Chapter 41

She stretched out her hand, a ruby-red necklace glinting in her palm.

Emma’s tear-streaked face, so dull a moment ago, suddenly flared with hope. She nearly bounced in excitement. “Mom! Look! I told you–she stole the necklace!”

She wiped away her tears, her whole demeanor transformed from a sobbing wreck to a bundle of feverish energy.

Watching this dramatic display, Ivy couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “Emma, you really should consider acting. You’d sweep every Best Actress award.”

Rosetta looked at the necklace in her eldest daughter’s hand, her face clouded with disappointment and pain. “Ivy, how could you stoop to stealing? You had the necklace all along, yet you let your brother turn the house upside down searching for it.”

“And you kept denying it, blaming me!” Emma jumped in, her voice sharp.

Unmoved, Ivy began her counterattack. “I just got home and found the necklace under my pillow. I figured my dear sister was trying to surprise me.”

“Liar! That’s the promise gift Micah gave me! Why would I ever give it to you? You obviously snuck into my room and stole it!” Emma, emboldened by the evidence, raised her voice, righteous indignation radiating from her.

“And how exactly can you prove I took it? I wasn’t even home all day–when would I have stolen it?”

“You took it last night! We all went out for dinner, except you. You were the only one here.”

“Edna was here, too. She was in the living room the whole time. Why not ask her if she saw me go upstairs?”

Adkins immediately called Edna in for questioning.

Edna, just the housekeeper, looked terrified of offending either side. She stammered, “I was cleaning the living room, ma’am. I didn’t notice whether Miss Ivy went upstairs or not…”

Ivy just shrugged and smiled, as if to say: See? No proof.

But Emma jabbed a finger at her, voice sharp. “You don’t have to use the living room! Last time you got dog poop on my bed, you climbed in through the window!”

The rest of the Windsor family stared at her in shock. “What? Climbed in through the window?”

“Exactly.” Emma seized the opportunity, her tone firm and triumphant. “I only realized the next day–there were footprints on the windowsill, and when I looked down, there was one on the roof of the dog house. I knew she’d climbed in the window just to smear dog poop on my bed!”

Ivy looked genuinely surprised.

So that’s why Emma felt bold enough to frame her like this–she’d found out about the window.

Well, Emma was getting cleverer, she’d give her that.

Still, Ivy didn’t flinch. “That’s just your theory. Where’s your evidence? If we’re convicting people based on one person’s story, then by that logic, should we just take my word for it if I accuse you of working with human traffickers?”

“That–that’s nothing alike!” Emma stammered, thrown off balance. “You’re just changing the subject! Mom, look at her–she always twists things around and paints me as the villain. I can’t win, it’s infuriating!”

Ivy’s tone was cool. “Just admit you’re using a double standard. Don’t try to make excuses.”

“You-” Emma was left speechless.

The room fell silent, tension hanging thick in the air.

Ivy broke it with a smile, extending her hand. “Well, do you want this back or not? Isn’t this the precious token Micah gave you?”

“Of course I do!” Emma all but sputtered with outrage, stepping forward to snatch the necklace. But just as she reached out, Ivy closed her fingers around it and pulled her hand away.

“What, you’re not giving it back? Planning to keep it?” Emma’s tone was full of indignation.

“No rush.” Ivy’s smile never faltered. She slipped her other hand into her pocket, speaking deliberately. “There was something else under my pillow, along with the necklace–a jade bracelet. If I recall, that’s yours, Mom. Grandma’s heirloom.”

As she spoke, Ivy pulled out the bracelet and held it out in her palm.

Emma’s face went blank for a split second, then twisted in regret.

She’d been so worked up, she completely forgot about the bracelet! Now that Ivy had produced it herself, she had the upper hand.

“Mom, that really is your bracelet,” Baillie said, standing right by Ivy. He took the bracelet and handed it to Rosetta.

Rosetta examined it and nodded. “It is. I hid this bracelet away so well–how did you find it?”

She directed the question at Ivy.

“I didn’t,” Ivy replied, a small smile on her lips. “Both the bracelet and the necklace were under my pillow. Maybe you should ask the bracelet how it sprouted legs and ran there on its own.”

Rosetta turned the bracelet over in her hand, her eyes drifting thoughtfully to her younger daughter.

It was possible Ivy could have stolen the necklace, sure. But the bracelet? Ivy hadn’t even been home for three years. How would she have found it?

Which left only one explanation…

Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Emma, feeling her mother’s gaze, bit her lip and looked away, guilt written all over her face. Rosetta understood instantly,

Still, she knew why her youngest had done it, and chose not to call her out.

“Well, everything’s been found, so let’s all just be glad it’s over,” Rosetta said, breezily smoothing things over. “Let’s call it a night.”

Emma finally let out a shaky breath, her cheeks mottled with shame and relief.

“Baillie… can you get my necklace for me?” she mumbled.

Baillie, understanding what had really happened, said nothing more. He simply took the necklace from Ivy.

But as Emma took it from him and looked down, her eyes widened in horror. “My necklace–it’s broken!”

The Windsors had just started to turn away, but at that, the whole family stopped and turned back.

Chapter 42 Chapter 42