Chapter 10 - The Woman Who Held the PhoneChloe Voss watched the video fourteen times before she admitted what it showed.
On her phone, Rosie stood beside the pool.
The little girl smiled.
Celeste picked up the scissors.
The first lock fell.
Then the second.
Rosie's face collapsed.
And Chloe heard herself laughing.
It was a sound she barely recognized.
At forty, Chloe had built a career around managing other people's reputations.
She owned a small public-relations consultancy that represented luxury brands, restaurants, and wealthy private clients.
She knew how quickly a single video could destroy a public image.
Yet she had continued filming.
At the time, it felt like a private joke.
Celeste had been complaining for weeks about how Adrian treated Rosie as though the child were made of glass.
Chloe had heard her describe Naomi as intrusive and Rosie as spoiled.
By the afternoon of the party, Chloe had accepted Celeste's version of the household.
She had not expected the scissors.
But when Celeste cut Rosie's hair, Chloe did not stop her.
She laughed.
That was what she could not escape.
Her phone rang.
Lauren Pike.
“Have you deleted it?” Lauren asked.
Chloe looked at the screen.
“No.”
“Are you insane?”
“It's evidence.”
“It's humiliating.”
“For us.”
“For Celeste. For all of us.”
Chloe looked at the paused image.
Rosie was reaching toward her hair.
Her mouth was open.
“Lauren, she's two years old.”
“Don't start acting righteous now.”
“I'm not.”
“Then delete it.”
Chloe hesitated.
“I can't.”
Lauren's voice hardened.
“If Adrian gets that video, he'll destroy Celeste.”
“He saw the camera.”
“He didn't see the cutting.”
Chloe said nothing.
Lauren continued.
“You know how this works. Without the video, it's their word against hers about what happened before the camera came online.”
Chloe stared at her own reflection in the dark television across the room.
“You want me to erase what happened to that little girl?”
“I want you to protect your friends.”
Chloe ended the call.
For several minutes, she sat motionless.
Then she opened a messaging application.
A conversation with Celeste appeared.
It contained dozens of messages from the preceding month.
Some were harmless.
Others were not.
Celeste had complained that Rosie cried whenever Adrian left the room.
She had joked about shaving the child's curls.
She had described Naomi as a servant who needed to be reminded of her place.
Chloe had responded with laughing emojis.
Now those messages looked different.
She scrolled back farther.
One message, sent a week earlier, stopped her.
The pool camera is finally sorted. Next Thursday will be much more entertaining.
Chloe remembered asking what Celeste meant.
Celeste had replied:
You'll see.
Chloe stood abruptly.
She had always assumed Celeste was being dramatic.
Now she wondered whether the humiliation had been planned.
Not necessarily as part of Graham Sloane's financial scheme.
Perhaps simply because Celeste wanted to punish a child for being loved too much.
Chloe felt nauseated.
A knock sounded at her apartment door.
When she opened it, Celeste stood outside wearing dark sunglasses.
“We need to talk.”
Chloe stepped aside.
Celeste entered without waiting for permission.
“Give me your phone.”
Chloe stared at her.
“What?”
“The video. I want it deleted.”
“Celeste—”
“Don't argue.”
“Adrian already saw enough.”
“Not the haircut.”
Chloe felt a chill.
“You planned it.”
Celeste removed her sunglasses.
“What?”
“You knew the camera was off. You knew I would film.”
“I didn't tell you to film.”
“You joked about shaving her hair last week.”
Celeste's expression changed.
“Chloe, don't be ridiculous.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did you do that to her?”
Celeste looked away.
“Because everybody in that house treats Rosie like she's royalty.”
Chloe stared.
“She is a child.”
“And I'm her stepmother. I should be allowed to discipline her.”
“With scissors?”
Celeste's eyes flashed.
“You don't get to judge me. You were laughing.”
The words struck home.
Chloe lowered her gaze.
Celeste stepped closer.
“Delete the video.”
Chloe shook her head.
“No.”
Celeste went still.
“What did you say?”
“I said no.”
“You're making a mistake.”
“Maybe. But I'm not going to make another one.”
Celeste reached for the phone.
Chloe stepped backward.
“Get out.”
For a moment, the women stared at one another.
Then Celeste picked up her sunglasses.
“You have no idea what you're getting involved in.”
She walked out.
Chloe locked the door.
Her hands were trembling.
She immediately copied the original video and related messages to a secure folder without altering the files. Her phone's automatic cloud backup had also retained the original recording.
Then she called the number listed on Rebecca Shaw's law firm's website.
When Rebecca answered, Chloe struggled to find her voice.
“My name is Chloe Voss,” she said.
“I was at the Whitmore pool party.”
Rebecca remained silent.
Chloe continued.
“I filmed what happened to Rosie.”
“And why are you calling me?”
May you like
Chloe looked at the image on her phone.
“Because I think Celeste knew exactly what she was going to do before that little girl gave her the flower.”
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