory handed her a phone. “On speaker,” he said.

The call connected. An elderly voice answered.

“Saint Brigid House,” said Sister Agnes.

“It is Vanessa,” she said. “Please tell them how I was found.”

The old nun spoke slowly.