Chapter 262: Get the Necklace Back

Chapter 262: Chapter 262: Get the Necklace Back

"Just tell me the truth."

Sophie Shaw’s face was calm.

After a long hesitation, Joel Kane said quietly, "It was Vianne. She put me up to it. She told me to trick you out of your necklace. I gave it to her the same day, and she passed it on to a wealthy friend, who then sent it to the auction house."

The whole story about buying it from a street vendor, having it appraised, and then sending it to auction—it was all a lie.

Sophie Shaw wasn’t surprised at all. ’She knew Vianne Kane had to be involved.’

"Alright, go on back to the car. Have your sister come over here. Tell her I need to speak with her."

Joel Kane nodded and nervously ran back to the car.

The car didn’t drive away immediately. Two minutes later, Vianne Kane got out and walked toward her.

The moment Vianne came to a stop in front of her, Sophie raised her hand and slapped her across the face.

Stunned by the sudden slap, Vianne Kane froze.

By the time she recovered and tried to retaliate, Sophie was faster, striking her again with another slap.

"Sophie Shaw, you—"

"What about me? You don’t think you deserve this?"

Sophie glared at her. "What did I ever do to you? What did my mother’s necklace ever do to you?"

Vianne Kane clutched her face and gritted her teeth, unable to speak for a moment.

’The reason she had schemed against Sophie and the necklace was because the Blackwood family had given such a lavish betrothal gift. Sophie had money, and Damian Morgan was worried she would go after the Heart of the Ocean project. To make sure Sophie’s money went down the drain, she had come up with a plan: have Joel trick her into giving up the necklace so it could be sent to auction. Her only goal had been to force Sophie to spend her money buying back the necklace. As long as Sophie was broke again, she wouldn’t be able to oppose Damian Morgan. At least for a while, with insufficient funds, Sophie wouldn’t be able to make a move on Heart of the Ocean.’ Back then, the Kane Group was already planning to acquire Heart of the Ocean. She was just helping Damian Morgan buy some time.

"Why aren’t you saying anything? What on earth did I do to you to make you treat me this way?"

Sophie Shaw’s questions made Vianne Kane burn with rage.

She confessed everything. Sophie couldn’t help but laugh. "All this, just to stall me for that scumbag Damian Morgan? You really went to a lot of trouble."

"I didn’t know he was such a scumbag."

"You knew exactly how he treated me. The way he treated me is likely how he’ll treat you. Is it that hard to put yourself in my shoes?"

Vianne Kane was at a loss for words. She remembered that Sophie had indeed warned her time and time again that Damian Morgan was a scumbag and urged her to stay away. Facing Sophie, even after being slapped twice, all she could do was swallow her anger.

"I won’t argue with you, for the sake of the times you’ve helped me. The necklace has been auctioned off. There’s nothing I can do."

With that, she turned to leave.

Sophie grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Did I say you could leave?"

"What more do you want from me? You’ve already hit me, and I didn’t even fight back..."

"My mother’s necklace was bought by Yuri. The auction price was sixty million. Since tricking me out of it was your idea, you’re going to help me get it back."

Vianne Kane’s eyes widened. "What?"

"I don’t care if you have to beg for it or buy it back. I want to see my mother’s necklace within a week."

Sophie’s tone was non-negotiable.

She gripped Vianne’s wrist tightly, her fingers digging in. Vianne winced in pain. "Let go, you’re hurting me."

"Did you hear me? You started this, so you’re going to get that necklace back for me."

"Yuri paid so much for it. How am I supposed to get it back?"

"That’s your problem! If I don’t have that necklace back within a week, you’ll face the consequences."

Sophie forcefully flung Vianne’s hand away and turned, walking toward a red supercar parked nearby.

That car belonged to Alaric Blackwood.

When he saw Sophie approaching, he got out and opened the back door for her.

Vianne stood frozen, watching the red supercar drive away. She was stunned. ’Didn’t Alaric Blackwood lose his inheritance? Isn’t he supposed to have nothing? How is he still driving a luxury car? That car is one of a kind in Kingsport. I thought Alaric would have sold it to make ends meet... Don’t tell me what he said before was all a lie?’

She returned to her car, full of suspicion. The next morning, she saw a shocking news headline: Alaric Blackwood had been appointed the new chairman of Reid Group.

She felt like her head was about to explode.

’Isn’t Reid Group a rival of the Blackwood Group? How did he end up at Reid? And as the chairman, no less!’

Vianne Kane wasn’t the only one shocked by the news. When Quentin Blackwood saw it, his scalp went numb.

’That damned brat is just as devious as ever,’ he thought. ’Running off to a rival company... isn’t this a direct slap in my face?’

Quentin Blackwood was too angry to eat his breakfast. He dialed Alaric’s number again and again, but no one picked up.

Meanwhile, Alaric Blackwood had just finished getting ready and was heading downstairs.

He saw Sophie Shaw at the dining table, dressed for work. He walked over, bent down, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You’re up early today, darling."

"Time to get back to the office."

"What a coincidence. I’m starting work today, too."

He pulled out a nearby chair and sat down, noticing Sophie was looking at her phone. The screen showed the news about him taking over at Reid Group.

She didn’t seem surprised. After she finished reading, she simply put her phone down and calmly continued eating her breakfast.

"Did Vianne agree to help you get the necklace back?"

"I think so."

’Actually, Sophie wasn’t sure. It would all come down to Vianne’s conscience.’

「A few days later.」

Sophie was at work when she received a sudden call from Yuri. "If you want the necklace, why didn’t you come to me yourself? Did you send Miss Kane to pester me because you thought I’d get so annoyed that I’d just give it to her?"

Sophie was taken aback. "She went to see you?"

"For the past few days, Miss Kane has been showing up everywhere I go. When I refuse to see her, she starts making harassing phone calls, constantly switching numbers."

"And then?"

"She offered to buy it for sixty million. I paid sixty million for it at the auction. If she pays me sixty million, what’s in it for me?"

"You two can negotiate the price yourselves."

After a moment of silence on the other end, Yuri’s cool voice spoke again. "From what I understand, you and your sister aren’t on the best of terms. Why is she being so aggressive about getting this necklace back?"

"It’s something she owes me."

"Are you free for lunch?"

"I don’t have time."

"President Shaw, have you forgotten? You still owe me a meal."

"..."

Yuri was usually engrossed in his work; he didn’t even know Sophie had been hospitalized. He had, however, followed the trending news about the striking similarity between Heart of the Ocean’s Nine Stone Series and a new product from the Kane Group, which had sparked accusations of plagiarism.

The topic caused a huge stir at the time, but strangely, neither Heart of the Ocean nor the Kane Group issued a statement.

The issue was left to fester. Recently, the buzz around the plagiarism scandal died down, and the Kane Group pulled its new product line from the market without any detailed explanation.

Subsequently, Heart of the Ocean’s Nine Stone Series was officially released. Because each piece was exquisitely handcrafted by artisans, it was expensive and produced in limited quantities, making it highly sought after by the wealthy wives of high society.

"So what happened with the plagiarism scandal? Why did it just fizzle out?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.