Chapter 3

The farce at the gala continued.

The bodyguard roughly tore open my cheap handbag, emptying its contents onto the floor.

A few crumpled bills, a packet of tissues, and the blood-stained watch parts.

No ring.

Serena Thorne's face darkened, and she shot a meaningful glance at her bodyguard.

The bodyguard understood instantly and suddenly pointed at my dress pocket.

"Here it is!"

He reached in and pulled out a dazzling pink diamond ring, appearing triumphantly in his hand.

The entire room gasped.

"Oh my god, it really was her who stole it!"

"A murderer's daughter, of course, she's a thief too!"

"Call the cops! Get her arrested, let her reunite with her murderer dad in jail!"

Vicious curses swirled around me like a tide.

I couldn't defend myself, shaking my head in despair.

"It wasn't me... You're framing me..."

I was crying so hard I felt faint, my stomach clenching in painful spasms.

Serena Thorne looked down at me, a triumphant smile playing on her lips.

"People like you were born to rot in the mud, Summer Hayes. Want to appeal your case? In your next life."

She raised her foot, and her ten-centimeter stiletto heel came down hard on the back of my hand, grinding into it.

"Ah---"

I cried out in pain, the agony, sharp as a thousand needles, made cold sweat prickle all over me.

Just then, a thunderous "BANG!"

The heavy ballroom doors burst open, kicked in from the outside.

Dozens of bodyguards in black suits streamed in, instantly taking control of the room.

The crowd parted, forced to create a path.

Ethan Stone strode in purposefully.

His suit was still a bit disheveled, and a trace of uncleaned blood stained the corner of his mouth. His face was ashen, like a sheet of paper, but his dark eyes held a chilling, murderous intent.

He walked straight to me, looking at my hand trampled underfoot and the blood splattered on the floor.

In that moment, I clearly saw his body tremble, and a flicker of extreme pain crossed his eyes.

"Get out of the way."

His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

Serena Thorne froze, clearly not expecting Ethan Stone to appear here.

"M-Mr. Stone, why are you here? This woman stole my ring, I was just teaching her a lesson..."

"I said, get out of the way."

Ethan suddenly lifted his gaze, his eyes cold as an ice-tempered blade.

Serena Thorne was startled by his look and stumbled back, instinctively releasing her foot.

Ethan dropped to one knee, ignoring the expensive carpet, and carefully, gently, lifted my blood-soaked hand.

His hand was cold, his fingertips still trembled slightly.

"Summer Hayes." He looked at me, his voice impossibly hoarse. "Did I not tell you to call me if anything happened?"

I looked at him, my feelings of injustice reaching their peak.

"Mr. Stone... I didn't steal anything... That was my dad's watch..."

I was sobbing, gasping for breath, and large tears splattered onto the back of his hand.

Ethan Stone's brow furrowed tightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed violently.

He suddenly reached out and pulled me into his arms.

"Stop crying."

He gritted his teeth, his voice filled with suppressed agony, whispering in my ear.

"If you cry any more, you'll literally kill me with this pain."

I froze, forgetting to cry.

Ethan took a deep breath, slipped off his suit jacket, and draped it over my shoulders. Then he slowly stood up, shielding me behind him.

He turned to look at Serena Thorne, his gaze now returned to absolute coldness.

"Framing, malicious intent, assault."

"Each of those charges is enough to land you in prison for years."

Serena Thorne forced herself to stay calm.

"Mr. Stone, what is the meaning of this? She clearly stole my ring, everyone saw it!"

"Did they?"

Ethan Stone scoffed, then turned to Noah Clarke.

Noah Clarke immediately stepped forward, opened his tablet, and connected it to the ballroom's large screen.

A surveillance video played clearly.

It showed Serena Thorne, while I wasn't looking, secretly slipping the pink diamond ring into my dress pocket.

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

Serena Thorne's face instantly went ashen, and her lips trembled violently.

"B-but... wasn't the surveillance system broken?"

Ethan Stone looked down at her, like he was looking at a dead person.

"Miss Thorne, you probably don't know that this hotel is part of the Stone Group."

"You've got a lot of nerve, messing with my people on my territory."

He leaned in slightly, his voice a low whisper, yet every person in the room heard him clearly.

"That foot that stepped on her today? Tomorrow, I'll make sure the entire Thorne family is wiped off the map of this city."

After that night, the Thorne family indeed paid a price.

Serena Thorne was taken in for questioning by the police for assault, and Thorne Group's stock plummeted overnight, hitting its daily limit.

But I knew this was just the beginning.

The Thorne family was deeply entrenched in New York; they wouldn't be toppled so easily.

Sure enough, the next day, a tidal wave of negative trending topics swamped the entire internet.

#Murderer'sDaughterSeducesAceLawyerToClearFather'sName#

#SummerHayes GalaTheft#

#EthanStone FallenFromGrace#

Maliciously edited videos went viral online.

They only showed me kneeling and weeping, and Ethan Stone creating a scene for me.