Chapter 77 Questioning
ANNA'S POV
The room went quiet after Dan spoke.
No one said a word for a few seconds, and that silence felt heavier than all the accusations thrown around moments ago. My dad stood there with the necklace clenched in his hand, staring at it like it had personally betrayed him. My mom sat down on my bed slowly, her hands shaking as she rested them on her lap. Isabel stood still, arms crossed, her face unreadable.
Ryan was beside me, close enough that I could feel his presence, steady and grounding, but even that didn’t calm the storm building in the room.
“This conversation isn’t happening here,” my dad finally said.
His voice was low, controlled, but it carried authority. The kind that didn’t invite arguments.
“Everyone,” he continued, “we’re going to the sitting room. Only family.”
The guards immediately stepped back. The maids, who were still standing stiffly by the wall, looked relieved and terrified at the same time. One by one, they were dismissed, told to return to their duties but remain within the estate.
As everyone began moving, I stayed rooted to the spot for a second, still trying to process the fact that a necklace I barely knew existed had nearly turned my life upside down in a matter of minutes.
Ryan leaned slightly toward me. “I’ll stay,” he whispered.
I gave him a small nod.
We followed my parents down the hallway into the sitting room. The door was closed behind us, cutting off the rest of the house like a barrier between us and the world. The room felt smaller than usual, even though it was spacious, elegant, and familiar.
My dad stood by the fireplace. My mom sat on one of the couches, her posture slumped, exhaustion written all over her face. Dan leaned against the armrest beside her, his jaw tight. Isabel chose the chair directly opposite me, crossing her legs calmly, as if this was just another family discussion.
My dad turned around slowly.
“I don’t want shoutings,” he said. “I don’t want interruptions. I want the truth.”
His eyes landed on me.
“Anna,” he said, “start from the beginning. Tell us everything. From the moment you left the house this morning.”
I swallowed and nodded.
“I left early for work as you all know” I said. “Ryan came by and followed me to the company. I was there the entire time until Dan texted me telling me to come home. I didn’t step foot in this house until minutes ago.”
“That’s true,” Ryan said immediately. “I was with her.”
My dad nodded slightly, acknowledging that.
“And before you left?” my mom asked softly. “Did you go into our room?”
“No,” I answered without hesitation. “I didn’t even know the necklace was kept in your room, let alone inside a safe.”
“And you didn’t enter the house again?” my dad pressed.
“No.”
He turned to Dan. “Dan.”
Dan straightened. “I slept in late. I didn’t leave my room until after you and mom had already gone out. Isabel was up, but I didn’t see her much. I stayed in my room most of the morning.”
My dad’s gaze shifted.
“Isabel.”
She lifted her chin slightly. “I was home,” she said calmly. “I didn’t go into your room, and I didn’t touch the safe. I spent most of my time downstairs.”
“You were the only one awake in the house,” my dad said.
“Yes,” she replied. “But that doesn’t mean anything.”
Silence settled again.
My dad rubbed his temple slowly. “The safe was opened while we were out. The notification came directly to my phone. That means someone was in our room.”
My mom closed her eyes briefly.
“I trusted that necklace to be safe in this house,” she said quietly. “I never imagined we’d be sitting here like this.”
Her voice cracked, and something twisted painfully in my chest.
“I didn’t take it,” I said, my voice firm despite the tremor creeping in. “I don’t even understand why someone would want it.”
Isabel said lightly. “You don’t understand anything let alone its value.”
I turned to her. “And how does that make me guilty?”
“I’m just saying,” she replied, shrugging, “people steal what they don’t understand all the time.”
Dan shot her a sharp look. “Enough.”
My dad raised his hand. “No more accusations. Not without proof.”
He exhaled slowly. “Until we figure this out, no one leaves this house.”
The words landed hard.
“No one?” I asked.
“No one,” he repeated. “This family stays put until the truth comes out.”
Isabel didn’t react, but I saw the faint tightening of her jaw.
After that, the discussion slowly dissolved into strained silence. There was nothing more to say, no conclusion to reach. The necklace had been found, but the damage was already done.
One by one, they left the sitting room.
My mom was the last to go, pausing briefly when she reached me. She didn’t say anything, just looked at me with eyes full of confusion and hurt before walking away.
That hurt more than anything Isabel had said.
I returned to my room shortly after. The guards had already left, and everything was exactly the way it had been before, except now it didn’t feel like my room anymore.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the pillow where the necklace had been found.
Ryan knocked lightly before stepping inside.
“Hey,” he said softly.
I didn’t look up. “You didn’t have to stay.”
“I wanted to,” he replied, closing the door behind him.
He stood there for a moment, then moved closer, stopping a few steps away. “Are you okay?”
I let out a breath that felt like I’d been holding it all day. “I don’t know.”
He nodded like he understood.
“They looked at me like I was a stranger,” I said quietly. “Like I was capable of something like that.”
Ryan frowned. “That doesn’t make it true.”
“I know,” I said. “But knowing doesn’t stop it from hurting.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” he added. “But I believe you. Completely.”
I finally looked up at him then.
“You didn’t hesitate,” I said.
“Why would I?” he asked. “I know who you are.”
A small, unexpected laugh escaped me. “You say things like that so easily.”
He smiled. “Because they’re easy to say.”
Heat crept up my neck, and I quickly looked away, standing up to adjust my jacket like I needed something to do.
“I should go check on my mom,” I said.
“Take your time,” Ryan replied. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
After he left, I stood there alone, the room quiet again. Since I got home, the weight of everything settled fully on my shoulders. Not the necklace. Not the accusation.
But the realization that someone inside this house wanted me to fall, and something deep inside me suspected that it was Isabel.