Chapter 40
Ruby was thrilled when she heard those words.
Outside the maid’s room, Lilian knocked twice–hard and impatient.
She didn’t bother waiting for a response before shoving the door open.
Adora was seated at the small desk, still reading.
Despite the blatant invasion of her space, she remained calm, glancing up casually.
“What’s wrong? Something you need?”
Ruby lingered behind Lilian, deliberately letting Lilian take the lead.
And Lilian didn’t disappoint.
Fixing her sharp gaze on her eldest daughter, she demanded, “Adora, did you steal your sister’s things?”
Adora slowly turned in her chair, her eyes flicking to Ruby before raising a brow in surprise. “Steal? Steal what?”
“Like you don’t know,” Ruby snapped, losing patience.
“Quit playing dumb.”
Adora stood, her expression blank. “I actually have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t take anything.”
“Mom, she won’t admit it.”
Ruby turned to Lilian with a pitiful look.
By now, Theodore and Peter had also been drawn over by the commotion.
After learning that Ruby lost an expensive necklace, Peter instinctively assumed Adora was responsible.
Ruby let out a sorrowful sigh, her voice quivering. “It was the necklace Eugene gave me… a token of his love. If it’s really gone…”
She trailed off, but Peter was already stepping in to reassure her. “Don’t worry, we’ll find it.”
A few days ago, in a moment of anger, he slapped Ruby, and guilt was eating at him ever since.
Now that he had a chance to make it up to her, he didn’t hesitate.
“I’ll search her room myself,” he volunteered.
Ruby almost let her excitement slip but quickly composed herself, feigning concern.
“Brother, maybe we shouldn’t… it doesn’t feel right.”
1/3
“It’s fine. I’ll wear gloves and a mask,” Peter said, already grabbing a pair of latex gloves and a face mask.
Adora stood in the middle of her cramped room, her expression carefully unreadable.
“And what exactly gives you the right to search my room?”
“Getting nervous?” Ruby sneered, her eyes sharp.
Before Adora could respond, Peter shoved past her, invading the tiny space.
The room was small, leaving him little to search.
He started with the drawers, rifling through them before moving on to the wardrobe, shaking out all her clothes.
“Check under the bed too,” Ruby reminded from the doorway.
Adora’s lips curled slightly, her gaze amused yet unreadable.
“Got it.”
Peter turned and began searching the bed, shaking out the pillows and blankets.
But there was nothing.
Standing at the doorway, Ruby watched the scene unfold, her initial smugness gradually shifting into confusion.
She knew she had hidden the necklace under the pillow.
So where was it?
Had Adora found it and moved it?
If she had only stashed it somewhere else in the room, they would eventually find it.
However, it would be a problem if she threw it away.
The thought sent a wave of panic through Ruby.
That ruby necklace wasn’t just expensive–it was a symbol of her relationship with Eugene.
It meant everything to her.
She had secretly thrown their mother’s heirloom, a priceless white diamond bracelet, into the mix to make Adora’s “crime” look
even worse.
She hid both the items under the pillow.
If Adora had destroyed or disposed of them, things would spiral out of control fast.
Her heartbeat quickened as she watched her brother come up empty–handed.
2/3
Adora, leaning casually against the desk, tilted her head and asked, “So? Did you find it?”
Peter shot her a sharp look, clearly displeased, then turned toward their father and Ruby, shaking his head with a frown.
“Nothing.”
Ruby’s face paled.
Panic flickered in her eyes as she muttered under her breath, “That’s impossible… I know it was there.”
Lilian narrowed her eyes. “What did you just say?”
“N–nothing,” Ruby stammered before snapping her gaze to Adora, her expression dark and tense.
Adora could tell she was unraveling.
After all, those two pieces of jewelry were worth millions.
Even for a wealthy family, they were irreplaceable.
