"What? A thief?"
Lisa was taken aback. Instantly, she burst into tears.
"Noah, I know you love me. But you really didn't have to do this..."
She knew the jewelry was authentic, and it was the fact that Noah didn't have that kind of money. Therefore, she couldn't think of another explanation other than he stole it.
Desperate, she said, choking, "Noah, turn yourself in, OK? In that case, you'll do a few less years...
"Don't worry. I won't divorce you even if you're in jail..."
"Lisa! Wake up!" Evelyn was so pissed off.
She yelled, "Noah is a thief! He stole the jewelry! I can accept him being poor, but this is a matter of character! He's committed a crime!
"He's screwed up! Why? Why do you insist on staying with him? Just divorce him, OK? He doesn't get to have you!"
The more she said, the more agitated and confused she grew. She looked at Noah with scorn and mockery.
"She's right, Lisa. Divorce him before it's too late."
The others echoed.
"Don't wait till he's in jail!"
"He's a criminal. He isn't worthy of your love!"
Seeing that Lisa was still unmoved, Evelyn turned to Noah and said utterly coldly, "Noah! I'm warning you!
"If you're a man, divorce Lisa right now!
"I won't allow you to play with Lisa's feelings! You're simply not worthy of her!"
Noah cast a sideways glance at her. "Before you point fingers, check out the name on the receipt, OK?
"You call me a thief? Be careful. I might sue you for slander."
"What?"
Evelyn was stunned for a second, but soon she sneered, "You're so stubborn."
Then she opened the box again and took the receipt out.
The total price for the necklace, the earrings, the diamond ring, and the bracelet came to 80 thousand dollars, and it was stated clearly that the purchaser's name was Noah.
"So what?"
Evelyn tossed the receipt aside nonchalantly. "The technology nowadays is so advanced. Anyone can forge a receipt easily. But I've got to admit that I'm impressed, Noah. You stole the jewelry and forged the receipt? How thoughtful!
"But rest assured that I'll expose you. Guess what? I recognized the ring! I'm a gold member of Tiffany & Co., and I happened to visit their store not long ago. You're a phone call away from being caught!
"Noah, last chance. Divorce Lisa and then go turn yourself in!
"You don't wanna be utterly embarrassed, right? Don't make me pick up the phone then."
"Suit yourself." Noah shrugged, indifferent.
"You..."
Evelyn gritted her teeth with rage.
"Fine! Don't blame me!"
Then she took out her phone, dialed a number, and turned the speakerphone on for everyone to hear.
The day she went to the store, she got the shop assistant's number when she got interested in the blue diamond ring. In such a way, she could buy it conveniently when she made up her mind.
As she remembered, the shop assistant's name was Amelia.
The call was connected.
"Hello, Ms. Crowe. You've reached Tiffany & Co. How may I help you?" Amelia's polite and gentle voice rang out, loud enough for the whole office to hear.
Lisa's palms became sweaty, while everyone else was rather excited, waiting to see Noah embarrass himself.
Amelia had saved all the members' names and phone numbers, so she knew that Evelyn on the line was a gold member.
Only with a purchase of over 80 thousand dollars could one qualify for gold membership.
And of course, Amelia treated each one of them with great respect.
What was more, for some customers worth tens of millions of dollars, even if they didn't make in-store purchases, Tiffany & Co would still grant them either gold or platinum membership.
"Hi, Amelia. I was wondering if the blue diamond ring I fancied last time was still available," Evelyn said, cutting to the chase.
"Sorry, Ms. Crowe. A gentleman has just bought it," Amelia replied.
"What?" Evelyn was taken aback, and her eyes widened. "Are you sure it didn't get stolen?"
"Ms. Crowe, you must be joking. All the counters in our store are made of bullet-proof glass, and we've got 24-hour monitoring, leaving no blind spots at all. Besides, there are also a dozen guards on duty. Nothing will ever get stolen." Amelia was somehow left speechless by Evelyn's question.
Amelia thought, 'Is she serious? The modern surveillance network is so developed. No one gets to steal from a jewelry store anymore.
'Even if someone is bold enough to do so, they'll probably be caught by the cops before they get to fence the items.
'Only morons steal from a jewelry store, which is no different from robbing a bank.'
"Can you tell me who the buyer is?" Evelyn asked.
She thought, 'If Noah isn't a thief, then I'm sure he's a robber.
'He robbed the buyer, forged the receipt, and then gave Lisa the jewelry, claiming that he bought it.
'I bet I'm right!'
"Well... I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say," said Amelia. "The buyer is our valued member, and we are obligated to protect our members' privacy. Sorry, Ms. Crowe."
"I see."
Evelyn nodded, somewhat disappointed.
On impulse, she asked, "Was the buyer Noah?"
"How did you know? Do you know him?" Amelia blurted out.
In the next second, her expression changed, and she panicked, knowing she had made a mistake.
She thought, 'Damn! Ms. Crowe was fishing me! She was trying to get words out of me!
'I'm screwed!
'How could I make such a stupid mistake?
'I guess I'm still caught up in Noah's No Preset Spending Limit Card, and I'm not myself. The only thing I wanna do now is to get to know him better.
'That's why I gave away his information easily.'
While she was regretting, Evelyn, on the other end of the line, was stunned and in great disbelief.
The entire office fell silent at once.
Seeing the look on Evelyn's face brought special delight to Noah. It was the impact he had been hoping for. Unbeknownst to her, Evelyn had been mocking him while already ensnared in the trap Noah had set.
Her own prejudices had misled her, leading her to underestimate Noah's capabilities, never suspecting that it was indeed Noah who had made the purchases.
Lisa, too, was greatly disappointed in Evelyn. She had staunchly believed Evelyn before and had nearly been led astray by her, almost misunderstanding Noah. Now feeling remorseful towards Noah, Lisa thought she should have always stood by him.
Observing Lisa's expression, Noah realized she was coming to grips with the reality of things, which was exactly his intention.
In the past, to prevent assassination attempts by terrorists, Noah had to lay low. If he were to reveal his identity abruptly, he feared Lisa might not be able to cope. So he planned to peel back layers of his identity gradually, deploying his intelligent mind to navigate the challenges Lisa faced, exacting rightful consequences from those who had previously scorned him.
Punishing Evelyn was merely the commencement of Noah's elaborate design.