Chapter 9

"Ms. Thompson, don't tell me you already sold the item for cash." Marie sneered as she questioned Joanna, her arrogant attitude making it seem as if she were Jeremy's mother.

Elliot could no longer hold back. He shot up from his seat, pointing a finger at Marie. "Ms. Kinsey, say one more word, and I swear I'll go over there and slap you!"

Marie wasn't actually afraid of Elliot, but seeing the murderous look on his face at that moment sent a chill down her spine.

"Elliot," Joanna said softly. She turned to grab the corner of Elliot's shirt and tugged at it gently. She added while looking up at him, "Don't be angry. Ms. Kinsey here is just voicing Mr. Hansen's opinion."

Jeremy's gaze darkened as he observed Joanna's actions. It was so familiar, so reliant, like a little girl tugging at Elliot's shirt with a hint of petulance.

Only heaven knew how furious Jeremy felt at that moment. His hand clenched into a fist before he quickly released it, and he sneered. "Fine. Tomorrow then. I'll be waiting."

Suppressing his emotions with great effort, Jeremy turned and strode away. Meanwhile, still worried that Elliot might actually come over and slap her, Marie hurried after Jeremy as soon as he left.

As the door slammed shut with a loud bang, Joanna's composure finally cracked. She leaned back into her chair, closing her eyes, as a wave of bitterness overwhelmed her. Tears welled up and quickly spilled over, soaking her cheeks.

"I'll go deal with that woman right now," Elliot declared angrily, pulling out his phone to make a call.

"Elliot." Joanna quickly stopped him. There was a faint smile curving her lips. "If Jeremy hadn't allowed it, Marie wouldn't dare act so brazenly."

Even as she spoke, tears slid down her face. Seeing her tears, Elliot panicked and grabbed some tissues to wipe them away.

"Joanna, don't cry," he said. "Jeremy is just a blind, scummy man. He isn't worth a single one of your tears."

Joanna tried hard to stop her tears. She nodded firmly and smiled. "You're right, Elliot. He's not worth it."

"You silly goose, you obviously didn't take the item. They're probably just looking for trouble. Why did you admit to it?" Elliot was confused and incredibly frustrated.

Joanna shook her head. "Jeremy may be blind and insufferable, but he wouldn't stoop so low as to deliberately frame me."

"Then he believes you took it," Elliot said angrily. "You've known him for ten years, shared a bed for nearly three, and this is how well he knows you?"

Joanna let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. "Just because Marie said I stole it, he believed her. That proves one thing—he doesn't care about me at all. In his heart, I don't even compare to his secretary."

"If that's the case, you should explain things clearly," Elliot argued, still unable to understand.

Joanna shook her head. "He's already acted this way. If I still held even a shred of hope for him, that would make me foolish and pathetic."

"And so?" Elliot pressed.

Joanna smiled as her tears came flowing again. "Since I no longer have any hope for him, what do his monsters and demons matter to me? The worse he treats me, the more disappointed I'll be, and that will help me give up on him completely."

"But you still shouldn't admit to stealing!" Elliot said anxiously.

Joanna merely shook her head indifferently. "What does it matter? To Jeremy, I'm already a promiscuous woman. He thinks the babies I'm carrying are someone else's. What difference does it make if he adds the label of thief to me?"

"But you didn't take the thing. Where are you going to find it to give to Jeremy?" Elliot asked again.

Joanna already had an answer in her heart regarding this matter. "Jeremy was looking for that pair of starry night cufflinks yesterday and hasn't found them yet. So they must be gone."

She thought carefully. "The housekeeper couldn't have taken them, and Marie wouldn't steal them and then play innocent."

Polly had worked in the villa for three years. She was an honest woman and always kept her hands clean. Joanna trusted her completely.

"Then where did the cufflinks go?" Elliot pressed, staring at her.

"The day I moved out, Marie hired a professional moving company to pack Jeremy's belongings. One of them probably swiped it," Joanna answered with certainty.

Now that she thought back, one of the workers packing that day had kept his head down and avoided looking at her the entire time.

"Elliot, can you help me with something?" she asked.

Elliot was utterly exasperated. He almost rolled his eyes at her. "If I don't help you, who else are you going to turn to?"

Joanna gave him a sweet smile. "Then can you have someone investigate the movers from that day? Look for anything suspicious and corner the culprit to make them confess."

She quickly added, "But don't actually hurt anyone."

Elliot shot her a glare of frustration. "Fine. Leave it to me. I'll make a call right now and get someone on it."

…

Elliot's team worked efficiently, and by midday, they had identified a suspect.

There had been five workers involved in packing Jeremy's things at Clementson Bay Villa that day, and Elliot's team reached out to each of them. One of them, Victor Lynch, stood out.

Victor's daughter, Naomi Lynch, was suffering from leukemia and was currently undergoing treatment in a hospital. His family's financial situation was dire. His aging parents had no pensions, he had three children to support, and his wife's meager earnings weren't enough.

The cost of Naomi's illness had drained their savings, forcing him to borrow money wherever he could.

That day at the Clementson Bay Villa, Victor couldn't resist temptation when he was surrounded by so many valuable items.

He figured that with so much jewelry and accessories, no one would notice him taking a few. Even if someone did notice, it wouldn't be until much later, and the owners might not pursue it.

After taking the items, he sold a fully diamond-encrusted Bulgari bracelet at a second-hand luxury shop to cover Naomi's medical bills. Without the receipt or packaging, he could only sell it at a low price. Still, it was enough to cover a portion of her treatment.

Although the money helped Naomi, Victor had been wracked with guilt. The moment Elliot's team approached him, his anxiety was evident. Before they could even press him for answers, Victor broke down and confessed everything.

He fell to his knees, sobbing and begging for mercy. He promised to find a way to buy back the bracelet and return all the items he had taken but pleaded desperately for them not to call the police. If he ended up in jail, there would be no one to earn money, and Naomi would surely die.

Joanna listened to the entire account over the phone as Elliot relayed it. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Which hospital is his daughter in? What's her room number? I'd like to visit."

"You want to help him, don't you?" Elliot could read her thoughts.

Joanna nodded. "Yes. If Victor returns everything, I'll cover all of his daughter's future medical expenses."

On the other end of the phone, Elliot thought it over. "Alright, but don't go alone. Take someone with you."

"Got it," Joanna replied.