Chapter 137 Kicked Her into the Water
Ava was completely soaked, her form-fitting dress clinging to her body, making her perfect figure even more obvious and alluring. Joshua's tall frame half-shielded Ava, blocking all the stares directed at her.
"Clothes," Joshua said coldly.
Hayden glanced down at himself, "...Joshua, I only have one!"
Joshua's face darkened.
Hayden reacted quickly, immediately turning to tap Samuel. Samuel understood and took off his suit jacket, handing it to Joshua.
Joshua draped it over Ava and bent down to pick her up.
At that moment, Thea, hearing the commotion outside, came out with everyone else. Seeing the scene before her, her eyes dimmed, but she quickly changed her expression to one of concern.
"Joshua, Ava, what happened?" Thea asked, glancing at Mia splashing in the pool.
Joshua's face was terrifyingly dark. He held Ava and was about to leave without answering.
Thea's eyes shifted. She bit her lip and immediately followed, saying urgently, "Joshua, you and Ava are both wet. If you go out like this and catch a breeze, you'll catch cold. Why don't you change clothes before leaving?"
Joshua looked down at Ava in his arms. Not wanting her to catch cold, he slowly turned his gaze to Thea beside him and said in a low voice, "Thank you for the trouble."
"It's no trouble. Come to my room. Ava's build is similar to mine, and I have new clothes in my room. Ava can make do with them."
Ava said softly, "Thank you."
Thea led them to the room. Her eyes drifted to the side and she saw Timothy, also soaking wet.
Her brow furrowed slightly. Obviously, Joshua wasn't the only one who had jumped in to save someone.
Joshua was one thing.
But what was Ava's relationship with Timothy? He never got involved in other people's business, let alone jump in without hesitation to save someone, getting himself in such a mess.
Thea withdrew her gaze with a trace of doubt.
Mia struggled hard to climb out of the pool by herself. Her wet dress was unbearably heavy. Before she could catch her breath, a foot kicked her hard from behind, sending her back into the water.
Mia was caught off guard and kicked into the water, choking on several mouthfuls. She flailed desperately in the pool.
"Help... help me..."
Everyone stared in stunned disbelief at Hayden.
Hayden smirked coldly and snorted twice.
He turned around to meet everyone's shocked gazes.
He laughed coldly and asked, "What are you looking at? I didn't do it on purpose."
Everyone was speechless.
You call that not on purpose?
You literally lifted your foot and kicked her in!
How can you have the nerve to say it wasn't on purpose?
Thea brought clothes for Ava and left the room. Joshua was standing at the door.
Seeing his worried look, Thea's brow furrowed deeply, but she immediately relaxed it and stepped forward with concern, "Joshua, you should go change too. My brother has clothes in his room. I'll get you a set."
Joshua didn't refuse. "Thank you."
Thea walked forward a few steps, then turned back with a gentle smile, "Joshua, you don't need to be so formal with me."
Thea's figure was indeed similar to Ava's. What she gave Ava was a fitted suit dress. After Ava changed, she picked up her handbag from the table and went out.
Thea was standing at the door. Hearing the door open, she turned around, her gaze falling on Ava, secretly gritting her teeth.
Why did even the plainest dress she gave her look so beautiful on her?
A sinister look flashed through Thea's eyes, but when she met Ava's gaze, she smiled harmlessly, "Ava, Joshua went to change. He asked you to wait for him downstairs."
"Okay." Ava nodded. "How much is this outfit? I'll transfer the money to you."
Ava wouldn't take other people's things for free.
Thea quickly said, "It's not much money. Ava, you don't need to be so formal. One dress means nothing to me."
Ava made a gesture to open her handbag. Fortunately, this quality handbag was waterproof, and the phone inside wasn't wet.
Thea's expression panicked. She quickly said, "Ava, really, there's no need. Really no need."
A trace of suspicion flashed through Ava's eyes. She calmly lowered her gaze, her eyes casually glancing inside the handbag.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed. She looked up and closed the handbag, smiling, "Then I won't be so formal with you."
Thea resumed her harmless smile.
Ava took two steps forward, moving slightly closer to Thea, her face showing a bright, charming smile as she said softly, "Thank you."
Thea returned a polite smile, "You're welcome."
Ava slowly went downstairs.
Thea watched Ava's retreating figure, her smile gradually fading. Something about Ava's smile just now felt particularly strange to Thea.
Thea didn't think much of it. Everything was going according to plan.
Ava walked downstairs unhurriedly and waited for Joshua in the banquet hall.
Just then, a voice called from behind, "Wait, Ava."
The corners of Ava's mouth curved up. Here it comes.
"What is it?" Ava asked.
Thea had run urgently, her voice slightly breathless as she asked, "Ava, did you accidentally take something from my room just now?"
Ava's brow moved slightly. She looked at her calmly and unhurriedly, "What?"
"A sapphire necklace from my room is missing. Ava, did you see it in the room just now?"
"No."
Thea's delicate brow furrowed tightly, her face full of worry, so anxious that her fingers were trembling. "What should I do? That necklace was left to me by my mother. It's my most precious possession."
She turned to look at the servant beside her and asked anxiously, "Think carefully about where you put it?"
The maid was so frightened she knelt down directly. "Ms. Ellis, I really put it in the cabinet in your room. I really don't know how it disappeared."
The maid's kneeling and crying immediately attracted others' attention. People couldn't help but gather around, asking with concern, "Ms. Ellis, what happened?"
"What's going on?"
"My sapphire necklace is missing. It's the only thing my mother left me. It's very precious. If it's lost, if it's lost, I really don't know what to do." Thea lowered her head, tears welling up. Her pitiful, aggrieved appearance immediately drew concern from those around her.
"The sapphire necklace, is that the family heirloom?"
"That's the one."
"That's the Ellis family's ancestral heirloom, passed down through generations. The entire necklace is set with eighteen top-grade sapphires. I was fortunate enough to see it once—it was absolutely stunning, flawless to perfection. Who would dare steal something so precious?"
"Could it be that this servant got greedy and stole it?" someone suggested.
The servant cried even louder and immediately said, "Ms. Ellis, I didn't take it. Even if you gave me a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't dare take your things, especially such a precious sapphire necklace."
Thea furrowed her brow and bent down to help the servant up from the floor, saying to everyone, "She's worked in our home for over ten years. If she wanted to steal it, she would have done so long ago. Why would she wait until now? It's not her."
Hearing Thea say this personally, everyone's eyes shifted away from the servant.
"Then who stole it? Ms. Ellis, think carefully—who else entered your room?"
Thea furrowed her brow in thought. She slowly raised her head, her conflicted gaze involuntarily falling on Ava.
"That's right, Ms. Ellis. After that, only Ms. Davis entered your room. No one else went in," the maid quickly added.
Thea said, "This..."
Following Thea's gaze, everyone looked at Ava, who stood quietly to the side.
Ava had already changed her dress and removed her makeup. Her carefully styled long hair had fallen loose. She wore a simple suit dress, yet her beauty still outshone everyone else.
"Are you suggesting I took it?" Ava's gaze fell directly on Thea.
Thea pressed her lips together, lowering her head somewhat conflicted, but she said nothing.
Demonstrating perfectly how silence equals admission.
Seeing this scene, everyone's eyes toward Ava immediately changed.
"Miss, you'd better take out the necklace quickly. That's the Ellis family's heirloom, not just any ordinary thing."