The Heiress’s Second Chance at Vengeafice
Chapter 453 The Wrong Ring
How could it be fake?
Unless… The one Eliza had been wearing all along had never been real..
“Let me see.” Halbert said as he stepped forward. He inspected the ring in Tristan’s hand for a few seconds then handed it to Nolan. “Take a look.”
Nolan held it up and, after a brief glance, spotted the issue right away.
“I was there when Mr. Hayes gave Eliza this ring. I knew it was real then. Something must’ve happened during the delivery. It got switched somewhere along the way.”
Halbert explained the situation plainly.
Nolan studied the ring more closely and said, “This is a replica. A very convincing one, but still fake. It must’ve been swapped during transit.”
The moment everyone agreed the ring had been switched, Tracy jumped in defensively. “No way. My people would never lie to me. This is the same ring they picked up from the Hayes house–how could it be fake?”
But she stopped midsentence, realizing she’d said too much.
Everyone in the room caught it, but Tristan didn’t even react. He remained calm as ever.
“What’s lost is lost. We’ll find it again. Ms. Tracy, you can go now. This is a family matter–we’ll handle it ourselves.”
That one sentence–a family matter–cut Tracy off completely.
She bit her lip hard, swallowing the sting of public embarrassment.
She’d come in hoping to impress them… and ended up completely humiliated.
“Tristan, I didn’t think things would turn out like this. I promise–I’ll find out who swapped that ring.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and stormed out.
Zayden followed behind her.
As soon as they passed through the front gates of the Sue estate, Tracy spun around and slapped him hard across the face.
“It was you, wasn’t it? You set me up!”
The only people who knew about the ring swap were her most trusted aide–and Zayden.
Zayden didn’t flinch. “I’ve been by your side the entire time. There was no way for me to pull that off.”
“Oh please. Who knows what else you’ve been up to?” Tracy clenched her fists in frustration. “You made me look like a complete fool in front of the Sue family. If I ever find out who sabotaged me—I swear I’ll make them pay.”
With that, she spun on her heel and stormed back into the Tames residence.
Chapter 453 The Wrong Ring
Inside the main house….
Christian sat in the living room, typing quickly on his laptop as he analyzed the ring.
“Got it,” he said after a few minutes. “This ring’s a sample. It came from the Leaf family. They’ve used it in a few of their exhibitions. Look here–there’s a tiny scuff on the edge. Matches this one exactly.”
Eliza frowned. “So the Leaf family made the switch?”
“No,” Christian said. “They wouldn’t have had the opportunity–or the precision–to pull that off. And how would they even know we were going back to retrieve the ring in the first place?” He closed the laptop and looked up. “But here’s what I don’t get. Tristan, Tracy pulled a stunt like that right in front of everyone, and you didn’t call her out?”
Everyone could see through Tracy’s little act. That ring had been taken because she told someone to take it. But Tristan didn’t press the issue.
If she hadn’t acted on her own, the ring probably wouldn’t have gone missing in the first place.
Tristan replied calmly, “No need to make a scene. Everyone here knows what really happened. Ms. Tracy’s still young. She’s spent most of her life living under someone else’s roof. It’s not surprising she acts out.”
Ronaldo frowned. “That’s the problem. You’ve been too easy on her. That’s why she’s turned into this spoiled, manipulative mess.”
They all knew Tracy had been going around telling people she was basically part of the Sue family. Nobody had bothered to stop her–until now.
But now, because of Tracy’s reckless decision, the ring was gone–and with it, their only lead.
Tristan’s tone sharpened slightly. “Ronaldo, send your people to Westbrook immediately. I want that ring found. Figure out who has it and get it back.”
“Yes, Tristan.”
“Christian, look into how many people were watching Mr. Hayes’s house.”
Christian raised an eyebrow.” “Why investigate? Just ask him. He probably already knows.”
He glanced over at Nolan, who hadn’t said a word.
Nolan was sharp. There was no way someone like Nolan wouldn’t be aware of how many eyes were on his house. The only reason they hadn’t gotten in before was because they couldn’t. If he hadn’t been out of town in Solara, Tracy’s people never would’ve slipped inside that easily.
“I’ll look into it,” Nolan said. “Shouldn’t take long. I already told my people in Westbrook to check the surveillance footage around the area. If anything shows up, I’ll know right away.”
Tristan nodded. “Good. That’s all for now. Everyone, get some rest. Especially you, Mr. Hayes–you’ve been flying back and forth with no time to sleep. Eliza, show Mr. Hayes to his room.”
“Sure,” Eliza said as she led Nolan upstairs.
