Chapter 212
Chapter 212:
He pulled out his phone, intending to contact Devin and finally uncover the truth behind that old phone call. As his fingers hovered over the screen, something else caught his attention.
A bottle rested in the hollow, clearly placed there recently. Curious, Colton unscrewed the lid and found it filled with lemonade. He brought it to his nose, and his expression immediately darkened.
Someone had tampered with the lemonade. Years of attending events had sharpened his instincts for spotting such things in an instant.
That discovery left him with a new question: why had Kristine chosen to stash it here?
Back at the backstage entrance, Kristine sensed something was wrong the moment she stepped inside. A crowd had gathered around her bag, and someone called out, “Who does this belong to p>
“It belongs to me,” she replied. “Is there a problem p>
One of the students, identifiable by a council armband, addressed her. “Ms. Hinks lost an earring. We’ve searched everywhere, and your bag is the last place we need to check p>
“How does her missing earring have anything to do with my belongings p>
Kristine glanced past the students and caught sight of Joselyn, whose expression of wounded innocence was suspiciously overdone. In that moment, everything clicked into place — Joselyn’s odd behavior earlier now made perfect sense. Someone as fiercely competitive as Joselyn would never let getting splashed with lemonade go unpunished. It hadn’t been about the lemonade at all; setting her up had been Joselyn’s true aim from the start.
𝖳𝗿𝖾𝗻𝖽𝗶𝗇𝗀 ո𝗈𝗏еl𝗌 on 𝗴𝘢𝘭𝗻o𝘷е𝗅ѕ.𝘤о𝘮
Even before anyone opened the bag, Kristine already knew what they would find inside.
Joselyn pressed her advantage, her words edged with accusation. “If you really didn’t take my earring, you won’t mind letting them search your bag.” The satisfied glint in her eyes betrayed the act entirely. “You’re refusing because you’re scared p>
Kristine started to reach for her bag, but one of the students stepped in to block her. “Please, Kristine, just let us check p>
She fixed them with an icy stare. “You want me to cooperate? Since when did any of you become police? None of you has the right to search my bag. If you go through with this, you’re violating my privacy. Are you sure you want to take that risk p>
The student at the front of the group could barely muster a word, frozen in place as he watched Kristine in silence.
Joselyn broke it with a sharp scoff. “What are you getting so worked up about? If you didn’t take my earring, then show us what’s inside your bag p>
Not bothering to wait for Kristine’s reaction, she grabbed the bag herself, unzipped it with a hasty motion, and dumped everything onto the floor.
“Look, there really is an earring!” a voice rang out from the crowd.
Dozens of eyes fixed on the floor, and sure enough, a large pearl earring lay among the spilled belongings. A wave of whispers swept through the group.
“Guess it really was Kristine who took it. She and Colton broke up, right? Maybe she’s out of cash and started taking things p>
“Seriously, not having money isn’t an excuse to steal p>