Chapter 390
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Chapter 390:
Jocelyn closed her eyes. The sheer, toxic delusion of her mother was a disease.
“I am giving you and your pathetic family exactly one hour,” Jocelyn said, her tone dropping to a lethal whisper. “If that necklace is not sitting on the front desk of my lobby in sixty minutes, perfectly intact p>
She let the silence stretch.
“I will call the NYPD Major Case Squad,” Jocelyn finished. “I will have them kick down the doors of the Stein townhouse and drag her out in handcuffs p>
𝘜𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘰𝘯
“You cannot do that!” Elouise shrieked, genuine terror finally bleeding into her voice. “The scandal will ruin us! Edward will throw me out on the street p>
“Your reputation means absolutely nothing to me,” Jocelyn replied. “The clock starts now p>
She ended the call.
In the dark attic, Elouise dropped her phone. Her face had gone ashen. She knew Jocelyn was not bluffing.
She scrambled off the lumpy mattress and sprinted down the narrow servant stairs to Victoria’s bedroom on the second floor, pounding frantically on the heavy wood door.
“Victoria! Open this door!” Elouise screamed.
Inside the room, Victoria sat on the floor with her back pressed hard against the door, hands covering her ears, sobbing hysterically and refusing to face what she had done.
Time bled away.
Jocelyn sat perfectly still in her office chair, eyes locked on the antique grandfather clock in the corner of the room. The brass second hand ticked with a relentless, mechanical rhythm.
Fifty-five minutes passed.
The internal phone on her desk remained completely silent. No one had come to the lobby.
Jocelyn let out a long, slow breath — the sound of a woman finally cutting a rotting anchor from her neck.
She picked up her cell phone and dialed Gaston’s private number.
He answered on the first ring.
“What is wrong?” Gaston asked immediately, his voice deep, detecting the shift in her breathing at once.
“Victoria stole the Queen Marie necklace,” Jocelyn said quietly.
A suffocating silence fell over the line. It lasted exactly three seconds.
When Gaston spoke again, his voice was so dark and controlled it made the hair on Jocelyn’s arms stand on end.
“I understand,” Gaston said, his tone devoid of all mercy. “Do not move from your office. I will be there in ten minutes p>
Jocelyn hung up.
She dialed 911.
“NYPD Emergency,” the operator answered.
“I need to report a grand larceny,” Jocelyn said, her voice steady and cold. “The stolen property is a diamond necklace. The appraised value is thirty million dollars p>
The operator gasped audibly. The call was instantly flagged as a Class B felony.
Sirens were about to flood the streets of Manhattan.
Exactly ten minutes later, the heavy walnut doors of the penthouse office were shoved open with violent force.
Gaston strode into the room, bringing a wave of freezing, lethal energy with him. His jaw was locked so tight the muscles ticked visibly beneath his skin.
Message from Noa: Lovely readers, hope you have a wonderful morning, God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. (ɔO‿=)ɔ ♥