"No way!" Anna eximed,ughing. "That is some serious drama! Does he know for sure it was her? Oh, I would love to see his face when he realized his grand romantic gesture ended up in a pawn shop!"


    Hannah shook her head. "Not sure yet. I''ll let you know when I hear more."


    She pressed her lips together, trying to suppress another wave ofughter. It was just too perfect. No wonder Lionel had been asking about a ne that morning. He knew both she and Sandra had been selling jewelry. He had probably been gearing up for a fight, but since she''d had no idea what he was talking about, she''d inadvertently sidestepped it. Had he confronted Sandra?


    The smile faded from her face. Knowing Lionel''s blind spot, he probably hadn''t said a word to Sandra. He''d likely assumed she was in some kind of trouble and felt sorry for her. He might even buy the ne back for her.


    But it all made sense now. The money for Mr. Jones'' escape hade from selling that ne. The fire, the sudden departure—it all pointed directly to Sandra. If Lionel still couldn''t see it, then he was truly blind.


    Lionel had his team investigate Mr. Jones'' finances. Sure enough, arge sum of money had been transferred from Sandra''s ount. The amount was significant enough to raise his suspicions. The Woods family was barely staying afloat with the projects he was secretly funneling their way. There was no way Sandra had that kind of cash on hand.


    He called her, using Zack''s case as a pretext to meet.


    Sandra wasn''t surprised by his call. She knew this day woulde, just not so


    soon.


    At the café, she wore a flowing white dress, her long hair cascading down her back. Her makeup was subtle, creating a wless but natural look. She radiated a fragile, heartbreaking beauty.


    "Lionel, what''s thetest with Xenia and Zack?" she asked softly as she sat down. "I still can''t believe they would do something like that. Xenia and were colleagues after all I feet for them


    Lionel picked up his coffee, his eyes unreadable.


    "They''re both insisting you were the one who orchestrated everything, he said also reviewed the, conversation between Hannah and Zack. There was no evidence of her instigating him."


    "Did their house have security cameras?" Sandra asked innocently.


    "Hannah brought a recording pen."


    A flicker of surprise crossed


    Sandra''s face. She hadn''t expected Hannah to be so prepared. She wrapped her hands around her.


    warm water ss. "Lionel, it''s not that doubt Hannah, but aswyers, we''ve both seen our share of so-called evidence. Sometimes, people prepare things in advancet create a narrative that benefits them. Of course," she added quickly,


    "I''m not saying Hannah''s recording is fake."