Gasps rippled from nearby customers.
Whispers began.
And Rosa, still staring at Laura in disbelief, understood in one crushing heartbeat…
Laura made it look flawless—like she had “caught” Rosa red-handed.
Like the jewelry had been in Rosa’s pocket all along.
Like Rosa was a thief.
Lucy stared in shock, but before she could step in to support Rosa, the supervisor rushed over, her face tight with concern as she hurriedly asked, “What happened, ma’am?”
Laura didn’t hesitate.
Her voice rose loud enough for the entire store to hear.
“Your staff are thieves.
Look—she stole this.
I caught her red-handed.
God knows how many more pieces she’s been hiding in her clothes!”
Rosa shook her head desperately.
“No, no—I didn’t steal anything!
She put it in my pocket.”
”Huh?” Laura let out a sharp, contemptuous laugh.
“You filthy liar.
Trying to frame me to cover your own crime?
Just admit what you did.
Own your sin, and maybe I’ll help reduce your punishment.”
”Why would I admit something I didn’t do?” Rosa’s voice cracked.
“I swear—I didn’t steal anything.”
She turned to the supervisor, panic rising in her eyes.
“Please… I’m telling the truth.”
”Yes, she could never do something like that.
I guarantee it,” Lucy finally said.
Laura snapped her gaze toward her, eyes narrowing.
“Oh, really?
Then if she’s proven guilty, would you like to accompany her to jail?”
Rosa’s stomach dropped.
Panic surged through her.
She didn’t want Lucy dragged into trouble because of her.
She shook her head at Lucy, silently pleading for her to stay out of it.
Lucy couldn’t afford to lose this job—and Rosa needed her safe, needed her to look after Renzo if anything happened. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Sensing exactly what was going through Rosa’s mind, Lucy reluctantly fell silent.
The supervisor looked between them—Rosa’s terrified innocence, Laura’s outraged confidence.
Rosa didn’t look like a thief.
But Laura was a powerful client… and why would someone like her lie about a salesgirl?
The supervisor exhaled slowly.
“Call the police.”
”I think you should check her.
Who knows how much more she stole before I caught her?” Laura said, still clutching the jewelry in her hand like evidence.
The supervisor nodded obediently and gestured to the guards.
“Security!” As the team moved in, she added coldly, “Search her thoroughly.”
”This way,” one of the guards said, motioning for Rosa to follow them toward the small, cramped utility room.
But Laura stepped forward, blocking their path.
“No,” she snapped.
“She’s too clever for that.
If you take her to a back room, she’ll just find a way to hide the jewelry or toss it away.
Don’t give her the time.”
Laura’s eyes gleamed with malice as she looked around the store.
“Make her strip right here.
In front of everyone.
Let’s see exactly how many pieces she’s been hiding under her clothes and on her body.”
Rosa’s jaw clenched.
“Why don’t you just check if any jewelry is missing before searching me?” she snapped, her voice trembling but firm.
“Why bother?” Laura replied smoothly, her eyes glittering with mockery.
“If you’re innocent, then strip and prove it.”
Rosa swallowed hard, a lump of terror forming in her throat.
In her helpless desperation, her eyes drifted—almost on their own—to Luciano.
He was still sitting there, calmly scrolling through his phone as if none of this had anything to do with him.
What had she expected?
That he would defend her—his ex-wife—in front of the woman he was about to marry?
The thought was ridiculous enough to make her laugh bitterly in her head.
Her fingers moved to her shirt, slowly undoing the first button.
Her eyes burned with tears of humiliation, and she kept her head bowed, not wanting anyone to see them.
But before she could undo the second button, a voice cut through the air like a gunshot.
“Enough!”
The entire store went still.
Heavy footsteps cut through the silence, each one deliberate… commanding.
The polished black leather shoes that stopped just inches from her own came into Rosa’s tearful view first.
Slowly, she lifted her lashes, her eyes tracing the tall, imposing frame before her.
Broad shoulders.
A tailored suit that screamed power.
And then—finally—her eyes reached his face.
Luciano was standing right in front of her.
His expression was unreadable, carved from ice.
“Whatever jewelry is missing,” he said coldly, “I’ll pay for it.”
His gaze flicked to the piece Laura claimed she found in Rosa’s pocket.
“Even that one.
Just let it go.”
Rosa’s eyes snapped to his face in shock, as if she wasn’t really hearing him—like she was imagining it.
But then she saw him pull his black card from his wallet, using the same hand that still clutched the cigarette between his fingers.
He held it out to the supervisor—a silent order, not a request.
Laura’s jaw dropped.
Rage flared in her eyes, sharp enough to cut.
Her beautifully crafted trap had been destroyed just like that.
“Luciano, what are you doing?” Laura’s voice came out in a frustrated whine.
“Why would you pay for her?”