Chapter 17 Triple Compensation
Tina stood with her arms crossed and her chin held high. She was already anticipating the moment when all the store employees would fall to their knees and beg for her forgiveness.
She felt completely confident since Anne had taken the ring. Even if they searched everyone, they wouldn’t find anything. These employees would have no choice but to apologize.
Meanwhile, Alicia clutched her handbag with uncertainty.
She could no longer focus on Tina’s angry tirade beside her. A nagging question kept bothering her–why had the security alarm gone off precisely when they were walking through the
store entrance?
The timing seemed too perfect to be a coincidence.
Alicia’s mind flashed back to how Anne had suddenly approached Tina for a conversation, and that arrogant look in Anne’s eyes before she left. A sense of unease began to creep over her.
When the store employees began their search, Alicia hesitated to hand over her bag. Noticing her reluctance, they decided to search Tina’s bag first, right there in front of the security guards and growing crowd of onlookers.
The search revealed only typical items–branded lipstick,
2/7
makeup, perfume, and a credit card. But then…
“This is…” the employee exclaimed. All eyes were fixed on them as she pulled out an exquisite diamond ring from the bag.
“I… I don’t understand,” Tina stammered, staring at the ring in shock. This was impossible. It was the exact same ring she had personally slipped into Anne’s bag earlier. How could it possibly have ended up in her own bag?
“How do you explain this?” The sales associate’s face hardened as she exchanged meaningful glances with the security guard.
This upscale mall catered exclusively to wealthy, high–status clientele, which made the current situation even more scandalous. Within minutes, the store manager arrived on the scene.
“Sir, this is one of our newly arrived diamond rings,” the sales associate quickly explained to the manager. “It’s priced at 580 thousand dollars and hasn’t even been displayed yet. This young lady attempted to steal it.”
“In all the years we’ve operated this jewelry store, we’ve never encountered such brazen customers,” the manager remarked with a condescending click of his tongue. “Ladies, I must inform you that your actions are criminal.” Without waiting for a response, he turned to his staff and ordered, “Call the police. Let them handle this.”
The mention of police involvement sent Tina into a panic. “Wait, there’s been a misunderstanding!” she protested.
Chapter 17 Triple Compensation
3/7
Her mind raced as she pieced together what must have happened. Anne must have slipped the ring into her bag during that moment when she’d pretended to help remove a loose thread. But Tina found herself trapped in silence, unable to accuse Anne without revealing their own attempted set–up.
Tina turned to Alicia with desperate eyes. “Alicia, I…” Her voice trailed off pleadingly.
“There must be some misunderstanding here,” Alicia said with complete sincerity. “We just came in to browse. Why would we take your ring? Besides, given our social standing, why would we need to steal a diamond ring worth a few hundred thousand dollars?”
“Exactly! Manager, I’m Tina Brooks from the Brooks family. And Ms. Alicia Chastain here is the heiress to Chastain Holdings. You must know how influential our families are in Celestine. Why would we need to steal your ring? This is clearly a setup. Why don’t we check the security footage?”
Tina felt confident making this suggestion. She knew she had carefully avoided the cameras when planting the ring in Anne’s bag earlier. The footage wouldn’t show her touching the ring at all. However, when Anne had approached her, she had been directly in view of the cameras. The footage would surely show Anne slipping the ring into her bag. This would be her vindication.
“Yes, check the security footage,” Tina demanded, raising her voice. “That will prove my innocence.”
Chapter 17 Triple Compensation
4/7
“Absolutely, let’s review the footage right now,” Alicia chimed in supportively.
The store manager looked at the two women thoughtfully before turning to his staff. “Since these ladies deny any wrongdoing, we’ll check the security footage. Also… call the police. Whether this turns out to be theft or a malicious setup, we’ll handle this strictly by the book.”
Alicia felt her heart tighten at the manager’s words. For some reason she couldn’t explain, a sense of dread began to wash over her.
The security guards escorted the group to review the store’s surveillance footage. A shrill scream pierced the air as the video clearly showed Tina secretly pocketing the diamond ring.
“This is impossible!” Tina exclaimed in disbelief. Her every move had been captured with crystal clarity by the security
cameras.
She had specifically checked that spot. There couldn’t have been any cameras at that angle. The footage looked like it had been shot from a completely different position, or perhaps even recorded by someone else.
“This footage is fake. It has to be!” Tina lunged forward and grabbed the remote control from the staff member. She quickly rewound the video to the moment when Anne had approached her. The footage showed their brief conversation, during which Anne had noticed a loose thread on Tina’s clothing and helpfully
115
Chapter 17 Triple Compensation
removed it.
The entire interaction appeared completely normal on screen. Nothing seemed out of place.
Tina’s thoughts whirled in confusion. She was certain Anne had slipped the ring into her bag during the commotion, yet the video showed no such thing. Anne had managed to avoid all suspicion, while Tina’s own theft was displayed in plain sight for everyone to
see.
“It was her! She set me up!” Tina jabbed her finger at the screen, pointing at Anne’s elegant figure as she walked past. “She’s the one who did this. I’m absolutely certain of it!”
“The security footage clearly shows you taking the diamond ring. Now you’re trying to frame someone else? Have some shame!” the saleswoman muttered disapprovingly. “That other lady purchased our most expensive piece, while you two were just trying to compete with her but couldn’t afford it. Did you really think someone of her status would waste time with people like you?”
Tina and Alicia’s faces turned pale as the truth came crashing down around them. The growing crowd of spectators had witnessed everything, and their earlier accusations had only served to make their humiliation more public.
The security footage clearly showed Tina taking the ring, but there was no evidence of how Anne had managed to slip it into Tina’s bag. Could Anne have orchestrated this whole thing behind their backs?
Chapter 17 Triple Compensation
Alicia’s nails dug into her palms as rage coursed through her body. She absolutely despised that woman!
6/7
“This ring is only worth a few hundred thousand dollars. I have dozens like this at home. Why would I need to steal it? You people…” Tina continued her outburst until Alicia yanked her
arm.
“Alicia, but this ring was clearly…”
Alicia shot Tina a warning glare before turning to address the store manager. “Sir, there seems to be a misunderstanding here. As my friend mentioned earlier, she might have accidentally mixed up the ring with her belongings.”
“Alicia, I…” Tina tried to protest, but another fierce look from Alicia silenced her immediately.
“Manager, you saw it yourself. If we really intended to steal this ring, why would we walk out so openly?” Alicia appealed emotionally to the manager. “This must be a misunderstanding. Look, we’ll buy the ring right now. We can pay by card!” She shot Tina a meaningful glance as she spoke.
Tina caught her meaning and reluctantly pulled out her million–dollar credit card, handing it to the employee with
visible hesitation.
“Now that you’ve been caught, buying it won’t be that simple,” the manager replied with a sneer. “According to store policy, when someone damages our reputation, they must pay triple the
Chapter 17 Triple Compensation
item’s price as compensation.”
Write your comment
