He Faked Poor, So I Walked Away

Chapter 3 The Necklace Trap

Near the end of my shift, I was still cleaning one of the hotel bathrooms when Daphne appeared behind me.

"Maisie, have you seen my gemstone necklace?"

I turned around. Her neck was bare.

"No," I said. "I haven't seen it."

"That's strange." Daphne frowned and touched her collarbone. "It was right here a moment ago. Elias gave me that necklace. It means a lot to me."

She paused, then added softly, "It cost twenty million dollars. I've searched everywhere, but I still can't find it."

Then she looked at me. Something in her eyes had changed. It was subtle, but I saw it.

"Maisie," she said, "let me check your pockets."

I froze. "What do you mean?"

"I think you stole my necklace."

"I didn't!" My voice rose at once. "I've been cleaning the bathroom this whole time. I haven't gone anywhere near you."

"Then let me check," Daphne said calmly. "If you didn't take it, I'll apologize."

I tried to stop her, but Daphne shoved her hand into the pocket of my uniform. A second later, she pulled out a glittering gemstone necklace.

I stared at it in disbelief. "That's impossible. I never touched that."

Daphne's eyes reddened immediately. "Maisie, how could you steal from me? You knew perfectly well that Elias gave me this necklace. You knew how important it was to me."

"I didn't steal it," I said, my voice shaking. "I really didn't."

Daphne furrowed her brow. "Maisie, when people make mistakes, they have to own up to them. Why are you still lying?"

I had no way to defend myself.

Daphne dragged me straight to Elias. The moment she saw him, she burst into tears and threw herself into his arms.

Elias held her and soothed her for a long time before asking, "What happened?"

His eyes landed on me. They were sharp as blades.

"My necklace went missing," Daphne sobbed. Then she held it up. "And I found it on Maisie."

Elias stared at me with eyes as cold as ice.

"No," I said quickly. "I didn't steal it. She..."

I pointed at Daphne, my voice trembling.

"Enough." Elias pulled out his phone. "I'm calling the police."

Daphne grabbed his arm at once. "No, Elias. Don't call the police. She's still young. If this gives her a criminal record, what will happen to her future?"

Elias frowned.

Daphne pretended to think for a moment. "How about this? Have her kneel outside the hotel entrance and slap herself. Half an hour should be enough."

Fire surged through my chest. "What did you just say?"

Daphne looked perfectly innocent. "Stealing has consequences. I'm only doing this for your own good. Maybe now you'll learn not to steal again."

"I didn't steal anything." By then, I was almost screaming. Tears finally spilled down my face. "Elias, I am your girlfriend. How can you do this to me?"

The air seemed to freeze.

Daphne's eyes widened. She looked at me, then at Elias.

"Girlfriend?" Her voice rose into a shriek. "Elias, she says she's your girlfriend?"

Elias's face darkened. After several seconds, he said, "How could that possibly be true?"

He looked at me coldly. "Maisie, I have no relationship with you whatsoever. You stole from a guest, and you are fired."

Then he pulled out his phone and made a call. "Yes, it's me. Notify every company in the industry. Maisie Vale is not to be hired anywhere. Ever."

After hanging up, he turned back to me. "Go kneel outside the hotel entrance and slap yourself until ten o'clock tonight. Otherwise, the consequences will be far worse than this."

Daphne winked at me. "Maisie, this is all for your own good. When people do something wrong, they have to face the consequences."

She smiled gently, as if she had shown me mercy. "Consider yourself lucky that I'm your friend. That's the only reason I'm not handing you over to the police."