With a smile, Tessa picked up her handbag and handed it to Wendy. "Here you go. Feel free to search it." Wendy froze, caught off guard by Tessa''s straightforwardness. Could it be that Tessa had discovered the bracelet and removed it beforehand?


    Wendy hesitated, ncing up at Tessa. A faint, cryptic smile yed on her lips, unsettling and unreadable.


    As the bag was handed over, Wendy hesitated. A sense of dread gripped her, as if she were about to walk straight into a trap set by Tessa.


    While she hesitated, Yanis suddenly grabbed the bag from Tessa, unzipped it, and turned it upside down, dumping its contents onto the ground.


    The Van Cleef & Arpels blue agate bracelet tumbled out,nding with a light clink.


    Yanis snatched up the bracelet and demanded angrily, "You say you didn''t steal it? What''s this, then? And that Chanel bag of yours isn''t it stolen too?"


    Gasps rippled through the crowd.


    Wendy let out a breath of relief when she saw the bracelet fall out of Tessa''s bag. This particr handbag had gaps on either side of the zipper, making it easy for Wendy to slip the bracelet inside earlier. Luckily, it seemed Tessa hadn''t noticed.


    Just as Wendy was about to use her further, the crowd suddenly parted to form a path.


    "What''s going on here?" Uriah walked into the room, his brows furrowed.


    Who would dare steal at the Somerton family''s home? Were they tired of living?


    "It''s her, Mr. Somerton! She stole my bracelet. You have to defend me!" Wendy pointed at Tessa, her voice filled with anger.


    Following Wendy''s finger, Uriah''s gazended on Tessa, and their eyes met.


    Tessa''s face lit up with a warm smile. She waved casually. "Hey, cuz."


    The murmurs among the crowd dissipated instantly.


    Silence. Heavy, suffocating silence enveloped the room whole.


    Tessa was the first to break it, pointing at the bracelet in Yanis'' hand. Feigning a troubled


    expression, she asked, "Uriah, theyre using me of stealing that


    sel.


    bracelet, going as far as searching my bag in public. Do you think I''d bother with such che?"


    Wendy turned ashen, her body stiffening like a statue. She staggered back a few steps, staring at Tessa


    in disbelief. "You... You''re Mr. Somerton''s cousin?"


    Standing behind Uriah, Zachary


    froze. The word "cousin" from Tessa''s lips.shattered Zachary''s thoughts like ss. The gift box he had been holding slipped from his hand, falling to the ground. The pink diamond ne inside spilled out, ttering onto the floor.  Hearing Tessa call Uriah her cousin made Zachary''s blood run cold. It felt as if the world around him had gone silent. A wave of dizziness hit him, and he nearly lost his bnce.


    Tessa said something else to Uriah, but Zachary couldn''t hear her anymore. It was as though every sound


    had been stripped away, leaving him in a vacuum of deafening silence.


    Yanis'' face twisted in disbelief. It was as if she had seen a ghost. "Impossible! This is impossible! How can you be Mr. Somerton''s cousin? You''re a housekeeper''s daughter!"


    Seatedfortably on the couch, Tessa crossed her legs, propped her chin in her hand, and smiled sweetly at Yanis. "I''m sorry to disappoint you."


    It finally dawned on Uriah who they were using. They had dared to use Tessa of stealing!


    His expression darkened, his voice cutting like ice. "Who are you people? How dare youe into my home and use my cousin of theft. Are you so eager to end your life?"


    "N-No... Mr. Somerton... You... Please, let me exin..." Wendy stammered, her words tumbling over each other in panic.