“Layla? I was in a no-signal zone for a meeting, and my phone was in airplane mode. What’s wrong?”
The moment Layla answered, Apollo’s anxious and regretful voice blasted through the speaker.
There was no guilt and avoidance, only confusion and worry.
The last shred of doubt in Layla was replaced by indignation. She started weeping.
“Apollo, I…” She choked up and could not even form a complete sentence.
However, Apollo could immediately tell that something was wrong. He raised his voice in anger and roared murderously, “What’s wrong? Did someone harass you and Mom? Don’t cry. Hand the phone to my mom!”
While crying, Layla handed her phone to me. Once I gave Apollo the general gist of what had happened, he became so livid that his voice started trembling, and he started making some really crazy oaths. “Mom, trust me when I say that I’ll never betray Layla. If I do, you can announce to everyone that you’re cutting ties with me immediately, and God will kill me in a car crash!”
That “I’ve got the cat in the bag” smile on Mandy’s face finally cracked.
Just then, two police officers walked into the shop with steady footsteps and sharp gazes. “Who called the police?”
I raised my hand.
Mandy’s expression immediately changed. She strode over and tried to snatch my phone away.
“Officers, it’s all a misunderstanding! It’s just a family matter! We can handle this by ourselves!”
However, I took a step to the side and blocked her way as I said coldly, “You’re not the one who gets to decide whether this is a misunderstanding.”
The police officer who was clearly the leader observed us. When he saw me, he raised an eyebrow in shock. “Are you… Leto Jackson, the CEO of Grand Source?”
His words were like a splash of cold water on boiling oil. It made the people around us erupt in shock.
“Grand Source? The giant in new energy? She’s the CEO?”
“Wait. Now that you’ve mentioned it, she really is Leto Jackson! I saw her during the last financial summit!”
As she listened to the discussions, Mandy’s face turned pale.
When she trained her eyes on me, her lips quivered, and all her arrogance from a moment ago vanished.
“M-Miss Jackson, I’m sorry. I-I didn’t know that you’re…”
She almost started crying, but when she realized that Apollo was still on the phone, she decided not to give up yet.
“But we weren’t trying to scam you. We just thought that the woman seemed to know you well. Why don’t you ask your son if he’s too afraid to tell the truth because Miss Lark is here?”
I refused to entertain her stubbornness and showed the police officers the ridiculous receipt.
“It’s simple, officers. I brought my future daughter-in-law here to buy an engagement present, but the shop owner issued me a two-million-dollar receipt. I was unaware of it, I never signed the receipt, and I was never asked for verification. When I refused to pay, she threatened to keep me here,” I stated calmly and clearly with no hint of unnecessary emotion.
The police officers’ expressions grew stern as they turned to Mandy. “Since both of you have stated that there’s a conflict between you, bring out the security footage. We’ll handle this.”
I smiled and agreed. “Of course. The shop owner said that I’m very close to whoever said I ought to pay for the diamond ring. Let’s have her bring out the security footage. I believe that the number of security cameras in such a large jewelry shop should be second only to the amount of jewelry here.”
I then stared at Mandy and said, “Miss Williams, this is your best chance to prove your innocence.”
Mandy’s eyes flickered with various emotions. After a long time, she stammered, “T-The security cameras… broke down today.”
This time, the police officers scoffed.
When Mandy saw that the police officers’ expressions were turning darker, she gritted her teeth. She grabbed my arm and whispered, “Miss Jackson, can we talk in private?”
I had thought that she would beg for mercy, but the moment she went to the side, desperate ruthlessness replaced her fear. When she spoke, her voice was absolutely threatening.
“Miss Jackson, burning bridges isn’t good for any of us. You’re a respectable person. I don’t think you’d want to go on the news for a family matter, right? Besides, two million dollars is a small sum to you, isn’t it?”
