Chapter 51

Jonathan had already made it clear. Everything hinged on Alicia’s choice. Brenda clutched her napkin tighter. She smiled, removing the emerald necklace from her neck. “My mother’s,” she said, “It’s been passed down for years.”

She approached Alicia, her eyes gentle. “When I first saw you, I knew this necklace would look amazing on you, Alicia.”

When Brenda removed the necklace, silence fell over the room. Even I was astonished. That emerald was the most exquisite thing I’d ever seen. A flicker of joy crossed Alicia’s eyes, but she quickly stood, waving her hands, flustered. “I can’t accept this. It was a gift from your mother. How could I possibly take something so meaningful?”

She pursed her lips. “Besides, I’ve heard how valuable this necklace is. Money can’t buy it. Many women would covet it. You’ve treasured it for years. How could I possibly take it from you?”

She said all the right things to sound modest, but the way she kept glancing at me with that smug look made it obvious she was showing off.

With Jonathan’s support, Brenda didn’t hesitate to use such an expensive piece of jewelry to win Alicia over. Even though I was Jonathan’s wife, I was nothing compared to Alicia; she didn’t even have to try.

I raised an eyebrow, looking back at her, calm and unbothered. If Alicia wanted Jonathan that badly, why not just make him divorce me and marry her? What was the point of these petty games?

Brenda knew exactly what was happening. She saw Alicia was pretending to refuse, so she simply smiled and put the necklace on her without another word.

She became sentimental, as if truly adoring Alicia. “Look at that. It looks beautiful on you. The emerald necklace is named Verdant Bloom. It matches your skin tone perfectly.”

Alicia’s cheeks flushed rosy as she shyly glanced at Jonathan. “Do you think this is too much, Jonathan?”

Jonathan’s expression was indifferent. “Keep it if you like it.”

Only after receiving his approval did Alicia finally nod and accept it. They looked so happy together. I couldn’t watch any longer, so I got up and left.

Gabrielle followed. “Where are you going, Elise?”

I responded, “I’m going to check on Frederick. He must be feeling pretty awful right now.”

When I reached Frederick’s room, Gabrielle said, “Go check on him first. He probably only wants to see you right now. I’ll wait for you in the lounge.”

I nodded and knocked, but there was no response. I didn’t give up and kept knocking until Frederick’s cold voice came through the door. “Get lost.”

I lowered my voice. “It’s me. If you want me to leave, I will.”

I pretended to walk away, making sure my footsteps were loud enough. A moment later, the door creaked open. Frederick stood there and said coldly, “Get in.”

I spun around, gazing at him in resignation. “I didn’t do anything to you. Why am I your punching bag all of a sudden?”

Frederick sneered. “Blame your husband and his homewrecker girlfriend.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That’s not fair. Alicia is Jonathan’s mistress. Why are you coming at me?”

Frederick scoffed. “Aren’t you two sharing everything as husband and wife? That makes his mistress your problem too. You have every right to deal with Alicia and every reason to answer for her behavior.”