It was Lucas Westbrook, his twenty-three-year-old nephew, who had been living at the estate “temporarily” after quitting college. Lucas moved confidently, as if this wasn’t his first time. He slipped the envelope into his jacket, glanced around, and smirked before closing the safe.
Robert replayed the clip again and again, hoping he was mistaken. He wasn’t. Lucas had been given the code weeks earlier to retrieve paperwork. No one questioned it. And when the money disappeared, suspicion fell instantly on Marina—the quiet housekeeper who never protested, never defended herself too loudly.
Evelyn, standing behind him, covered her mouth. “Oh my God…”
The timestamp confirmed it. Marina had been cleaning the downstairs kitchen at the exact moment of the theft. She never went near the study.
Shame settled heavily over the room. Robert remembered Marina’s shaking voice, the way she tried to explain, the look in her eyes as security followed her upstairs. He understood how quickly he had judged her—and why. She was easy to blame. Powerless. Convenient.
The next morning, Robert confronted Lucas. Faced with the video, Lucas broke down, admitting he’d taken the money to pay gambling debts.