Chapter 408
Hayley’s gaze landed on Marina, almost pleading for mercy.
It was written all over Hayley’s face that she believed Marina was the one who picked up the ring.
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“Marina, it’s all Zara’s fault. I punished her and taught her a lesson. I hope you won’t hold it against her,” Hayley said.
As Hayley finished speaking, Zara’s quiet sobs filled the air, making it feel like Marina was framing Zara, and that’s why Zara ended up losing the ring.
Harris sat silently on the sofa, his face cold and authoritative.
He had no intention of speaking up for anyone. He was just waiting for an explanation.
Whether it was Zara or Marina, both of them owed him an explanation.
Marina stood her ground, her eyes lowered as she looked at Hayley sitting on the sofa.
She said calmly, “Hayley, firstly, I already said I never even touched that ring.
“Secondly, I definitely didn’t pick it up.
“This whole thing has nothing to do with me.”
Hayley hesitated, and then she said, “Marina, are you not going to hand over the ring, even out of respect for me?”
Marina stayed composed, completely unfazed by Hayley’s gaze.
“Ms. Blanchard, please back up your words with evidence,” Marina replied.
By calling her “Mrs. Blanchard,” Marina distanced herself from Hayley.
Her attitude was firm and unwavering.
Seeing this, Hayley’s expression grew complicated. She turned to Harris, seeking his support.
She said lightly, “Harris, could you please show the surveillance footage and let Marina see for herself?”
Harris shot a look at the butler.
The butler walked over with a tablet, tapped open the surveillance video, and handed it straight to Marina.
On the screen, Marina saw herself bending down by the car to pick something up before she got in.
But because of the camera angle, all one could see was her bending down. There was no way to see what she actually picked
- up.
Just because of this video, Hayley was dead sure that Marina had grabbed the ring.
Marina checked the timestamp on the video. It was from this afternoon, during her lunch break.
She’d gone to her car to grab some documents and happened to spot a sharp tack lying right next to her tire.
If she hadn’t picked it up, she would’ve run over it when she drove out, and her tire would’ve been ruined.
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Chapter 408
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She never thought that just bending down to pick up a tack would give Hayley a reason to blow things out of proportion.
That could only mean this whole thing was planned from the very beginning by Zara and Hayley.
Hayley looked at Marina, her eyes filled with what seemed like sympathy.
“Marina, I get it. Zara shouldn’t have given you the ring without asking, and that was disrespectful to you.
“But what’s done is done. Zara knows she messed up. If you hand over the ring now, we can all move on like this never happened, okay?
“Daron’s in Frency right now, handling the branch office. I don’t want to bother him with something like this.”
As Hayley spoke, her expression was nothing but resigned helplessness.
She made it sound like this was some childish spat, and as long as Marina handed over the ring, everyone could pretend it never happened.
Hayley knew full well Marina didn’t have the ring to give.
All Harris wanted was the ring.
Marina had figured it all out now. She handed the tablet back to the butler.
She said calmly, “Ms. Blanchard, this isn’t something I can let slide.
“That ring belonged to my mother–in–law and her mother. How could I act like it doesn’t matter?
“Just this video isn’t enough to say I took the ring. I didn’t even know the ring Miss Blanchard brought out was connected to my mother–in–law and her mother.”
Marina kept calling her “mother–in–law,” and Hayley’s face twitched with subtle annoyance every time.
Hayley’s eyes darkened, frustrated that Marina was refusing to play along and making things difficult on purpose.
“Marina, you grew up under Cole’s care, and he always groomed you to be the future matriarch of the Zamora family. There’s no way you wouldn’t recognize this ring,” Hayley said.
Marina locked eyes with Hayley, refusing to back down.
“Ms. Blanchard, did you know me at all before I married Daron? Were we ever close?” she asked.
Hayley was caught off guard for a moment.
Before she could even respond, Marina continued.
“As far as I know, you joined the Zamora family not long after my mother–in–law passed away.
“Daron and I got engaged years after you were already part of the family.
“Before that, I don’t think we ever even met. And from what I understand, you’ve been the one handling my mother–in–law’s belongings all these years. So tell me, where would I have even seen that ring?”
Hayley’s expression flickered with unease. Realizing the conversation was drifting off course, she jumped in to steer things
back.
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Chapter 408
Trying to smooth things over, Hayley said, “Marina, Zara already knows she messed up.
“That ring is going to end up yours sooner or later anyway, so why not just let it go….”
Marina cut her off.
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“I didn’t pick up that ring. Ms. Blanchard, if you’re so determined to accuse me, you’d better bring out some solid evidence.
“You want to blame me for this just because I bent down to pick something up? That’s really reaching.”
Hayley’s expression shifted. She shot a cautious glance at Harris. When she saw he was still sitting there, not reacting at all, she breathed a silent sigh of relief.
As long as Harris wasn’t about to take Marina’s side, Hayley could relax.
At least for now, it looked like Marina had come to the Zamora mansion solo, facing everything on her own.
As long as Marina couldn’t handle the pressure, Hayley knew she still had plenty of tricks up her sleeve.
But Marina didn’t even flinch. She stayed cool and started breaking it down.
“And after the ring went missing, didn’t Miss Blanchard look around for it? The spot where I bent down was clear as day. Are you telling me Zara didn’t see it? Guess losing the ring wasn’t such a big deal to her after all.
‘All that panic and confusion when the ring dropped was that little freak–out for me, or were you hoping the cameras would catch your act?”
Zara, still on her knees, suddenly looked panicked. She shook her head frantically, tears welling up in her eyes.
‘I didn’t. Mom, I didn’t!” she cried.
She crawled over to Hayley, desperately trying to defend herself.
Marina looked unbothered, her eyes steady as she faced Zara and Hayley.
She said, “The ring is gone now. No matter what Miss Blanchard says, she can’t distance herself from this.
That ring is probably worth a lot. Harris, maybe you should call the police and let them look into it.”
Hayley’s face suddenly drained of color, panic written all over her as she cried out.
‘Marina, how could you be so cruel? First, you hide the ring, then you call the cops. Are you seriously trying to ruin Zara for good?
“Zara was just trying to do you a favor, giving you the ring to make you happy. Why are you going after her like this?”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
