Clark frowned, about to speak, when a loud female voice suddenly echoed in the banquet hall. "Oh no! My necklace is missing!"The voice was so piercing that it immediately drew everyone's attention.Staff members quickly approached her. Upon hearing about the missing necklace, they turned on the lights, illuminating the ballroom as bright as day."Ms. Rainford, don't worry. We'll have our staff search for it right away. If it's here, we should be able to find it quickly."Jacqueline looked anxious and said, "Why not check the security cameras? We should be able to find it quickly. I'm sure I lost it here."The staff member apologized, "I'm sorry, Ms. Rainford. To ensure the privacy and security of the charity gala, there are no cameras in the ballroom."Jacqueline was aware of this already. She was simply trying to convey her urgency. "Please help me find it. The necklace was a birthday gift from Tom, and it means a lot to me.""Of course, Ms. Rainford," the staff member assured
With Nyla's words, everyone began to grasp the absurdity of the situation. They turned to Erin and Jacqueline with expressions of displeasure.Jacqueline had lost her own necklace. What did that have to do with them? Why should their bags be searched because of her mistake?A necklace worth millions? They could easily afford several of those. There was no need to resort to theft.A cold glint appeared in Erin's eyes as she noticed the unfriendly looks from the crowd. She hadn't anticipated Nyla being so sharp-tongued and difficult to handle. Soon enough, she would make her pay.Erin sighed and said helplessly, "I suggested this to clear everyone's names and help Jacqueline find her necklace. It means a lot to her.""What does that have to do with us? If it was so important, she should've kept it safe at home instead of wearing it out.""Exactly! She lost it herself and now wants to search our bags? I don't agree with that!""Hah! If you care about the necklace so much, I'll buy
"Nyla, am I not giving you enough money? Why would you do something like this?!" Clark demanded.Nyla glanced at him, noting the unfamiliar fury in his eyes. She even suspected that if they weren't in a public setting, he might have grabbed her by the neck and demanded answers.She smiled. "Clark, you've really changed."He used to trust her completely, but now he seemed to think she was capable of stealing from someone else. It appeared that when a person's heart changed, they also became blind to reality.Taking the diamond necklace out of her bag, Nyla held it up for Jacqueline to see. "Ms. Rainford, take a good look. Is this your necklace? If I remember correctly, Ms. Hulle described your necklace's pendant as a swan encrusted with diamonds."Under the light, the necklace Nyla held was a delicate heart-shaped pink diamond, clearly different from Erin's description. This was the necklace Nyla had worn to the event.Jacqueline's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible! My neckla
"Or do you think your apology is worth that much, Mr. Genge?"Everyone turned to the door as Damon walked in with Lincoln Gunton, the host of the charity event.Lincoln wore a smile, but Damon's demeanor was icy, exuding an unwelcoming aura.Tom's gaze darkened. If only Clark had been present, he might have been able to resolve the situation amicably. With Damon involved, however, things were likely to become much more complicated.Clark's expression was also grim. Nyla had almost agreed to his suggestion, but Damon's arrival threatened to jeopardize the Sumner Group's cooperation with Gen Pharma."Mr. Damon, this was Jacqueline's mistake. I've assured you that she will apologize and compensate Mrs. Sumner in any way possible," Tom said, hoping to show respect to the Sumners.He knew that if things escalated further, it would reflect poorly on everyone involved.Damon stopped a few steps away, his gaze frosty enough to freeze someone in place. "If Jacqueline had been falsely acc
Jacqueline screamed, clutching her dress in desperation, her eyes filled with terror. "No! Don't come any closer! I'll kneel and apologize!"She had initially thought Damon was merely trying to scare her, but now she saw that his men were actually advancing. He was mad. She would rather be dead than exposed in front of everyone. Kneeling and apologizing seemed preferable.Damon's expression remained icy as he sneered. "Alright, back off."The men in black retreated, leaving Jacqueline on the floor, desperately holding onto her dress. Her hair and clothes were in disarray, and she looked utterly disheveled.Trembling with fear, she crawled over and knelt before Nyla."Ms. Jayston, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have framed you. I was wrong. I'll never do it again. Please forgive me..." she pleaded.Nyla regarded her with indifference, feeling no sympathy. Had she not discovered the necklace in her bag, she might have been the one facing humiliation now."Ms. Rainford, there's no need to
Clark was indignant as Damon scolded him, his hands clenched at his sides. Anger flashed in his eyes."Uncle Damon, Nyla is my wife. How I handle things is none of your business!" he snapped.Damon sneered. "At least Tom knew to protect Jacqueline. You, on the other hand, are both unfaithful and cowardly. I don't know how the Sumners ended up with someone as useless as you."Clark gritted his teeth and said coldly, "At least I'm not coveting someone else's wife.""Do you believe I can have you two divorced by tomorrow?" Damon threatened.He had only held back out of respect for Nyla, waiting until she was ready to make her own decision.Clark's face twisted with resentment. He knew Damon had the power to do just that. Even if Damon took Nyla away from him right now, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. As the CEO of the Sumner Group without any shares, he was no match for Damon."Uncle Damon, don't push it too far!"He had endured a lot, but Damon's blatant support for
A cold gleam flashed across Tom's eyes. Was Jacqueline being used by Erin? Although he didn't agree with Jacqueline's actions, she did them for his sake."Don't do this kind of thing again. Damon is ruthless and never shows mercy. Going against him will only lead to trouble," he warned her.Seeing Tom's stern expression, Jacqueline bit her lip and cautiously said, "Tom, Ms. Jayston wasn't hurt at all. If I just apologized, it would be over. But she refused to let me off. Could it be because of Ms. Weir?"Tom narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "You mean she did it to get back at you for Valarie?""Aside from that, I can't think of any other reason why she would be so relentless," Jacqueline replied.Nyla and Valarie were good friends, and Valarie had misunderstood Tom's relationship with Jacqueline. If Nyla was teaching Jacqueline a lesson on Valarie's behalf, it would make sense.Seeing Tom's grim face and silence, Jacqueline didn't say anything more. She knew that speaking too m
"If I don't love you anymore, will you let me go?" Nyla asked.Clark's gaze turned cold as he answered, "No.""Then what's the point of asking? And wasn't it you who threatened me with my dad to move back in?" Nyla retorted.Meeting Nyla's calm gaze, Clark smiled self-deprecatingly and turned away, saying nothing more. He had indeed forced her to return.From the day he cheated, he should have expected this. He was just too confident, thinking her love for him would lead to forgiveness.They fell into silence.Soon, the driver pulled the car around."Let's get in," Clark said.Nyla glanced at her phone, canceled her ride order, and got in the car.The drive home was quiet. Neither of them spoke, and the driver didn't dare break the silence.When they reached the villa, Nyla was about to head upstairs when Clark spoke up. "Nyla, I'm sorry about tonight. I didn't protect you."His tone was serious, and Nyla paused for a moment before walking away without a word.As soon as sh