Filed To Story: Watch Out! She's a Mastermind Heiress (Isabella Patton) Book PDF Free
“Your sister is a kind person,” Lynda said, her frown deepening. “We’ve known each other for years. She wouldn’t harm even an animal, much less falsely accuse someone.”
Kristine’s voice softened, tinged with regret. “Auntie, please, let’s not argue over this. Isabella has endured enough already. No matter what she says about me, I won’t mind.”
Lynda’s heart ached with empathy for her. “She has endured hardships, true, but not at your hand,” Lynda consoled her before turning a stern gaze on Isabella. “Our family creed champions unity and love. Your tone with Kristine was inappropriate. Apologize to her now!”
Elaine interjected, her brow furrowed, “Lynda, Isabella is simply being meticulous. She meant no harm.”
“But all the evidence points one way, yet she challenged Kristine!” Lynda countered, visibly annoyed by Elaine’s spoiling. As she reflected on Kristine’s visible upset the previous night, her voice grew more emphatic. “Elaine, Kristine is your daughter too. You mustn’t show partiality just because Isabella has returned. Didn’t you promise to treat Kristine well when you adopted her?”
Lynda, aware of Elaine’s usually gentle demeanor, wondered if Isabella had manipulated her somehow. Her gaze turned icy as she looked at Isabella.
Elaine, clearly irritated, responded, “Lynda, that’s unfair. Kristine and Isabella are both my children. How could I favor one over the other?”
“Then remove Fiona from the house,” Lynda declared with conviction, adamant about securing justice for Kristine.
Elaine’s frown deepened. “If Fiona is truly innocent, doesn’t this amount to defamation?” Isabella posed the question indifferently, her gaze fixed on Kristine.
With lips pursed, Kristine responded firmly, “The proof against Fiona seems irrefutable. If Fiona is innocent, I will relinquish all my jewelry to her and offer a personal apology. However, what if she did steal from me?”
“In that case, I’ll apologize to you and give you all the clothes I purchased yesterday,” Isabella declared plainly.
Kristine’s eyes briefly betrayed her joy before she sighed. “I wish it hadn’t come to this, Isabella. But if you insist, we’ll proceed.” She appeared genuinely torn, struggling with the situation.
Isabella, dismissing the performance, turned her attention to Fiona. “You had no idea how the necklace got into your room, right?”
Through tears, Fiona said, “I swear, I’ve never laid eyes on it.”
“Where is the necklace now?” Isabella continued, her tone steady.
The butler stepped forward, offering the necklace wrapped in a handkerchief. After a close examination, Isabella inquired, “And where exactly was this found?”
“In the cabinet in her room,” replied the butler.
Watching quietly, Kristine was intrigued by how Isabella planned to navigate this delicate situation.
“Alright, call the police,” Isabella said.
The room fell into a shocked silence, and Isabella added, “Let’s involve the police and check for fingerprints. If Fiona never touched the necklace, it won’t bear her fingerprints.”
Fiona’s face brightened with hope. “Yes, yes, I’ve never touched it!”
Lynda frowned at the suggestion, skeptical, and Kristine countered, “That doesn’t necessarily mean she didn’t steal it. She could have worn gloves.”
The possibility hung heavy in the air.
“When did you notice the necklace was missing?” Isabella queried further.
“I saw it yesterday. I realized it was gone this morning,” Kristine answered.
Isabella directed a maid to get the surveillance footage. The records showed Fiona had been to the second floor yesterday to clean Isabella’s room and had spent the remainder of her time in the living room. There seemed to be no opportunity for her to have committed the theft.
Yet, Kristine interjected softly, “She didn’t use the main stairs, but there’s another seldom-used staircase she knows about. She could have used that to access the upper floors undetected. And with the living room camera broken, she could have used that staircase to carry out the theft.”
“I did no such thing! You have to believe me!” Fiona protested, tears streaming down her face. “Miss Kristine Patton, why are you accusing me of this?”
Fiona couldn’t reconcile what was happening with the Kristine she knew—the kind-hearted woman who was generous with everyone. Why did she pointedly accuse her of theft today? Kristine didn’t look at Fiona. Nothing could be allowed to obstruct her ambitions.
Fiona’s hope dimmed as she felt the weight of the accusation against her. Meanwhile, Isabella seemed engrossed in her phone. Lynda, having lost her patience with Isabella, voiced her displeasure sharply. “Isabella, since you can’t prove Fiona didn’t steal the necklace, you should apologize to your sister!”
Was Isabella using her phone as an escape, avoiding the confrontation due to lack of evidence? This fueled Lynda’s anger.
Suddenly, Isabella looked up. “I’ve restored the surveillance footage,” she announced, holding up her phone to show everyone the screen.
Kristine nearly scoffed at the claim. Restored the surveillance footage? Huh? Did Isabella think it was merely a child’s plaything to be fixed at will? But her smirk faded quickly as she caught sight of the video playing on Isabella’s phone. The color drained from her face when she realized it was the footage from their living room. How was this possible?
