Chapter 566
After delivering the final appraisal, Lyra said her goodbyes and left Sterling Manor.
The sound of weeping lingered in the living room.
Helena sat slumped on the rug, thoroughly drained of all energy. Her eyes were hollow and unfocused, as if her soul had been sucked out.
No matter what, she refused to accept this cruel reality.
She stumbled and crawled toward the jewelry cases, her trembling fingers snatching up the accessories one by one.
Every single piece was branded with the blood, sweat, and status of half her lifetime. Every piece had accompanied her through years of glory.
“How could it be… how could they all be fake p>
She obsessively rubbed the familiar textures and lusters, a flood of tears cascading from her eyes.
Her broken murmurs echoed endlessly in the dead-silent living room, brimming with resentment and devastation.
“With so many appraisers at the gala, I could understand one or two mistakes.
But how could every single piece be fake? Not a single real one?
Half my life’s collection, half my life’s devotion… how could it all turn to dust overnight p>
Helena choked on her sobs, entirely unable to force out another word.
It felt as though a heavy lump was lodged in her throat, trapping her voice and tears tight in her chest.
She slowly hunched over, pressing her forehead against the edge of the safe, crying uncontrollably.
From the sidelines, Celeste quietly observed her hysterical breakdown.
A fleeting, vicious thrill of satisfaction darted through her eyes, replaced instantly by a thick sheen of tears.
She rolled her wheelchair forward, slowly inching toward her own boxes of jewelry, and bowed her head.
Forcing out a fresh stream of tears, she put on an equally devastated, heartbroken performance.
Her act was incredibly genuine and flawless.
For years, whenever Helena purchased jewelry, she would habitually bring Celeste along.
They practically bought their pieces simultaneously and handed them over to the management firm at the same time.
Because of this, Helena had never harbored a sliver of suspicion toward her.
To the others, the idea of tying Celeste to this catastrophe was utterly unthinkable.
In Helena’s eyes, Celeste was just a pitiable, innocent victim like herself, completely blindsided by the scam and robbed of her hard-earned savings.
Helena pulled the supposedly miserable Celeste into a tight embrace.
The two of them cried in each other’s arms-one having lost half a lifetime of wealth and all her dignity, the other playing the victim and taking empathy.
Everyone’s attention was fully immersed in the pair’s despair and grief.
No one noticed the matriarch, sitting quietly off to the side, suddenly knitting her brows.
Looking at the floor completely covered in counterfeit jewelry, an incredibly ominous feeling surged in the older woman’s heart.
With no time to wallow in pity, she abruptly stood up and marched forward.
She reached out and yanked open all the jewelry boxes, pulling out the accessories and scanning the sea of fakes with a razor-sharp gaze.
Once, twice, three times p>
After repeatedly confirming the absence of a very specific item, the matriarch’s face turned livid, the last trace of warmth vanishing from her eyes.
She whipped her head around, her gaze slicing like a blade as it pinned the tear-stained, pathetic Helena to the spot. Her voice was sharp and lethal.
“Helena, where is the Ancestral Sapphire necklace I personally handed to you when you joined the Sterling family p>
That was the cornerstone of the Sterling legacy, passed down through generations. Having survived a century of storms, it had never once left the family’s possession.
It was the Sterlings’ true priceless treasure, the symbol of their ancestral roots.
Helena stiffened violently, the tear tracks on her face practically freezing in place.
She opened her mouth, lowering her head in deep guilt. She looked like a cornered animal with nowhere to hide and no defense to offer. She couldn’t utter a single syllable.
Seeing her reaction, the matriarch’s heart sank, her voice rising in disbelief.