Chapter 158 The Necklace, Return It!
Sophie looked like she wanted to say something but held back, like she'd been wronged but didn't dare speak up. It was easy to make people's minds wander.
We all stared at her hand and Lucas's sleeve.
I gave a half-smile and said nothing. If Lucas hadn't changed his heart, I didn't need to waste my breath. If Lucas had fallen for someone else again, nothing I said would matter anyway.
Lucas's brow furrowed, and he shook off Sophie's hand without any courtesy. "Why are you grabbing me?"
Karen clicked her tongue. "You were just smiling at her, we all saw it. Now you're acting different. That's really too much!"
"You saw wrong." Lucas sounded a bit helpless. "I told you, it's a misunderstanding."
He looked at me, his gaze domineering yet certain. "I came out with Richard and Lionel today. Fiona and Loris are here too, on another floor. I wanted to buy you a gift, and Sophie said she could help me choose, so I came to the jewelry store with her."
"Really? Then why didn't you say so earlier?" Karen raised an eyebrow, pointing at Sophie. "Especially you, stammering and being all secretive, acting guilty like you did something wrong!"
Sophie gave a bitter smile. "You didn't give us a chance to explain. You came at us with accusations right away, as if Lucas had done something to wrong Bella." She defended Lucas first, and seeing he had no reaction, continued, "I wasn't being guilty. It's because Lucas said he wanted to surprise Bella. I was just trying to keep the secret for him."
Karen frowned, seeming to feel something was off.
Julie laughed, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. She casually played with her long hair. "Don't make it sound like this is all our fault."
Karen and Jacqueline suddenly understood. Jacqueline looked Sophie up and down with displeasure. "You're so calculating!"
Sophie quickly defended herself. "I'm not! You guys! Fine, you're all Isabella's friends. Say whatever you want about me!"
She turned her head away, her eyes slowly reddening, but she stubbornly held back her tears.
Lucas didn't look at her, only explained to me earnestly, "I really just wanted to surprise you."
I glanced at Sophie coolly, my tone indifferent. "No need."
"Don't like surprises?" Lucas stepped forward and handed me his bank card. "Whatever you want, pick anything. I'll buy it."
Sophie whipped her head around in shock.
Half my anger subsided. I chuckled lightly, looked around, and asked, "What if I want to buy this whole store? Would you agree to that too?"
Lucas didn't even blink, answering without hesitation, "Sure."
He immediately instructed the clerk, "Where's your boss? Get him over here."
The clerk responded, "Yes!"
I slowly walked around the store, ignoring Sophie's restrained, resentful gaze, and casually picked out a dozen of the most eye-catching pieces of jewelry. "Wrap all these up for me. I don't want the whole store. This will do for now."
While picking jewelry, I also gestured for Julie, Karen, and Jacqueline to choose pieces they liked. Julie only picked two items. Karen and Jacqueline didn't hold back with me or Lucas at all—they picked expensive, large pieces, selecting a pile of styles they liked that eventually formed a small mountain.
I quietly asked Julie, "Just those two? You can pick more, don't worry."
Julie shook her head and smiled. "I don't accept jewelry from other men, or Gale will get jealous."
I suddenly understood and put the two pieces Julie had chosen into my pile of jewelry. "I'm giving them to you, so Gale won't be jealous, right?"
Julie smiled beautifully, looking especially lovely, and selected a few more small, delicate pieces to hand to me.
Then I turned back to Lucas, lifting my chin slightly, reserved yet proud. "Pay up."
Lucas stared at me intently, seeming to really like my pleased and lively expression.
He directly pulled out his black card and placed it on the counter without asking the price.
The jewelry store owner had arrived and was grinning ear to ear. "Sir, ladies, is that all?"
"Wait." I raised my hand and pointed at the necklace around Sophie's neck. "Has that necklace been paid for?"
The owner looked inquiringly at the clerk, who nodded repeatedly.
My tone was cold. "Return it."
Sophie's expression changed. She bit her lip. "Isabella, this necklace is what Lucas wanted to give you. It's his gesture! I was just trying it on."
Lucas immediately nodded too. "It's true. She said she'd try it on to see how it looked."
I laughed coldly. "What makes you think I'd be willing to wear something another woman has touched?"
Similar dialogue had occurred before when Amelia and I fought over the same handbag at Elite Emporium.
Lucas froze for a few seconds, then nodded. "Then let's return it."
Sophie couldn't say a word. She took off the necklace, threw it on the counter, and ran out.
Lucas watched her running figure, his brow slightly furrowed.
I leaned against the counter, arms crossed, saying insincerely, "If you can't bear to let her go, then chase after her."
"Don't talk nonsense. I don't feel that way." Lucas pinched my chin, his thumb gently rubbing my cheek, then let go after a moment. "Sophie isn't usually like this. I'll go say something to her. I'll be right back. Wait here for me."
Watching him walk out, I turned to the owner. "Is everything packed?"
The owner said, "Yes!"
So Julie and the others and I took all the jewelry and left the mall.
As for Lucas, I wasn't waiting for him!
Late at night.
I glanced at the electronic clock on the nightstand—2:17 AM.
The night was silent, with a crescent moon hanging in the sky. Bright moonlight illuminated the path from the villa to the back garden.
I put on a coat and came to the garden. In the southeast corner was a thick, lush tree.
Dawnharbor had a long-standing myth that said there was a ten-thousand-year-old tree in the city center with a spirit living inside. Lucky people who saw the spirit could have one wish granted.
But since I could remember, I'd never seen a tree over six hundred years old in Dawnharbor. Instead, there was a two-hundred-plus-year-old ancient tree at home.
As a child, I firmly believed a tree spirit lived in our tree. Whether happy or sad, I loved climbing up to talk to myself, sharing my thoughts with the tree spirit.
Moonlight spilled over the branches. The surroundings were so quiet only the wind could be heard.
I had just settled on the tree when I heard strange sounds from outside the wall on my right.
I craned my neck to look. Several dark objects, like gift bags, were suddenly thrown in from outside the wall.
Then a dark figure nimbly climbed over the wall and landed.
The tall figure was incredibly familiar.
Seeming to sense someone else's presence, Lucas pulled out his gun from its holster and looked up alertly. "Who's there?"
Our eyes met.
I wiggled my feet unhappily. "You're climbing over my wall again!"
Lucas clearly hadn't expected me to be in the tree.
After a second of surprise, he put away his gun, delight rippling in his eyes.
"Does your tree have a tree spirit living in it?" He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Otherwise, how could my prayer to see you actually come true?"
I couldn't help but be speechless.
When I climbed the tree, I'd been thinking about Lucas too.