Everyone in the room turned to watch as the footage began to reveal the truth. The surveillance footage showed Fiona diligently working in the living room. At some point, Isabella descended the stairs and engaged Fiona in conversation before Fiona eventually left. With this new information, it was obvious—Fiona couldn’t have been responsible for the theft.
Kristine’s mind raced as she watched the screen. Fiona left? Then who danced in the living room? Her eyes flicked to Isabella, suspicion mounting. The footage continued, capturing Isabella moving towards the window…
Kristine’s anxiety escalated, her heart pounding as a startling possibility dawned on her. Isabella? Was she the one dancing? At this critical juncture in her career, with Lynda about to recommend her to be the youngest senior executive in the National Dance Association, Kristine knew that she couldn’t let the truth come out now. As these thoughts flooded her mind, her face drained of color.
But the next second, the footage abruptly ended. Fiona, gathering herself quicker than the others, made a desperate plea. “Mrs. Patton, please believe me! I really didn’t steal the necklace!”
Elaine took Fiona’s hand, her expression turning steely as she turned to Kristine. “Kristine, what exactly is happening here?”
Kristine snapped out of her shock, a hint of color returning to her complexion. “Mom, I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’ll have it investigated immediately.”
Lynda was visibly shaken by the revelations from the footage. She gazed at Fiona’s tear-stained face and felt a deep sense of shame. “Fiona, I’m truly sorry. We should have been more thorough. I’ll make sure you are compensated,” Elaine said, her tone laden with genuine regret. In fact, she had always been fond of Fiona.
Fiona dabbed away her tears, saying, “Mrs. Patton, it’s clear someone in this house was trying to frame me. I can’t stay under these circumstances. All I ask is that you take care of yourself. I will pack my belongings and leave today.”
“Fiona…” Elaine’s voice broke, her heart heavy with sorrow. Over the years, Fiona’s dedication and warmth had woven her deeply into the fabric of the household, creating a bond that transcended her role as merely a maid.
Isabella’s gaze, icy and pointed, shifted to Kristine. “Kristine, don’t you think you should apologize now?”
Kristine’s posture stiffened under the scrutiny, but she managed to muster an apologetic tone. “I’m sorry, Isabella. I should have investigated properly.”
“You shouldn’t be apologizing to me,” Isabella retorted sharply. “Apologize to Fiona? But she was just a maid… Was that really necessary?”
Yet, with the eyes of everyone in the room upon her, pride had to be swallowed. “Fiona, I’m sorry for wrongly accusing you.”
“The bet?” Isabella interjected, a reminder hanging in the air.
Kristine remembered her rash wager. Her entire collection of jewelry was now Fiona’s. The collection of jewelry, amassed over the years and worth millions of dollars, was now a token of her costly mistake. Reluctantly, she instructed someone to bring her jewelry pieces to Fiona.
Fiona accepted the jewelry pieces without hesitation. Having been wrongly accused, she felt no obligation to decline the gesture. As she rose to leave, Isabella interjected, “Just a moment.”
She stepped forward, a proposition ready. “Fiona, would you like to stay and be my personal maid?”
Surprised, Fiona looked at Isabella. The first time she saw Isabella, she had found her endearing. After a brief consideration, Fiona agreed. “Sure!”
Isabella’s slight smile was mirrored by Elaine’s pleased expression. “Fiona, you are attentive and considerate. We’d hate to see you go. So from now on, you’ll look after Isabella.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Patton,” Fiona responded gratefully.
Elaine then turned a stern gaze on Lynda. “Lynda, I know you’re close with Kristine, but I treat all my children equally. I have full confidence that Isabella isn’t the type of person to harm another.”
“I understand,” Lynda, embarrassed, murmured.
While Elaine resolved to uncover the true thief, Kristine immediately volunteered, “Mom, let me make things right by doing the investigation personally.”
“Very well!” Elaine agreed.
Feeling the weight of awkwardness, Lynda made a quick exit. As the tension in the room dissipated, Isabella headed toward the exit.
Elaine, noticing her departure, inquired with a touch of curiosity, “Sweetheart, where are you off to? Would you like me to come with you?”
Isabella’s voice softened. “I’m going to see a friend. Would you like to join me, Mom?”
“No, dear, go ahead. I’ll stay here,” Elaine responded, her voice carrying a note of understanding. “Just make sure to take the driver.”
“Alright!”
Soon, Isabella arrived at a skincare store where her friend, Susan Riggs, worked as a saleswoman.
Susan’s face lit up at her arrival, and she handed Isabella some new product samples. “Try these out. They are from our latest line,” she suggested enthusiastically.
In front of her friend, Isabella’s usual reserve melted away, revealing a side of her that was seldom seen—a softer, more genuine Isabella.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
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