Charlotte accepted the red envelope happily. "Thank you, Auntie."
Then she turned to me. "Elizabeth, what gift did you give Auntie today? I see you don’t have one. You didn’t forget, did you?"
I looked at her with sharp disgust, then shot Alexander the same glare. Since she came to my house, I wouldn’t hold back. Alexander, knowing my temper, was about to intervene, but I spoke first. I took my mother-in-law’s arm. "Mom, I bought you a sapphire—your favorite. Let me show you a picture."
I pulled up photos from my phone, including the ones from the auction house. My mother-in-law’s face lit up. "Oh, Elizabeth, you’re wonderful. You always make me happy."
I pursed my lips. "But today I discovered Alexander took the jewel without my knowledge, saying he wanted to give it away."
Alexander snapped, "That’s enough, Elizabeth! Haven’t you said enough?"
My mother-in-law’s voice rose even higher. "Being mean to my daughter-in-law? What are you doing? Who gave the gift Elizabeth gave me? Who’s worth that much?"
Alexander dared not reply. My mother-in-law’s sharp gaze swept to Charlotte’s neck, stopping at the necklace in astonishment. "Elizabeth… it can’t be this?"
My eyes reddened as I nodded. "Yes. Alexander cut it into dozens of pieces, claiming it was a new job gift for his assistant."
Guests gathered, murmuring in shock. "No way! A gem worth a hundred million, cut into pieces? What’s Alexander thinking?"
"What’s the difference between this and throwing it away?"
"What kind of background does this assistant have that Alexander would do this? Such a waste!"
My mother-in-law shrieked, "Alexander, are you crazy? You cut hundreds of millions’ worth of jewelry into this and set it into a necklace that looks like something from a street stall. Where’s your brain?"
I wiped my tears. "I couldn’t find it today, so I thought it was stolen and called the police. But Alexander came to the station and scolded me, saying I was being unreasonable and targeting his assistant."
"But I bought it specifically for Mom. He wanted to buy jewelry for another woman—and I didn’t dare say anything. How could he waste a gift for Mom on a female college graduate?"
"Mom, you don’t know how I… It was so embarrassing at the police station today. If you didn’t know, you’d think I was the mistress."
My mother-in-law’s face darkened. "He’s rebelling. Alexander, get this man out of the Worthington family immediately. Don’t bring any random people to my birthday party."
Charlotte’s eyes were red, tears streaming silently. I said sharply, "Today is my mother-in-law’s birthday. Don’t cry and bring bad luck to her. There’s no better time to cry than at an elder’s celebration."
She couldn’t reply. Desperately, she tugged at the necklace and placed it in Alexander’s hand. Choking back tears, she whispered, "I’ll give it back. I don’t want it anymore." Then she ran out, crying.
Alexander hurried after her, leaving everyone in the banquet hall stunned. After a while, he returned with Charlotte in his arms, her eyes red and swollen. He glared at me. "You’re cruel, Elizabeth! You’re deliberately trying to embarrass Charlotte in front of Mom. Do you think I care about you?"
"You’ll only make me loathe you more."
"Charlotte and I are just superior and subordinate, yet you insist on throwing mud at us."
I looked down at him coldly. "Alexander, the internet isn’t lawless. You think no one knows what you’ve done. I was foolish not to say anything. I thought you’d return and make it right, but today I’ve realized—I won’t wait for you anymore."
I pulled out my phone and opened Charlotte's Instagram Moments. The post from last night read: “Give me a sky full of stars, and I’ll give you my life.”
The photo showed her lying in Alexander's arms, a baby's breath necklace resting on her bare back. She was breathtakingly beautiful.
The photo’s ambiguity was obvious. It was taken on a bed, and though partially covered by a quilt, it was clear she was naked. Alexander’s face went pale. I sneered, "Want to know why you didn’t know? Your assistant deliberately sent it to me. If she weren’t so spoiled, how could she dare challenge me so boldly?"
"Alexander, you disgust me."
I turned to Charlotte. "You win. This man is yours. I don’t want him anymore."
