2026-03-17 16:10:19
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CHAPTER 16
Helen stared at the screen, her perfectly made-up face frozen in stunned silence. She remembered that day vividly now that she saw it—Charlie had been craving fried chicken from some specific place nearly fifty kilometers away, and Helen had been too busy with a business meeting to go herself. She'd transferred Ethan fifty dollars and asked him to make the drive.Fifty dollars. Two years ago. That was it. That was the sum total of the financial support she'd supposedly been providing to her "freeloader" fiancé for three years."Well?" Ethan's voice was soft, almost gentle, which somehow made it cut deeper. "Where's the evidence, Helen?"Helen's hand tightened around her phone. Her mouth opened, closed, opened again. No words came out.Charlie sensed the shift immediately, his expression flickering with alarm before he quickly masked it with more artificial concern. "Helen, you must have missed something. Check again—""It's right there," Ethan interrupted, his eyes never leaving Helen
Chapter 15
Ethan's first instinct was to turn and disappear into the back corridors of the restaurant before Helen and Charlie reached the host stand. He'd already started to move, already begun shrugging off Julian's too-small jacket, when Charlie's voice rang out across the marble entryway."Excuse me! Waiter!" Charlie's tone was deliberately loud, designed to carry. "Could you come here and show us to our table?"Ethan froze mid-step. Several other diners in the nearby lounge area turned to look, drawn by the commotion. He could feel their eyes on him, on the ill-fitting uniform jacket, on the situation unfolding.Helen's gaze had been distant, distracted, but at the sound of Charlie's voice she focused forward—and her eyes locked onto Ethan. Recognition flashed across her face, followed immediately by cold fury."Why are you here?" Helen demanded, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. She pulled away from Charlie slightly, her posture rigid with indignation.Ethan closed his eyes briefly, cur
Chapter 14
Charlie stood in his bedroom, turning the elegant cream-colored envelope over in his hands with barely concealed glee. The Spencer family crest was embossed in gold on the back—a lion and eagle intertwined, symbols of power and prestige that made his heart race with anticipation.He'd been sorting through the day's mail when he'd found it mixed in with the usual bills and advertisements. At first, he'd assumed it was misdirected, but no—there was his name, printed in elegant script on the front.Mr. Charles Bennett Cordially invited to the Spencer Annual Business GalaCharlie had no idea how the invitation had arrived. The Spencer family was practically royalty in the business world—their annual gala was the most exclusive event of the year, attended only by billionaires, industry titans, and political elite. People spent fortunes trying to secure invitations. Companies rose and fell based on connections made at that single event.And somehow, impossibly, he had one.Charlie's mind ra
Chapter 13
Helen's hand tightened around the phone. "Ethan, be reasonable. The company stock is already down ten percent because of this mess. If you keep pushing—""That's not my problem.""It affects me! It affects my livelihood, my business—""And your mother's lies affected mine," Ethan cut her off. "The difference is, I actually have grounds to sue. Your stock price is your own problem, Helen. Maybe next time, control your mother before she weaponizes social media against innocent people."Helen felt something snap inside her. "You ungrateful—after everything I did for you—"But the line was already dead.Ethan had hung up on her.Helen stared at her phone screen in disbelief, the words "Call Ended" mocking her from the display. Ethan had hung up on her. Actually hung up. The audacity of it sent a fresh wave of fury through her veins, but she forced it down with practiced control. Anger wouldn't fix the plummeting stock price or the investors demanding answers.She took a breath and dialed
Chapter 12
Helen stood in her mother's bedroom doorway, the ruby necklace still clutched in her hand, staring at the woman who had raised her as if seeing a stranger. Jenny sat on the edge of her bed, her face blotchy and red, tears streaming down her cheeks—whether from shame or rage, Helen couldn't tell and didn't particularly care."Explain," Helen said, her voice razor-sharp. "Explain to me how you accused Ethan of stealing a necklace that was sitting on your own dressing table the entire time.""I didn't know!" Jenny's voice cracked, shrill with desperation. "Helen, you have to believe me—I checked the safe, I swear I did! The necklace was gone, and then that boy left, and I just assumed—""You assumed." Helen's laugh was bitter and humorless. "You destroyed a man's reputation, turned him into a public villain, threatened his entire future—based on an assumption.""Someone set me up!" Jenny stood abruptly, her hands gesturing wildly. "Don't you see? Someone planted it in my room to make me
Chapter 11
Jenny opened her mouth, then closed it. Her hands clenched at her sides. "I... the safe was locked. Only you and I have the combination. And he lived here for three years—he could have learned it, could have watched us enter it—""Could have. Might have. You're basing this entire accusation on speculation." Helen pulled out her phone, showing her mother the shifting tide of comments. "Look at this. People are starting to ask questions. They're starting to defend him. And when the truth comes out—because it will come out, Mother—we're going to look like vindictive liars."Before Jenny could respond, the study door opened and Charlie slipped inside, his expression carefully concerned."I couldn't help but overhear," he said softly, looking between them. "And I have to say... Helen might be right."Both women turned to stare at him."What?" Jenny's voice was sharp with betrayal.Charlie held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm just saying, maybe we moved too fast. Maybe Ethan didn'
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