Chapter 231: Guilty Conscience?

Chapter 231: Chapter 231: Guilty Conscience?

Estelle Lockwood’s sudden call to the police left the crowd stunned.

Estelle smoothed her hair. "Miss Foster here lost a bracelet worth three hundred thousand in the restroom. She believes it was stolen, which is why I reported it."

"Where is the security footage?" the police officer asked.

Estelle pointed to a USB flash drive nearby. "There were only three people in the restroom at the time. Miss Foster has already searched me. I only have the four bracelets I bought myself, and not the one she lost. However, she still suspects me. That’s why I called the police."

Having grasped the situation, the officer turned to Sophie Foster. "Miss Foster, if you are certain your bracelet was stolen, who else was in the restroom at the time besides you and Miss Lockwood?"

Sophie’s expression stiffened. "Thea..."

Thea York’s face darkened. "You want to search me?"

The officer nodded. "So, you were also present? It’s fine if you refuse to be searched here, but we will have to ask you to come down to the station with us. Naturally, Miss Foster and Miss Lockwood will also need to go and give their statements."

The police station?! This had absolutely not been a part of Thea’s plan. It didn’t matter why she went to the station; just stepping foot inside would give malicious gossips something to exaggerate. How could she ever show her face in public again?

"I’m not going."

The officer wasn’t surprised. "Then please submit to a search, Miss York."

Estelle’s lips curled into a smile, and she shot a surprised glance at Nathaniel Sloan. She wondered if Nathaniel had specifically called this officer here.

Thea’s expression grew even uglier. Could this officer not understand plain English?! She was the Heiress of the Yorks. Who did he think he was to demand a search of her person?!

A short distance away, Mrs. York finally seemed to notice the commotion. She marched over, her brows knitted in a deep frown. "The York family is wealthy and influential. Thea can have anything she wants. Why would she ever covet a mere bracelet, let alone resort to stealing it?"

Her mother’s presence bolstered Thea’s confidence.

The officer remained unyielding. "We are simply conducting a routine investigation and questioning the suspects."

"How insolent!" Mrs. York didn’t care. She was accustomed to the privileges of a wealthy socialite, knowing the York family could smooth over any trouble she caused. In her mind, the law simply didn’t apply to them. Even if Thea had stolen something, the authorities should turn a blind eye purely out of respect for the Yorks! Lifting her chin with arrogant entitlement, she spoke as if stating a universal truth. "Do you know who the Yorks are? We do not submit to public searches! Only lowly trash get searched in public!"

A heavy silence fell over the banquet hall. Although the York family had been on the decline in recent years, they still held significantly more wealth and influence than the average elite...

"I’d also love to know exactly what status the York family holds. Are you royalty, or perhaps the rulers of the universe?" Old Mrs Sloan scoffed slowly. "Mrs. York, when Thea demanded to search Estelle, why didn’t you stop to consider that she is my granddaughter-in-law? There are two suspects in total. My Estelle can undergo an investigation, but your Thea cannot? Is your Thea born so superior that she is above the rules my granddaughter-in-law follows? Or does the York family simply look down on Nathaniel and me?"

The surrounding crowd suddenly realized the implications! Mrs. York kept preaching about how Thea’s noble status meant she couldn’t be searched. Yet, when Thea had tried to search Estelle Lockwood, Mrs. York hadn’t stepped in to stop it. Wasn’t this essentially calling Mrs. Sloan "lowly trash" right to the faces of Old Mrs Sloan and Nathaniel Sloan?

Mrs. York’s expression froze. She was so used to speaking without thinking that she hadn’t considered the consequences. Even if she had ten times her current courage, she wouldn’t dare look down on Nathaniel Sloan. "Old Mrs Sloan, you misunderstand. I wasn’t talking about you..."

"Since you have no issue with Estelle’s status, yet you still insist Thea cannot be searched, I can only assume you’re feeling guilty," Old Mrs Sloan cut her off mercilessly. "The security footage shows there were only three people present. Why should my granddaughter-in-law be treated as a suspect while Miss Thea York is assumed innocent? Is there any proof of her innocence? If not, then a search is perfectly justified, isn’t it?"

Mrs. York was livid. "You’re twisting the truth..."

"It seems Mrs. York doesn’t even believe her own daughter. With all this blind obstruction and covering up, Thea must have been the one who stole the bracelet. Case closed. If Miss Foster has any complaints, I suggest you seek compensation from the York family. After all, the Yorks are the ones refusing to cooperate with the investigation. Our Estelle has done everything she can."

The crowd was left speechless. Old Mrs Sloan truly had a sharp tongue!

Mrs. York’s face was ice-cold, adamantly refusing to yield an inch. "Absolutely not... Sophie, hurry up and tell the officer that you don’t mind anymore. You’re dropping the case!"

Sophie hadn’t quite processed the sudden shift. "I..."

"Grandma is right. Miss York is indeed feeling guilty," Estelle said evenly. "You would rather force the victim to shut up than submit to a search. If that isn’t guilt, what is it? If Miss York didn’t steal it, why is she so afraid?

"Just as Miss York said earlier, she wanted to search me for my own good—to prove my innocence.

"But now that it’s Miss York’s turn to prove her innocence, she suddenly refuses. Perhaps... it’s because she has no innocence left to prove."

Mrs. York shrieked in a furious rage, "Estelle Lockwood, I’m warning you—stop speaking such nonsense!"

Old Mrs Sloan sneered. "I will say it one more time. Search her!"

The officer nodded. "Excuse me, Miss York."

Thea gritted her teeth. She had slipped the bracelet into Estelle’s bag earlier... Even though it hadn’t been found—and she had no idea where Estelle had hidden it—her own bag had never left her hands. There was no way Estelle could have slipped the bracelet inside. Therefore, even if they searched her, they wouldn’t find a thing. At this thought, Thea finally relaxed.

Mrs. York ground her teeth in fury. "Regardless, our Thea is definitely innocent. Just you wait, Estelle!"

Estelle’s eyes glinted with amusement as she let out a soft chuckle.

The officer quickly turned Thea’s bag inside out, but found nothing. Thea’s expression loosened slightly. However, in the very next second, the officer began checking the belt of her evening gown. A bracelet was hooked onto the belt, perfectly concealed by the gown’s original tassel decorations. If the officer hadn’t thoroughly searched her, no one would have ever noticed it!

"...Is... is that the bracelet?!"

"It was actually hanging on her belt! Did she really steal it? I can’t believe she thought to hide it in such a discreet spot!"

"No wonder she was so confident. It was hidden right there on her person."

Thea’s triumphant expression stiffened instantly, and all the color drained from Mrs. York’s face.

Thea panicked, wondering how the bracelet could possibly be on her person. She had clearly... she had clearly... No, this couldn’t be happening. She could not be branded a thief. Absolutely not! Estelle was the one who was supposed to be ruined today. Why was it suddenly happening to her?!

Thea gritted her teeth so hard they nearly shattered as her mind raced for a countermeasure.

"Miss Foster, you can check now. Is this your missing bracelet?"

Sophie instinctively looked over, but before she could speak, Thea suddenly interjected, "There’s nothing to look at. This bracelet is my own!"

Estelle raised an eyebrow.