Chapter 138 Dreaming of Escaping Unscathed
"Miss, you'd better take out the necklace quickly. That's the Ellis family heirloom, not just any ordinary thing."
Ava remained calm, standing in place and looking directly at the person who just spoke. "I told you, I didn't take anything. What do you want me to take out?"
Seeing Ava refuse to admit it, Thea's brows furrowed even tighter, her eyes full of hurt.
That hint of sadness fell into others' eyes, making everyone feel even more indignant on Thea's behalf.
"You're the only one who entered Ms. Ellis's room. Now the necklace is missing. If not you, who else could have taken it?"
"Exactly! Ms. Ellis was kind enough to let you use her room to change clothes, and you stole her necklace. What kind of upbringing do you have?"
Thea weakly raised her head, looking at Ava, her reddened eyes already brimming with tears.
"Ava, if you really took the necklace, please just take it out, okay? That necklace is really precious to me. If you like necklaces, I can give you all my other necklaces. I just want that one back, please?"
Thea pleaded desperately.
The onlookers grew more and more angry.
"Miss, Ms. Ellis is begging you like this, and you still won't take out the necklace?"
"If you want to prove your innocence, just let us search you."
Ava's eyes were cold. "Search me? On what grounds? Did you see me steal her necklace?"
"Well..."
"If not, what gives you the right to condemn me without knowing the facts?" Ava's voice was cold, her gaze sweeping over everyone, utterly indifferent.
Ava's calm, cold voice carried an overwhelming pressure that unconsciously diminished others' momentum.
"But you're the only one who entered Ms. Ellis's room."
Ava's eyes moved, sweeping toward the servant. "When did you put the necklace in the room?"
The servant, suddenly questioned, instinctively glanced at Thea.
Ava said, "Please answer my question."
"About... about before the party started."
Ava laughed coldly. "That's ridiculous. With such a long period of time and so many people, you haven't checked the surveillance footage, yet you're determining I'm the only person who went in?"
People looked at each other. Ava had a point. With such a big party and so many people, and the room unlocked, if someone wanted to steal, taking a necklace would be easy.
"Is there surveillance in the room?" Ava questioned again.
"Of course not..."
Who installs surveillance in their bedroom?
Ava smiled. "Then it's even more ridiculous. How can you be sure I stole the necklace in the room?"
With just a few calm questions, Ava turned the situation around.
Thea's pupils trembled in her eye sockets. She said softly and wearily, "Ava, we didn't say you definitely took the necklace..."
"You just said exactly that." Ava's cold gaze swept toward her.
"Ava, I think you misunderstood. That's not what we meant. It's just that the necklace is really important to me. I don't want to miss any possibility. I'll check the hallway surveillance later, but right now you're also a suspect.
So could you please cooperate with us and let us look at your handbag? That would prove your innocence. If it's really not there, I'll definitely apologize to you."
As Thea spoke, her delicate face was full of sincerity.
"Right, the most straightforward way to prove your innocence now is to open your bag in front of us. If the necklace isn't inside, then we misunderstood you." The people around echoed.
"What's going on?"
A deep voice came through. Everyone turned to look and saw the man's tall, slender figure approaching. They automatically made way.
Joshua naturally walked to Ava's side and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
"Ms. Ellis's necklace is missing. They're saying I stole it." Ava looked at Joshua, the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile as she spoke frankly.
Joshua's gaze turned cold, lifting his eyes to look at Thea with her reddened eyes.
Thea quickly explained, "Joshua, I'm sorry. I was just anxious because that necklace is too important to me, and it went missing after Ava went in, so my words were a bit harsh."
Thea lowered her head apologetically, her tone exceptionally sincere.
"Actually, I'm willing to believe Ava, but there's no other way. Right now, to prove Ava really didn't take the necklace, the most straightforward way is to trouble Ava to show us her bag, and that will prove her innocence."
Thea's delicate eyebrows drew together, looking like she was doing this for Ava's good, which made Ava laugh.
