Chapter 671: Why Should I Take Responsibility

Cecilia Vaughn’s small bag, meant to hold her phone, suddenly dropped, scattering a glittering ring.

It was a ring set with a large emerald gemstone, shining with exceptional elegance under the hall lights.

Even without appraisal, any expert could see at a glance that this emerald ring was invaluable.

???

What’s going on?

Cecilia Vaughn, seeing the ring suddenly appear, furrowed her brow in shock.

——It seemed this ring didn’t belong to her.

Aside from the red diamond ring Adrian Law had bought for her, Cecilia rarely wore any other rings. And this time, fearing she might lose it abroad, she’d left her red diamond ring in the hotel to avoid losing it.

…

“Miss, did you just drop some jewelry?”

Because of her vantage point earlier, Cecilia hadn’t noticed that the emerald ring flew out from her own handbag.

She even mistakenly thought it was the girl with the camera who had inadvertently knocked off her accessory.

Good-naturedly, Cecilia stood up to help the other girl pick up the emerald ring.

“Here, this belongs to you.”

Cecilia smiled lightly, purely out of goodwill.

The emerald ring seemed sturdy enough. Falling from mid-air like that, Cecilia couldn’t see any damage with her naked eye; even if there were damage, she didn’t think she should bear the responsibility.

She was just standing there minding her own business, while it was that woman with the camera who had bumped into her arm. Surely, she shouldn’t be blamed for such a mishap?

…

With a straightforward and simple mindset, Cecilia was surprised when the woman in a short-sleeved black suit disdainfully placed the camera aside and looked down on Cecilia with scorn.

“Do you think returning it will make everything right?”

The woman spoke in French, but Cecilia could still understand.

???

Cecilia stared at her blankly, unable to comprehend why this Vessarian woman was so aggressive.

Seeing the camera pointed at her all along, Cecilia felt an impending sense of dread. Since the dinner was being globally broadcasted, it wouldn’t be right for her to rashly stop the filming.

…

Suppressing her displeasure, Cecilia reminded herself not to disgrace Veridian conduct and upbringing. With composure, she spoke to the woman.

“Miss, perhaps there’s been a misunderstanding? Indeed, the ring did fall to the ground from the collision, but I was standing right here the whole time, and the collision was clearly caused by you rushing into me. All surrounding guests can testify.”

“If you think the ring might have been damaged and want to hold me responsible, isn’t that rather impolite?”

…

Cecilia thought she explained things clearly and logically, yet for some unfathomable reason, the surrounding guests looked at her with an indescribable gaze.

Why is it like this?

Standing with Cecilia, Adrian Law hadn’t seen where the ring emerged from, while Sean had a clear view of the emerald ring flying out from Cecilia’s handbag from where he stood opposite them.

The handsome young man, looking almost like a vampire aristocrat, hesitated briefly before speaking to Cecilia.

“Classmate Vaughn… are you saying this ring isn’t yours?”

“Of course not!”

Cecilia looked utterly perplexed.

“Classmate Grant, why would you ask that?”

Sean’s expression turned awkward.

His lips moved slightly, then stopped, unsure how to express to Cecilia.

“Well…”

After some hesitation, Sean finally began to speak.

“Apparently… that emerald ring accidentally fell out of your handbag.”

???

Initially, Cecilia didn’t grasp Sean’s meaning, but within seconds, realization struck her like lightning, leaving her standing rigid in the hall, her voice firm with denial.

“No! That’s impossible! Classmate Grant, you must have seen wrong!”

How could this be?!

Cecilia still found the whole situation absurd.

She remembered how the host earlier frantically announced the loss of a valuable ring belonging to a wealthy woman, and now she felt like a cold bucket of water had been dumped over her head.

——Was she being framed?!

…

Sean, wanting to preserve Cecilia’s dignity, spoke in Veridian, which few foreign guests could understand. However, with the continuing live broadcast, Veridian netizens watching the winery gala erupted online.

…

With an almost omniscient view, Veridian netizens were shocked seeing Madam Deloris’s ring go missing in such a high-class event, suspecting even a thief among them.

Yet, in this high-definition live broadcast, they clearly saw the ring didn’t appear to be forcefully stuffed into Cecilia’s bag. In several shots where Cecilia and Adrian wandered away from the crowd, they passed by the dessert area where Madam Deloris was also present.

The moment they brushed past each other, Cecilia hadn’t noticed the woman with violet eyes, and Madam Deloris, with her superiority as a full-fledged Caucasian, passed by without a glance.

The two seemed to have no interaction, but to many self-proclaimed detective netizens watching, the truth was now evident.

…

——Oh my God, I was wondering if some greedy waiter might have snatched Madam Deloris’s ring, but who would’ve thought the thief turns out to be Cecilia Vaughn!

——I was envious of her and The Eldest Young Master Law a few days ago, even though she has a criminal past and went to prison, she’s supposed to be kind-hearted yet now my belief is utterly shattered!

——I feel deeply deceived too! This Cecilia Vaughn, she’s really so LOW, stealing someone else’s jewelry at a high-profile Vessarian gala—she’s not just disgracing herself, she’s bringing shame upon all Veridians!

——Exactly, someone predicted Cecilia Vaughn would face embarrassment—how accurately foresightful!