Chapter 8 I Am Not a Thief
Elodie's POV
Just as I was about to agree to them, the coffee shop door was pushed open again.
Several men in black suits with upright postures walked in silently.
They had stern faces and powerful auras. The man leading them was the burly bodyguard I had seen by Lorenzo's side.
He didn't even glance at me, walking straight to the two thugs. "Mr. Nelson sent us to ask who gave you the nerve to cause trouble here?"
"Mr. Nelson?"
Hearing that name, the purple-haired man and scarface, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, turned pale, as if they'd heard the devil's name. Their legs started trembling.
"We... we didn't know she was Mr. Nelson's person... we'll leave right now!" the purple-haired man stammered, grabbing his companion and scrambling out of the coffee shop like they were being chased by demons.
The whole thing took less than a minute, so fast it felt like a hallucination.
The burly man still didn't look at me, just nodded slightly at the terrified manager. "Keep your mouth shut about today."
With that, he turned and left with his men, as quietly as they had arrived.
I stood there in a daze, the pain from being grabbed still lingering on my wrist, but my mind was in complete turmoil.
Mr. Nelson... he'd been having people follow me all along.
He'd pushed me so far away, yet when I was in danger, he quietly cleared away all obstacles for me.
What exactly was this man trying to do?
My heart was completely in chaos.
I returned to my apartment restless, replaying that heart-stopping scene from the coffee shop over and over in my mind.
Nelson's shadow was everywhere. This feeling of being secretly controlled made me both uneasy and unable to suppress a strange flutter in my heart.
Did he still remember me?
Was he forced to not acknowledge me? Otherwise, why would he show up like some guardian angel the moment I was in danger?
The next day, I found a beautifully made invitation in my school locker - for a cheerleading party hosted by Samantha.
My name was written on it in fancy letters, full of provocation.
Why would Samantha invite me?
I immediately understood - this was a trap!
Yesterday's coffee shop intimidation had failed, and Samantha clearly wasn't going to let it go.
I wanted to throw it away, but then I thought, avoiding things never solves problems.
As long as I was at Columbia University, Samantha's trouble would follow me like a shadow.
Besides, I didn't want to run away like a coward anymore.
If she wanted to play, I'd play along.
The night of the party, I didn't dress up specially, just wore a simple white dress with no makeup.
The party was at a luxury club with only three floors - the first floor for regular parties, the second and third floors for parties for the rich and powerful.
When I arrived, I seemed to see Nelson's car parked at the entrance.
Was he here too?
I didn't think much about it and quickly pushed the door open. As soon as I appeared, I attracted everyone's attention.
Samantha was wearing a bright red tight mini dress, surrounded by a group of people in the center. When she saw me, a triumphant smile flashed in her eyes, then she pretended to greet me warmly.
"Elodie, you finally came! I thought you wouldn't dare show up." She linked arms with me affectionately, as if we were close friends for years.
I pulled my arm back. "How could I dare not come to your invitation?"
Samantha pulled me to the center of the crowd and raised her voice. "Everyone, let me introduce you - this is Elodie! She's been quite the popular girl at our school lately."
Her suggestive words drew laughter and curious looks.
I watched her performance coldly, saying nothing.
Alex was there too, leaning against the bar, watching me with interest.
Halfway through the party, Samantha suddenly clapped her hands, signaling for the music to stop. "Everyone, to make the party more fun, I've prepared a little game!" She smiled and took out a dazzling diamond necklace from a velvet box, holding it high. "This is a birthday gift from my father, worth a hundred thousand dollars. We're going to play a treasure hunt - I'll hide it, and whoever finds it first, I'll grant them one wish!"
The crowd cheered, everyone eyeing the necklace greedily.
Samantha smiled smugly and walked into a small room nearby with the necklace.
A few minutes later, she came out and announced the game had started.
I had no interest in this boring game and was about to find a corner to wait it out when Samantha suddenly walked up to me, handing me a glass of champagne. "Elodie, don't just stand there, have a drink, join us."
I looked at the drink warily and didn't take it.
"What? Afraid I poisoned it?" Samantha sneered, took a sip herself, then shoved the remaining half glass into my hand. "Happy now? Don't be ungrateful."
Everyone's eyes were on me. I didn't want to cause a scene right then, so I took the glass and took a symbolic sip. Just then, the crowd suddenly burst into exclamations - the game was over. A guy was holding up the diamond necklace excitedly, shouting, "I found it!"
But his excitement didn't last long. Samantha walked over, took the necklace and looked at it, her face changing instantly as she screamed, "This isn't my necklace! This is fake! My necklace has been stolen!"
The scene instantly erupted in chaos.
Samantha rushed over and grabbed my wrist, demanding loudly, "Elodie, did you steal my necklace? You were the only one who didn't participate in the game!"
I was amused by her shameless accusation. "Samantha, are you addicted to acting?"
"Me acting? Everyone here saw it - you were too guilty to even play the game! You must have switched my necklace with a fake when I wasn't looking!" She said this while trying to grab the champagne glass from my hand, as if looking for evidence.
I instinctively held the glass behind my back - a move that, to everyone watching, looked like guilt.
Alex also frowned and walked over. "Elodie, hand over the necklace, don't make this worse."
I was used to his distrust. I looked at him, then scanned the faces around me full of contempt and schadenfreude, feeling only absurd and pathetic.
"I didn't steal it." I said each word clearly.
"Still lying!" Samantha sneered and signaled to two friends beside her. "Search her!"
The two girls immediately lunged at me, trying to search me. I fought back desperately, and everything erupted into chaos.
My dress tore during the struggle, and the champagne glass fell to the ground with a crisp shattering sound. An overwhelming sense of humiliation surrounded me - I was like a prisoner being publicly tried, unable to defend myself.
Just when I was about to break down, the club door was pushed open from outside.
Several men in black suits with cold auras walked in. As soon as they appeared, the previously noisy music and voices seemed to be muted.
Behind them, a tall, upright figure walked in slowly.
Someone exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that Nelson? Why is he here?"
"He has a party upstairs, why would he come down here?"
"Oh my God! He's so handsome!"
I saw Nelson wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit with no tie, the top two buttons casually undone, revealing his sexy collarbone. That face, handsome to the point of perfection, showed no expression, but his deep blue eyes were like a frozen ocean - sharp and intimidating. Wherever his gaze swept, no one dared meet it.