"As long as I do this, it'll prove I didn't take the necklace?"
Ava curved her lips into an ambiguous smile.
Thea looked at Ava. It was just a normal smile, yet somehow it made her feel cold inside.
But so what? She had personally put the necklace in her handbag, so the necklace must be in her bag. This time she definitely couldn't escape.
Joshua valued Ava so much, which naturally upset her. This was just to teach her a lesson, to let everyone know what kind of person this woman was, how low-class she was.
A woman who's a thief—how could the Thomas family possibly want her?
"Yes, as long as you let us look at your handbag, we can prove it."
Ava raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like Ms. Ellis is certain the necklace is definitely in my bag."
"Because if you really took it, the only place you could hide it is in your handbag." Thea didn't dare let her guard down. One careless sentence and Ava would trap her.
"Fine." Ava agreed directly, raising her hand and handing her handbag to Thea without hesitation.
"Since Ms. Ellis is so certain, Ms. Ellis can look for it herself."
An imperceptible flash of triumph crossed Thea's eyes. She furrowed her brows and looked at Ava with apparent reluctance. "Ava, I really do believe you."
"Then I thank Ms. Ellis for her trust." Ava raised an eyebrow and smiled.
Thea handed her own handbag to a nearby servant and, under everyone's gaze, took and opened Ava's handbag.
Everyone craned their necks.
Thea took out the items from Ava's handbag one by one and placed them on the table.
There wasn't much in Ava's bag—a lipstick for touch-ups, some cosmetics, a phone, a small pack of tissues... That was it.
Thea's face stiffened.
"There really isn't anything."
"There really is nothing."
"Could it be hidden on her body?"
Ava laughed coldly. "Miss, Ms. Ellis already said I have nowhere else to hide it except my handbag. You still don't believe it? Do you want to body search me?"
As soon as Ava finished speaking, a cold gaze from beside her shot directly at the person who spoke.
The person who spoke immediately went weak in the knees and quickly lowered their head. "I wouldn't dare."
Thea bit her teeth hard, staring intently at the handbag.
Ava smiled. "Ms. Ellis doesn't still think my bag has some secret compartment, does she?"
Ava's voice suddenly rang out, startling Thea. Her expression froze on her face. She desperately forced out a smile. "No... no..."
"Since there isn't, can this prove my innocence?" Ava asked in a light voice.
"Of course... it can." Thea bit down hard.
"That's good. Then please, Ms. Ellis, return my handbag to me. Can you do that?"
Thea felt mocking gazes constantly shooting toward her.
Especially Joshua's gaze, gloomy and full of hostility and anger—something she had never seen in Joshua's eyes toward her in all the years she'd known him.
And he was looking at her this way because of another woman.
Thea bit her teeth hard, head lowered. She couldn't understand how there could be nothing.
But now everyone was watching her. She couldn't show anything unusual. She could only put everything she'd taken out of the bag back in its original place and return it to Ava. "Ava, I'm really sorry. I misunderstood you. I'm truly sorry."
Ava raised her hand to take back her handbag, looking at Thea with a faint smile.
That smile, in Thea's eyes, was full of mockery.
Ava smiled. Here was another woman like Mia, but she was much more clever than Mia. She understood the situation and knew when to advance and retreat.
Seeing herself in a losing position, she immediately apologized and admitted her mistake, no longer arguing, minimizing her losses.
Today was her welcome party. It was just a misunderstanding—people wouldn't refuse to give her face.
"Since it's all a misunderstanding, everyone can go." Thea knew she couldn't win now. She couldn't let this matter develop further—it wouldn't benefit her.
"Wait." Ava spoke up.
"Ms. Ellis's necklace still hasn't been found. How can this matter just end like this? After all, this is Ms. Ellis's family heirloom. Since I've been dragged into this, I naturally can't just stand by and do nothing now."
Thea wanted to frame her, and now she wanted to walk away unscathed? Not a chance.