Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Charlotte didn't respond. She gave Ellie a cool glance, seeing right through her forced warmth.

Silence filled the room. Ellie grew visibly uncomfortable, biting her lip, her face flushing as she looked at Charlotte.

"I was just asking. I didn't mean anything by it."

There she goes again.

Charlotte rolled her eyes inwardly, then replied casually.

"It went fine."

The moment she heard that, Ellie's eyes dried up. She looked away, something flickering in her gaze — a flash of calculation.

"Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Something Ellie wanted to discuss? That couldn't be good.

Charlotte eyed her warily and said in a flat tone.

"What is it?"

Ellie pressed her lips together with a soft smile, playing the picture of sweetness.

"I was wondering — did Mr. William Smith leave behind a lot of collectibles?"

"What are you after?"

"I just want to take a look. You might not know this, but I'm really into antiques. His collection must be something special. I was hoping I might get the chance to see it."

Her interested in collectibles?

Charlotte laughed coldly to herself. She had a pretty good idea that Ellie was up to no good, so she had no intention of letting her anywhere near them.

"Most of Grandpa's belongings are kept at the Smith Villa. If you're genuinely interested, you're welcome to ask the Smith family and see if they're willing to let you in."

Ellie's smile nearly cracked.

She had come specifically to find out where William's collection was kept. She knew full well that Charlotte was passing the buck back to the Smith family and refusing to give her the real location.

"I really don't have any bad intentions. I just want to go take a quick look. I won't cause any trouble — just one peek, that's all."

Ellie pressed on, still fishing for an opening.

"Besides, Uncle Thomas is already in a bad mood. I'd probably get the door slammed in my face if I went to him. You clearly know where the collection is — why make things so hard for me?"

Charlotte had already run out of patience. She leaned back on the sofa, rubbing her temples, a hint of irritation creeping into her voice.

"All of Grandpa's belongings have been inventoried and placed under the joint custody of the Smith family and a third-party institution. They can't just be taken out for viewing. Even I would have to go through the proper channels to see them."

Ellie kept pushing. Charlotte wouldn't budge. The tension in the living room kept climbing.

Just then, Helen walked out of the kitchen carrying a fruit plate. She'd caught the whole conversation. She set the plate down on the table and smoothly stepped in with a smile.

"Antiques like those are worth a fortune. If something got nicked or damaged, no one could afford to take the blame."

She was smiling, but her eyes were cold.

Hitting wall after wall, Ellie drew a slow, deep breath — frustrated and flustered, but not daring to show a trace of it.

Her eyes shifted, and she tried a different angle.

"There must be some small odds and ends at the Smith Villa, right? I'd just be browsing, having a look around. I absolutely won't touch anything. Is that okay, sis?"

"The Smith Villa has a full-time security team on the grounds. No one is allowed in without authorization."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes and slowly rose from the sofa, stepping toward Ellie.

She had a full head of height on her. Looking down at Ellie, watching her laugh nervously and back away, Charlotte said in a low, steady voice.

"You keep asking about Grandpa's collection. What exactly are you trying to do?"

With Charlotte looming over her, Ellie could barely hold her fake smile together. She forced herself to stay composed.

"You've got the wrong idea. If I can't see them, that's fine — I won't push it. I don't want to be a bother."

And with that, she didn't linger for another second. She said a quick goodbye and left.

Once she was gone, Helen frowned.

"That girl's got something up her sleeve."

Charlotte nodded.

Ellie's interest in the collection had been way too obvious. There was no telling what she was scheming behind the scenes.

The more Charlotte thought about it, the more she felt she couldn't just sit back and wait. She still didn't know exactly what Ellie was planning, but she needed to get ahead of it.

She picked up her phone and called Max.

"Keep an eye on Ellie. Find out what she's up to."

"Also watch the Smith Villa. If anything seems off, call me back."

She hung up and took the apple Helen handed her.

"Are you just going to let her stir up trouble? She's been circling around William's collection — she's probably planning to make a move."

Charlotte took a calm bite.

"I've already got someone on her. If she wants to act up, she's only going to end up getting dealt with."

Meanwhile, Ellie had hurried out of the Brown Farm and slipped into a car parked along the road.

Two people were already inside — Stella and Isabella.

"So? Did you find anything out?"

The moment the door opened, Stella spun around from the passenger seat, eager to hear.

Ellie's face fell. She shook her head and threw her bag into the car like she was taking out her frustration on it.

"Nothing. Charlotte was completely guarded. No matter what I asked, I couldn't get anything out of her."

She thought back to the way Charlotte had stood over her, pressing her with question after question, and curled her lip. A flash of resentment crossed her eyes.

"Charlotte's way too suspicious. I don't think this plan is going to work."

Isabella immediately scowled and started in on her.

"You couldn't even dig up a little information? Right now you're the only one of us who can go over there without raising red flags, and you still came back empty-handed."

That set Ellie off. She was already seething, and she snapped right back.

"What's that supposed to mean? You know exactly how sharp Charlotte is. The fact that I managed to hold my own in front of her at all was no small thing — and now you're turning on me?"

Their plans to set Charlotte up had failed one after another, and the three of them, once at least civil with each other, were starting to turn on each other.

Stella watched the two of them going back and forth, about to break into a full argument, and cut in sharply.

"Enough. Is this really the time to be fighting?"

"If we can't get the information, we go in by force. The Smith Villa's security isn't airtight. Here's what we do — late at night, the three of us sneak in quietly. Even a small, insignificant piece will do. We find a way to hide it in Charlotte's car. After that, it's easy."

"She gets caught red-handed, and there's nothing she can say. We pin the theft on her and make sure it sticks."

Isabella's eyes lit up. She nodded eagerly.

"Yes, exactly — we sneak in. Let's go late at night like you said. We'll figure out a way to get something."