A big surprise?
Indeed it was a surprise.
A surprise so big she could hardly stand straight.
Thalassa sighed, âHertha, care to explain the whole story behind this surprise?â
âWell, let me tell youâ¦â
âMom, is that you, mom?â
Hertha hadnât even started her explanation when a childish voice came through the phone. It was Sophiaâs voice.
Her little voice was filled with joy.
âYes, itâs your mom. You talk to her,â Hertha handed the phone to Sophia.
Sophia clumsily held the phone, which was bigger than her hand, to her ear. It nearly slipped from her grasp, but she managed to prop it with her neck. In her sweet, childish voice, she asked, âMom, did you receive the money?â
Thinking about last nightâs predicament, Thalassa felt a bit helpless, but Sophiaâs voice warmed her heart.
She replied, âYes, I received it. All two hundred thousand.
The money led her to receive an unfair punishment from Lysander last night; however, she was grateful for Sophiaâs good intentions and didnât want to let her down.
She could feel Sophiaâs deep love for her.
Her love for her child was also overflowing.
âThalassa, now that you have Elowenâs winnings from the gourmet competition, you have four hundred thousand in total. You didnât give birth to four burdens, but four little treasure chests,â Hertha praised on the other end, her voice full of blessings Thalassa asked, âCan you explain what happened?â
Even though she had a general idea, she still wanted to hear the details from them to confirm her thoughts.
your âWell, Thalassa, your daughter Elowen is a food critic, and your youngest, Sophia, is an antique expert.
She insisted that the circular pendant was an antique and forced me to sell it at the curio shop. I thought Iâd give it a try, and it turned out to be a real antique! I couldnât believe it when they offered me two hundred thousand for this little gadget.â
Hertha, excited, rambled on.
âThe shopkeeper said the pendant was worn by an ancient royal and hence was worth two hundred thousand. He was a good man; if he cheated me, I would have sold it for a few thousand. But he offered two hundred thousand outright; so I immediately agreed.â
âSophia is so clever. She knew it was an antique. She said you bought the circular pendant at a toy shop for a hundred dollars? Good job, Thalassa. Youâve made a fortune! This beats working any day.â
Thalassa listened to Herthaâs story, her heart relieved..
She knew it. The circular pendant was the âtoyâ she had bought at the toy shop.
It wasnât the one from Lysanderâs house.
She bought the toy before seeing the identical circular pendant in Lysanderâs house. There were definitely two pendants, and the one Lysander lost wasnât the one Richard brought yesterday.
Once the toy pendant was cleaned, it was indistinguishable from the one Lysander had.
Lysander wasnât an antique expert and hadnât examined it closely, so he thought it was his lost pendant.
She was right all along.
To clear her name, she needed to find Lysanderâs missing pendant.
It was a difficult task, but she couldnât bear the false accusations.
She had to try no matter how difficult it would be.
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