Chapter 3 Do You Have Any Evidence?

The murmurs around them made Derek and Heidi visibly uncomfortable, their expressions shifting between pale and flushed.

However, Derek wasn't about to let this stand, so he shouted at the crowd, "Everyone, don't misunderstand! We've been wronged! It's her!" He suddenly pointed at me. "She stole my daughter's necklace! We were just trying to take it back!"

Heidi immediately followed his lead, bursting into tears. "That's right! That necklace was my daughter's favorite! We promised we'd get it for her! Lo and behold, this woman stole it from us!

"When we tried to reason with her, she even had people beat us! Oh, my poor Natalie… you died so tragically…"

They were twisting the truth, trying to win sympathy.

Serena caught on quickly and began to cry as well, her face tear-streaked and pitiful. "Natalie… I miss you so much… That necklace you loved so much… Did you forget you buried it under the desert rose?

"You said that you would wear it when you marry your beloved once we get home…"

She acted with convincing emotion, but I remembered very clearly that there was a distinct lack of love from them when I was young. Hell, I didn't even have a "beloved," let alone a necklace. To them, I had been worth less than a single rose.

Their performance was effective. Some of the guests, unaware of the truth, began to waver.

"Could that necklace really be their daughter's keepsake?"

"They look so heartbroken… It doesn't seem fake."

"If that's true, then the girl's really unreasonable. How could she steal someone else's keepsake?"

Serena cried even louder upon hearing their hushed whisper, a trace of satisfaction flashing through her eyes.

Just then, a commotion came from the entrance. My adoptive father, Ivan Sherwood, and my adoptive mother, Maria Schneider, walked in, surrounded by a group of executives.

I had called them here myself.

The moment Ivan and Maria appeared, the entire atmosphere of the venue shifted. Guests stepped forward one after another to greet them respectfully.

"Mr. Sherwood, Mrs. Sherwood, good evening."

Derek and Heidi, still being held by the security guards near the entrance, froze when they saw the scene unfold.

Maria spotted me in the crowd at a glance. Her brows furrowed slightly as she immediately walked over. "Eliana, what happened?"

Ivan followed, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room before settling on Derek and Heidi, who were being restrained.

A sliver of unease crept into their hearts under his piercing stare. Still, they were trying to play off as victims, so they promptly straightened.

Heidi struck first, breaking free from the guards and rushing toward Maria as she cried out, "Ma'am, you've come at just the right time! You have to stand up for us!"

She pointed at me, tears streaming down her face. "Look at her! She stole my late daughter's necklace! When we asked her to return it, she even had people beat us!"

Derek added to the act, putting on a pitiful tone. "Yes, we're just writers, with no power or influence. All we can do is watch as our daughter's keepsake is taken from us while we're humiliated in public…"

Serena, too, shouted at me with open arrogance, "So what if you have powerful backers? It won't help you! Once they find out you're a thief, no one can protect you!"

She clung to Heidi's arm, looking at me with open provocation.

Maria didn't get angry after listening to their twisted version of the truth. Instead, she smiled. She reached out and gently brushed a loose strand of hair from beside my face. "Eliana, they're saying you took the necklace?"

I nodded. "Mm."

Maria's smile deepened as she turned to Heidi, her tone gentle yet edged with coldness. "Ma'am, you said my daughter stole your daughter's necklace. Do you have any evidence?"

Heidi froze for a moment before saying with complete confidence…