Chapter 42

Looking closer, Emma’s beloved ruby necklace – worth a fortune – had snapped clean into three pieces.

“Ivy! You did this on purpose! You’re despicable!” Emma’s composure shattered; her eyes brimmed with angry tears as she shouted across the room.

Just when she thought she’d escaped blame for the missing necklace, thinking the ordeal was over, she realized her most treasured keepsake, the symbol of her relationship, had been destroyed.

In the span of barely ten minutes, Emma’s emotions had ricocheted from hope, to secret delight, to smugness, then confusion, panic, guilt, relief, and now, suddenly, rage and heartbreak.

“Ivy, this is – this is just too much! That necklace is incredibly expensive. Micah gave it to Emma as a symbol of their love, and you just broke it!” Rosetta instantly turned on her eldest daughter, her voice sharp with accusation.

“Oh, please…” Ivy furrowed her brow in mock regret, then explained with practiced ease, “Honestly, your necklace was just too stunning. I couldn’t stop admiring it, and I guess I got a little too caught up. I accidentally caught it on the corner of the table, gave it a tug, and… snap.”

“You–” Emma was speechless, fury roiling in her chest.

She saw right through Ivy’s nonchalance. This was a deliberate provocation, a message: I broke your necklace on purpose – what are you going to do about it? Who asked you to hand it over to me in the first place?

It was obvious now – tonight’s little “trap” had been under Ivy’s control from the very start.

Emma felt like a puppet on Ivy’s strings.

But she wasn’t out of moves yet.

If her parents sided with her, she wouldn’t be the loser here.

After a quick calculation, Emma switched tactics, seizing the moment. “I don’t care! You broke my necklace – it’s worth a fortune! You have to pay for it!”

“Oh, come on. It was an accident. Are you really going to nitpick over this? Besides, your Micah is loaded and crazy about you. Just get him to buy you another one.” Ivy smiled with exaggerated innocence, her tone cloying and insincere.

It wasn’t just Emma who looked ready to explode. The rest of the Windsor family sat stiff and stone-faced, outrage simmering in the air.

“You’re just jealous that Micah fell for me and dumped you!” Emma accused, her voice trembling with indignation. “You ruined our keepsake on purpose – you stole it, then broke it, and now you’re calling me petty? Dad, Mom, it’s really Ivy’s fault this time. You have to stand up for me!”

If it came down to theatrics, Emma was a practiced performer. She accused first, then pivoted smoothly into a confession.

“Yes! I took Mom’s bracelet – I wanted to frame her. But the necklace? That’s not on me. Micah gave it to me; it’s the symbol of our love. I treasure it – I’d never just hand it over, especially not to her, with her… illness. What if I got infected? There’s no way I’d risk it. She took it out of jealousy, stole it, and broke it on purpose! She’s twisted–”

Emma’s voice broke as she sobbed, gasping for breath. When the Windsors didn’t react, she dropped to her knees with a dramatic thud.

“Mom, I’m sorry! I stole your bracelet – it was wrong. Hit me if you want, yell at me, I deserve it–” Emma clung to Rosetta’s hand, slapping her own face, tears streaming down.

Rosetta couldn’t bear it. Seeing her youngest sobbing her heart out, still reeling from the necklace disaster, any anger melted away.

“All right, that’s enough. Get up now – crying like this is no way to behave.” Rosetta pulled her up, wiping away her tears. “This time, I’ll let it go. But there won’t be a next time.”

Emma sniffled pitifully, her voice catching. “I understand. I’m sorry, Mom…”

Watching the scene unfold, Ivy felt a fresh surge of pain and fury burning inside her.

When she made a mistake, it was unforgivable.

But when Emma lied and twisted the truth, somehow it was just “let’s forget it.”

Ivy wanted to argue, but knew deep down her family had already abandoned her. To protest would only invite more humiliation.

All that anger suddenly numbed, leaving her exhausted. She tossed out a cold line: “If we’re done here, then get out. I need to rest.”

“No way! You broke my necklace – if you can’t pay for it, at least apologize!” Emma had finally found something to hold over Ivy and wasn’t about to let it go.

Ivy didn’t bother responding. She walked to the table, picked up her backpack.

“I won’t apologize, but I can cover repair costs.” With that, Ivy pulled out two neat stacks of crisp bills.

“Two thousand – will that cover it?” Her tone was dismissive as she flicked the money straight at Emma’s face.

Emma never saw it coming. The cash hit her squarely, making her yelp in pain, cheeks blazing with humiliation.

The sting of shame was immediate and overwhelming.

“Ivy!” Emma shrieked, her voice cracking with rage.

Ivy arched an eyebrow, feigning misunderstanding. “Not enough? Fine. Here’s another thousand.”

She fished out another bundle and tossed it over, catching Emma off guard again, sending her reeling.

The Windsors stared in stunned silence at Ivy’s casual display of wealth.

Emma’s face tingled from the blow. Gaping at the three thousand in cash scattered on the floor, she was equal parts shocked and furious. “Where did you get all this money? Don’t tell me you were out selling yourself or something!”

“Wow, you’re clever. Why don’t you guess – who did I sell myself to?”

Instead of denying it, Ivy smoothly volleyed the accusation right back, ready for the next round.