Chapter 214
Chapter 214:
One of them immediately ran off. Less than five minutes later, the student returned, breathless. “The footage has been deleted p>
Joselyn instantly pointed at Kristine. “It had to be her. She left backstage earlier p>
Kristine shot back without hesitation. “Other people left too. Why are you blaming me alone p>
Joselyn raised her voice. “Then tell me where you went p>
𝗧𝗵е 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘁 𝗽о𝗽𝘶𝗅а𝘳 𝗇𝘰𝘷𝗲𝗹s on
Kristine hesitated, her lips tightening as her eyes flicked briefly toward Helen.
A trace of satisfaction crossed Helen’s face before she quickly looked away, catching the glance.
Kristine turned back to Joselyn. “I don’t want to explain p>
Joselyn let out a sharp laugh and pulled out her phone. “Then that proves it was you who erased the footage. Vance, I’m only holding back because of you. She clearly did something wrong and still refuses to admit it. Is she really worth defending? I’m calling the police p>
“No one is calling the police,” Vance declared, his voice unwavering.
Even with law enforcement involved, deleted footage meant there would be no way to identify who had actually taken the earring. And however the earring had ended up in Kristine’s bag, he trusted she was no thief — though others might not see it the same way. To protect her reputation, involving the police was out of the question.
Kristine saw his reasoning, yet she replied quietly, “Let’s go ahead and involve the police. Maybe they’ll figure out who erased the footage. Whoever did that is probably the real culprit p>
At that suggestion, Joselyn’s face tightened.
“What’s happening here? Why is everyone gathered backstage making a scene? The show is about to begin — get yourselves ready p>
A sharp voice cut through the tension. All eyes shifted to the university president, who entered with Colton right behind him, both there for a last-minute inspection. As Elyse appeared at Colton’s side, everyone straightened up, glances darting toward her, silently envying the attention she received.
Seizing the moment, Joselyn turned to the president. “This isn’t their fault. Kristine took my earring p>
“So Kristine is a thief now?” Colton’s reply came instantly, his tone frosty and edged with mockery.
Kristine found his words grating. She looked up, her voice calm but resolute. “I have already said — I did not steal from anyone p>
“You erased the footage and still pretend to be innocent,” Joselyn snapped, feeling bolder now that Colton was present. She turned to the president again. “We shouldn’t let someone like Kristine stay here. She should be thrown out p>
The president hesitated, searching for a diplomatic answer. After a moment, he turned to Colton. “You and Kristine dated for over four years. If anyone knows her character, it’s you. Tell us — does it match someone who would do something like this p>
The crowd grew more restless, hungry for the drama unfolding before them. They didn’t dare meet Colton’s gaze directly, settling instead for quick, furtive glances.
Kristine kept her eyes trained on Colton without looking away. Part of her wanted to hear what he would say next.