I looked at the crowd, a cold smile spreading across my face. This show was getting more entertaining by the second.
“In that case, Ms. Sinclair, please return the ring,” Raymond said, his face dark with embarrassment that this was happening at his own birthday banquet – and involving the supposed fiancée of Eclipse Pack’s future Alpha, no less.
I was losing my patience and didn’t feel like dragging this out any longer. “I already told you I didn’t take it.”
“If you didn’t take it, then open your purse and let us see. That’ll settle it,” Wendy said, stepping forward to block my path.
Several werewolf security guards moved in as Raymond gestured, effectively trapping me.
Clearly, I wouldn’t be able to leave until this was resolved. So, I handed my purse to Wendy. “Since you’re so eager to see, go ahead.”
Wendy took my purse, and a barely perceptible gleam of triumph flashed in her eyes as she handed it directly to the head of security. “Please open it and check.”
The head of security nodded and carefully unzipped my purse.
The next moment, there was a collective gasp from the crowd. “It’s really her!”
Inside my purse, there it was – Wendy’s sparkling diamond ring, lying in plain sight.
“That’s my ring!” Wendy exclaimed, staring at me with extreme disdain. “Roseline, so it was you who stole it! Now that we’ve caught you red-handed, with both eyewitnesses and the ring in your possession, what do you have to say for yourself?”
I stayed calm, watching her closely. When the waitress accused me, I was certain the ring would magically appear in my bag. No doubt, Wendy was behind this setup.
“Roseline, if you’d just returned the ring to me and apologized earlier, I might have been willing to let it go.” Wendy’s tone suddenly softened, in stark contrast to her earlier hostility.
I glanced over my shoulder and realized why: Caden, the man she idolized, was finally paying attention to the commotion.
Typical – only now, after everything was practically exploding, did he decide to notice that his troublesome admirer was causing me trouble.
“Wendy, you’re too kind. A thief like Roseline doesn’t deserve forgiveness! We should report this to the authorities and let them handle it fairly and impartially,” Lilian said, perfectly playing her role.
Wendy nodded. “Fine, let’s call the police.”
“This is what you deserve, Roseline. Stealing something this valuable isn’t a minor offense – you’ll be spending time in jail soon enough!” Queenie added gleefully, hurriedly distancing herself from me.
I almost laughed. Reporting this to the police? That actually works out perfectly for me. Exposing Wendy’s set up in front of werewolf officers will make this even more satisfying.
“What’s going on here?”
Caden finally walked over.
I couldn’t believe it took him this long. The whole place was practically about to explode, and he was only now stepping in.
The tailored suit perfectly outlined his fit, commanding figure, while his handsome, domineering face exuded effortless charm. His sharp, penetrating eyes glinted with intensity, and the banquet hall lights cast a golden halo around him, making his presence so powerful that it compelled others to bow in submission.
“Alpha.”
As he approached me with steady strides, the crowd parted, making way for him.
“Caden, Roseline stole my ring,” Wendy jumped in, her voice dripping with false sorrow. She bit her lip pitifully. “It’s the birthday gift Grandpa gave me.”
Caden frowned, his lips pressing into a thin line. “She wouldn’t do that.”
What?
I was slightly taken aback. Caden was actually standing up for me?
“Caden, don’t be fooled by her!” Before Wendy could respond, Queenie cut in, “Someone saw Roseline steal Ms. Crawford’s ring. The head of security found it in her bag just now, and everyone here saw it!”
“Exactly. I don’t believe Ms. Sinclair would steal either, especially since she’s your fiancée. But … “
She paused for dramatic effect, glancing around at the crowd. “In front of everyone, we all saw my diamond ring in her bag. It’s not like the ring just jumped in there on its own, right? Caden, you wouldn’t be favoring Roseline, that thief with dirty hands, would you?”
What a perfect performance – she deserved an award. Her acting skills were good enough to win her an Oscar.
Caden’s deep gaze fell on me. “Did you take it?”
I smiled slightly. “If I said no, would you believe me?”
“I would.” He replied without hesitation.
