Chapter 303



Lucas replied without hesitation, “She is my friend!”

Belinda quickly interjected.

Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly, turning to Belinda with a flash of anger in his intense gaze.

Surprised by Lucas’ defense of her, Belinda felt a rush of gratitude. Yet, she realized it was time for her to take charge of the situation. She recognized the necessity of asserting herself; otherwise, these people would continue to make things difficult for her.

Belinda composed herself, inhaled deeply, and then addressed Minna with a poised but pointed question. “Ms. Williamson, are you implying that I’m not free to leave your home unless I allow you to search my bag?”

Minna responded with a steady gaze. “Ms. Wright, that is definitely not what I meant. My family would not do something like that. But…”

She trailed off, giving a small, knowing smile. “If you don’t let me search your bag, maybe I should get the police involved.”

The word “police” caused a ripple of discomfort among the guests.

Minna continued, “I’ve already expressed how important the necklace is to me. I cannot simply let this matter go. If you agree to show us the contents of your bag now, Ms. Wright, and the necklace is found, I will not hold it against you. However, should the police discover the necklace in your possession, you are aware of the consequences, aren’t you?”

With a tone of mock sympathy, Minna added, “Please consider your next steps carefully, Ms. Wright.”

Belinda’s smile in response was cool and measured. “I appreciate your concern, Ms. Williamson.”

She then turned decisively to Bethany and said, “Bethany, please call the police now.”

This directive shocked everyone present. None had anticipated that Belinda would escalate the situation by taking the initiative to call the police.

From the looks of it, the necklace couldn’t have been stolen by Belinda. Otherwise, why would she have called the police? That would be asking for trouble. However, Minna smiled inwardly. Having the police handle the issue was exactly the outcome she had been hoping for.

Bethany turned to Belinda with a worried look at that moment. A thought had just come to her. Macie had earlier bumped into Belinda and caused her to drop her handbag. It had been Macie who had picked up the handbag for Belinda. Seeing how confident Minna and Macie looked now, it was very likely that Macie had slipped the necklace into Belinda’s bag at that time. Calling the police would spell trouble for Belinda!

Belinda, however, didn’t seem too bothered. Instead, she calmly said to Bethany, “Trust me.”

Bethany hesitated for a moment before finally nodding and taking out her phone to call the police.

The police arrived shortly. A male and female officer were sent to the Williamson family’s residence.

“Who called the police?” the male officer asked.

“It was me. Officer, here’s what happened…” Bethany briefly explained the situation to both officers.

When her explanation was over, the male officer turned to Belinda and said, “Since you are a suspect here, we will need to search your bag and conduct a body search.”

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