Lila stormed out of the boardroom, her face burning with humiliation and rage. The echo of her heels against the marble floor seemed to amplify her embarrassment as she replayed the disastrous meeting in her mind. She couldn't believe she had made such a fool of herself in front of Vanessa, and worse yet, in front of Alexander.The elevator doors had barely closed behind her when they opened again, and Alexander stepped out into the lobby."Lila, wait," he called out, his voice surprisingly gentle.She whirled around to face him, her eyes blazing. "What do you want? Haven't you humiliated me enough for one day?""I want to help.""Help?" Lila laughed bitterly. "Why would you want to help me? I thought I was just a greedy, manipulative person who couldn't be trusted."Alexander's expression remained serious. "Because despite everything, I don't think you're lying about this. Someone took that ring, and we need to find out who.""Fine. But I still don't understand why you care so much a

Alexander walked through the crowded streets, his mind focused on finding Anna.During his three years of marriage to Lila, he had gotten to know her circle of friends well enough, and Anna had never sat right with him.There was something calculating about the way she attached herself to Lila, always ready to benefit from her friend's success while contributing nothing meaningful in return.He had never voiced these concerns to Lila, knowing she valued loyalty above all else, but now his suspicions seemed justified.Anna had always been jealous of what others had, and stealing the ring would be exactly the kind of petty revenge she would resort to.The small restaurant Anna managed was tucked between a dry cleaner and a convenience store in a less affluent part of the city.Through the grimy windows, Alexander could see the lunch crowd scattered across mismatched tables, the atmosphere busy but chaotic.He pushed through the front door, the bell overhead announcing his arrival with a

Alexander stared at the imposing entrance of The Underground, frustration and desperation warring in his chest.The ring was everything to him – his only hope of recovering his lost memories and discovering who he truly was. He had tried being reasonable, tried being polite, but Anna had forced his hand.He circled around to the back of the building, where the alley was darker and less monitored.The emergency exit door was old and rusty, and after a few minutes of careful work with a metal bar he found in the dumpster, he managed to pry it open.The alarm that should have sounded remained silent – clearly broken like everything else about this place.What Alexander didn't notice were the security cameras mounted in the shadows, their red lights blinking as they recorded his illegal entry.The moment he stepped inside, chaos greeted him. People were screaming and running toward the exits, their faces twisted with terror and panic.The music had stopped, replaced by shouting and crying

Alexander stood frozen as the police officers entered the coffee shop, their hands hovering near their weapons. The weight of the moment crashed down on him as he realized there was no escape from this nightmare."Lila, I can't believe you would do this to me," he said, his voice barely above a whisper."Do what? Turn in a murderer?" Lila's voice was cold and unforgiving. "You've been acting strange for months, Alexander. All these secrets, all these lies. I don't even know who you are anymore.""You know exactly who I am. I'm the same man you married, the same man who—""The same man who what? Who killed my best friend over some stupid ring?""I am not capable of murder, and you know it!" Alexander's voice cracked with desperation."Do I? Because the evidence says otherwise. Anna complained to dozens of people that you were stalking her. You broke into that club. You were there when she died.""I didn't kill her!""Then prove it," Lila said with false calm. "If you're really innocent

"Really? Because we have security footage of you breaking into that club. We have witness testimony of your erratic behavior. We have motive – your obsession with this so-called stolen ring.""Then you also have footage of what happened inside the club. You have evidence of who actually killed her."Morrison's smile was predatory. "I'm afraid there's no such evidence. The internal cameras mysteriously malfunctioned that night.""How convenient.""Isn't it?" Morrison leaned back in his chair, his demeanor shifting subtly. "But let's talk about something more interesting. Since you were with Anna all day, you must know where she kept the other rings."Alexander felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. "What did you just say?""The rings, Mr. Howard. Don't play dumb with me. We know there are three of them, and we know Anna had one. Where are the other two?""How do you know about the rings?" Alexander's voice was barely a whisper.Morrison's smile grew wider and more menacing. "Oh,