I blinked in surprise. Caden was willing to believe me, even when everyone else had turned against me?
I had to admit this side of him wasn’t bad.
“If you didn’t take it, then how did the ring end up in your bag?” Wendy gave Lilian a nudge, prompting her to press the question further.
I turned to Wendy, my lips curling into a smirk. “Obviously, someone planted it there.”
Alpha or not, I wasn’t hiding the piercing look in my eyes. Wendy’s face faltered slightly, and she stepped back. Her flustered reaction was barely noticeable but enough for Caden to catch.
“Check the surveillance footage,” Caden ordered, his tone turning steely.
Someone immediately went to the security room.
In a high-end banquet hall like this, surveillance cameras were a given. All we needed to do was check the footage to see who had actually taken Wendy’s ring.
But Wendy had meticulously set up this trap; there was no way she’d make it easy for anyone to see the footage.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, a guard returned. “Alpha, the surveillance cameras in the banquet hall are down.”
“Down?” Caden narrowed his eyes, his expression unreadable.
Feeling tired of all this, I decided to cut to the chase. Turning to Raymond, I said, “Mr. Crawford, it’s simple. If I took the ring, my fingerprints would be on it. We can have it professionally examined.”
“Roseline, there’s no need for this act,” Wendy interjected, feigning magnanimity. “How about this: if you apologize to me now, I’ll let it go, for Caden’s sake.”
I chuckled coldly. Apologize? If I did that, I’d only confirm everyone’s suspicions that I stole her ring. Caden had just said he believed me; apologizing would make him look like a fool for standing by me.
I stared straight at her. “What’s wrong, Ms. Crawford? Are you afraid of a fingerprint test?”
Wendy squirmed under my gaze, biting her lip in a show of forced calm. “If you’re so insistent on it, then fine. Let’s do the fingerprint test.”
“Great. Let’s call in the werewolf police to investigate.” I could see her unease – I had already won.
Since I’d never touched that ring, my fingerprints wouldn’t be on it. A quick test would clear my name.
Caden made a call, and soon, the chief of the Rivemon police station arrived personally, bringing forensic officers with him.
“Mr. Holbrook, this is our best forensic officer,” the chief said respectfully, gesturing for the officer to step forward.
The officer from the forensic department quickly delivered the test results. He cleared his throat before speaking, “Based on our analysis, we found Ms. Sinclair’s fingerprints on the ring.”
My heart sank. My fingerprints? How could that be?
I hadn’t even touched the ring.
I thought fast. Caden called this officer here so he wouldn’t have been bribed by Wendy. The only explanation was that she somehow got my fingerprints without me noticing.
“Roseline, the test results are out. Clearly, you stole my ring. What do you have to say now?” Wendy’s lips twisted into a smug grin.
“Chief, she stole my ring,” Wendy pointed at me, insisting, “Please take her in and handle this matter fairly.”
Caden’s POV:
I’d only known Roseline a few days, but something told me she wouldn’t pull a stunt like this.
“Roseline, did you actually take her ring?” I asked with a smirk.
“Of course not.” She remained calm as ever.
“The test results are right here, and you’re still lying?” Wendy glared at her.
“Caden, why are you even entertaining her? Our family doesn’t associate with thieves. She’s clearly not worthy of you!” Queenie didn’t hide her dislike for Roseline, taking this opportunity to push her further down.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Sinclair, but please come with us to the station to assist with our investigation.” The chief took a step forward.
After all, with someone claiming to have seen Roseline steal the ring, it was found in her bag, and her fingerprints were on it; she was now the prime suspect.
According to the procedure, they needed to take Roseline to the police station to assist with the investigation.
“That won’t be necessary. I can prove I never touched the ring,” she said coolly.
Her voice was calm but had an unmistakable conviction, leaving no room for doubt.
“Prove it? What could you possibly prove? It’s clear as day you stole my ring!” Wendy’s voice rose as excitement lit her eyes. “With all this evidence, you’re still trying to deny it? A petty, low-class Omega like you should prepare for jail!”
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