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Novel Catalog
Chapter_91
The tension in the lobby reached its peak as Sean carefully handed over the plastic bag containing the necklace to Alyssa. The guests who had gathered to witness the spectacle fell silent, their eyes locked on the bag as though it were some sacred object. Even Betty seemed to hold her breath, her earlier arrogance momentarily replaced by uncertainty.
Alyssa opened the bag with a deliberate slowness, making sure everyone could see the necklace clearly. It sparkled under the fluorescent lights, exactly the same as Betty had described. There was no mistaking it—the necklace had been found.
Betty’s eyes widened, her face a mixture of anger and disbelief. “How… How could this be?” she muttered, unable to reconcile what she was seeing. Her bravado from moments ago had completely evaporated.
Alyssa’s voice was calm and controlled. “As I said, the necklace wasn’t stolen by anyone here. It was misplaced, and now it has been found. I trust this clears up the situation.”
The crowd seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief, while Betty struggled to regain her composure. The housekeeper, who had been on the verge of tears, stood a little straighter, her body still trembling, but the sense of injustice she had felt began to fade.
“Impossible!” Betty finally snapped, her tone sharp. “I demand a public apology for the accusations, right now!” She was desperate to salvage her pride, but it was clear to everyone that she had lost control of the situation.
Alyssa regarded her coolly, her eyes sharp but unfazed. “Ms. Beckett, you can rest assured that I will apologize publicly once the police arrive and finish their investigation. Until then, I think we’ve reached the end of this matter.”
Betty opened her mouth to protest, but the sound of sirens in the distance reached her ears, making her freeze. The police were already on their way. There was no escaping the truth now.
Jasper stood at the side, watching the exchange unfold with a complicated expression. His mind was racing, torn between feelings of guilt for his past treatment of Alice and awe at her ability to handle such a tense situation with such grace and authority. He hadn’t seen this side of her before, and it left him speechless.
“Mr. Beckett, Ms. Betty is bullying Madam Alice!” Xavier exclaimed, his voice filled with concern. “She was completely in the wrong, and now she’s making demands for something she never had a right to.”
Jasper didn’t respond immediately. He couldn’t stop thinking about how different Alice had become. The woman standing in front of him wasn’t the timid housewife he once knew. This Alice was confident, unyielding, and sharp—qualities that, until now, he hadn’t recognized in her.
Betty was still fuming, her face flushed with humiliation. “You think this is over?!” she shouted. “I won’t forget this!” With that, she stormed out of the lobby, her friends trailing behind her, no longer quite so smug.
As the door closed behind her, a heavy silence lingered in the air. The guests who had been watching the drama unfold now returned to their business, though some still whispered in hushed tones about the incident.
Alyssa gave a brief nod to Sean and the housekeeping manager, signaling that they could return to their duties. Then, she turned her attention to Jasper.
He met her gaze, his expression guarded. “Alice,” he said, his voice quieter now, “I never realized… You’ve changed.”
Alyssa didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she met his gaze with a faint, almost imperceptible smile. “People change, Jasper. They have to, or they drown.”
Her words hung in the air, and Jasper felt the weight of them more than he cared to admit. There was so much more he wanted to say, but the distance between them—both physical and emotional—was too great. He wasn’t sure if he could bridge it, or if he even deserved to.
Finally, Alyssa turned to leave, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. “Excuse me, I have work to do,” she said over her shoulder, her tone final.
Jasper stood still, watching her walk away. For the first time in a long while, he felt a pang of regret—not for the marriage that had ended, but for the person Alice had become. He didn’t know what to do with the feelings that were now bubbling to the surface, but one thing was clear: he had underestimated her, and he couldn’t ignore the admiration he felt for her anymore.
As Alyssa disappeared around the corner, Jasper found himself questioning everything he thought he knew about her—and about himself.