Chapter 277: The Deceived Father Joeâs face darkened with a tinge of green.
Ten minutes earlierâ
Joe had just arrived at the jewelry store when he saw someone apparently trying to snatch a ring from Angelica. He immediately stepped forward, only to be blocked.
Jack respectfully intervened, "Chairman Morris, my boss asks that you stay calm."
Joe frowned. "Mr. Reid? Sorry, but my daughter is being bulliedâI donât have time to stay calm."
He was about to march forward when Logan let out a lazy laugh. "Strange. I mustâve missed the part where someone was bullying Miss Clark."
Joeâs temper flared. "Of course you didnât see itâbecause the one bullying her is Selina, and sheâs your wife. Naturally, youâd side with her."
"Selina?" Loganâs smile didnât reach his eyes. "Or maybe what you saw and what I saw were two completely different things?"
Joe glanced into the store, watching Angelica slowly lose ground, and his tone turned sharper. "Selina took the ring Angelica ordered like it was hers to claim. Who knows how many times sheâs pulled stunts like that!"
"And how is Chairman Morris so sure that ring belonged to Angelica?"
Joe answered without hesitation, "My daughterâs a Morris. She lacks for nothing. If she wanted the ring, she couldâve just bought it. Why lie?"
To him, it was obvious. The daughter of the Morris Family wouldnât stoop to fighting over jewelry.
"Mr. Reid, you can indulge your Mrs. Reid and stand idly by, But as a father, I canât just stand by and watch!"
With that, he stepped forwardâ
Only to freeze.
Inside the store, Selina had just proved, beyond a doubt, that the rings were hers.
Loganâs eyes went cold. "Looks like Chairman Morris was wrong. It wasnât Selina bullying Angelicaâit was Angelica bullying Selina. Stealing someone elseâs wedding ring? Who knows how many times sheâs done that."
He threw Joeâs words right back at him, and Joeâs face stiffened.
Logan spoke casually, almost amused: "Why donât you guess againânow that itâs clear the rings belong to Selina, do you think Angelica will still try to take them?"
Joe bristled. "Absolutely not!" he snapped. "Mr. Reid, I respect you, but donât insult my daughter."
"Angelica has a kind heart. She would never knowingly take her sisterâs wedding ring."
Joe convinced himself it mustâve been a mistake by the staff. Angelica couldnât have known. She wouldnât.
But just as he said that, Angelica stepped forward, gazed down at Selina, and said clearly: "Selina, I didnât want to take your rings, but Mother likes them. Canât you just let her have them?"
...
Joe looked like heâd been hit over the head. He froze.
Logan clapped slowly. "Guess you were wrong again, Chairman Morris."
"Angelica conspired with the store manager to twist the truth and steal Selinaâs ring. So tell meâdo you think thatâs acceptable behavior? Is that the kind of woman Morris Family raises?"
Joeâs pupils constricted.
Noâit wasnât.
Morris Family had been built over a century. Joe had always been meticulous with his reputation, always careful not to bring shame to the family name. Heâd assumed Victoriaâs daughter would be the same: poised, proper, and principled.
Not someone who would use power and status to get what she wanted.
But thenâ
As Joe struggled to process the truth, Angelica shook her head with a sigh.
"These rings were originally Loganâs gift to me. I turned them down, and thatâs the only reason Selina has them now. If I wanted them back, theyâd still be mine."
Joe suddenly seemed to latch onto a reasonâsomething to justify his judgment of characterâand quickly looked up.
"Mr. Reid, you heard her! That wedding ring was clearly meant for Angelica! If you gave it to her, then why turn around and give it to Selina?
Everything Angelica did today is because of you!"
He just knew itâhis daughter would never act like that!
Forget the ring. What mattered was that Angelicaâs character not be misjudged.
Logan narrowed his eyes, studying Joe for a beat.
Then he chuckled lightly. "Chairman Morris, if you trust Angelica that much... fine. Then just wait and see."
...
Inside the store.
Selina looked at Angelica, amusement dancing in her eyes. "You said this was a ring you turned down?"
Angelicaâs tone was innocent but laced with provocation. "Mm-hmm. I prefer pink diamonds over blue ones. So when Logan first gave me this blue diamond set, I didnât want it."
"But now Iâve changed my mind. I like it again. Canât I take it back?"
Katie chimed in, eyes gleaming with calculation. "Selina, I know youâre upset, but thatâs just how it is! Even if the ring technically belongs to you now, itâs still something Angelica didnât want. And anyway, Logan bought it for her. You snatched it upâhow does that look?"
The bystanders began to murmur.
If the ring had originally been meant for Angelica, was it really so wrong for her to want it back?
Luke was stunned by the absolute shamelessness dripping from Angelicaâs every word.
God. Was there actually a mistress out there worse than his own mother?
His mom had already set the barâadopted into the family, seduced her sisterâs husband, and helped push Anna to her death. That was elite-level homewrecking.
But Katie and Angelica? A mother-daughter duo of entitlement and hypocrisy. They were competing to see who could be more disgraceful.
Luke clenched his fists, ready to leap in and defend Selina, but Selina beat him to itâwith a smile.
"Oh? So Logan meant to give this ring to you first?" she said casually. "If he cares so much about you, whyâd he get the diamond color wrong?"
Lukeâs eyes lit up. "Exactly! Angelica, youâre contradicting yourself. Maybe think your lies through next time?"
"Youâ" Angelica bit her lip, visibly flustered.
Just then, a voice came from the front entrance: "Mr. Reid! Chairman Morris! What an honorâplease, come in!"
Everyone froze.
Logan and Joe... were here?
Angelicaâs eyes flicked with calculation. Then she furrowed her brows and gave a delicate, fragile little sigh, like a wilted flower in the wind.
"Logan, youâre just in time," she said sweetly. "The ring you gave me last time... Selina really likes it. So itâs fineâIâll give it to her."
"I donât want two little rings to ruin our sisterhood. Just let her have them."
She struck first, positioning herself as the gracious victim.
Joeâs heart ached even more.
He turned sharply to Logan. "Mr. Reid, and you still think Angelica tried to steal Selinaâs ring? She just said it right in front of youâif that ring wasnât originally meant for her, sheâd never dare speak so boldly!"
"Sheâs honest and open. If she says it was hers, it was!"
He turned to his daughter, concern all over his face. "Angelica, what happened? Did Selina take your ring?"
Angelica glanced at Selina like a frightened kitten, hesitated for dramatic effect, then finally whispered:
"No, Daddy. I didnât even like those rings. I gave them to Selina willingly. Please donât cause trouble for her..."
Her mouth said "willingly"â
But every word dripped with implication: I didnât want to. I had no choice.
Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex's 'Uncle'
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