Chapter 26
Chapter 26:
Helena’s heart pounded in her chest as panic set in. The pearl necklace—Frida’s first gift—was missing. She had promised to wear it tonight when meeting the rest of Alden’s family, and now it was nowhere to be found.
Frantically, she searched the room, but found nothing.
Desperate, she approached every female colleague who had been on shift that day. Each one gave her the same response: aside from briefly seeing her that morning, no one had noticed the necklace since.
The sharp sound of high heels echoed through the break room. Eleanor stood at the doorway, poised to leave, purse in hand. Helena rushed toward her, out of breath. “Eleanor, have you seen my necklace p>
Eleanor’s gaze swept over her with blatant disdain. “Who would be interested in your fake jewelry? Maybe you carelessly tossed it somewhere instead of putting it in your drawer. One of the cleaners probably mistook it for trash and threw it out p>
Helena’s brow furrowed. “I don’t remember saying I stored it in my drawer p>
Eleanor hesitated for a brief moment before regaining her composure. “This room isn’t exactly large,” she drawled. “If it’s not in your drawer, where else could you have kept it? Just so you know, the cleaning lady finishes her shift soon. If your little trinket ends up in the trash, consider it gone for good p>
A malicious smile curved Eleanor’s lips.
Helena felt a deep, unsettling certainty that Eleanor had gone through her things. Did she have the necklace, or had she already discarded it as garbage?
That necklace symbolized Frida’s affection and acceptance, and the thought of it being thrown away was unbearable.
Without wasting another second, Helena ran downstairs to find the cleaning lady.
The woman looked at her in confusion. “The trash from the anchors’ break room? Ms. Murphy took care of it herself before handing it over. I haven’t had time to check it yet p>
She gestured toward a nearby bin, which Helena immediately began to rummage through.
The cleaning lady was startled. “Ms. Ellis! What on earth are you doing? Did you throw something valuable away? You’re dressed so elegantly— you’ll ruin your clothes in that mess p>
A putrid odor assaulted Helena’s senses, and the sticky residue coating her fingers made her stomach churn. But she pressed on, her thoughts solely focused on retrieving Frida’s precious gift.
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Memories flooded her mind— Frida’s radiant smile from yesterday, Alden’s tender words as he fastened the necklace around her neck.
Frida would be devastated if she lost it, wouldn’t she? And Alden— surely disappointment would cloud his eyes.
Helena berated herself for her carelessness. How could she have thoughtlessly stored something so meaningful in a simple drawer?
From upstairs, Eleanor observed Helena’s frantic search through the window, savoring her distress.
She withdrew the pearl necklace from her pocket, admiring its luster as she dialed Rylan’s number.
“Rylan,” she purred, “I’ve done exactly as instructed. What should I do with the necklace now p>
Rylan, en route to Frida’s suburban villa, chuckled softly. “Excellent work. I’ll send someone tomorrow to collect it p>
Eleanor hesitated, reluctant to relinquish such a treasure. Even she recognized the necklace’s authenticity.
“Darling,” she cooed, “since you asked me to acquire this little bauble, you owe me something even more exquisite in return p>
Earlier that day, Eleanor had lamented to Rylan about Helena’s role in the development area’s live report, seeking his assistance in orchestrating revenge. Instead, Rylan had fixated on Helena’s necklace, insisting Eleanor procure it for him.
“Naturally,” Rylan replied, his voice laden with implication. “You’ve done me a huge favor.” He disconnected the call.
As his vehicle traversed a tunnel, Rylan’s reflection materialized in the window, his lips twisted in a calculating smile.
Following the development area’s live report, he had started monitoring Helena closely.
Never had he imagined that the woman who thwarted his schemes would turn out to be none other than Alden’s wife.
What was even more astonishing was Frida’s decision to bestow the Wilson family’s cherished heirloom upon Helena! Yet Rylan saw this twist as an opportunity.
He would exploit it masterfully—finally altering Frida’s perception of Alden permanently.