Chapter 135: She Is Lying

"You—!"

Charles Reed was furious, his eyes filled with extreme disappointment as he looked at her.

Chloe Reed hated that look in his eyes.

’As if I’ve done something utterly unforgivable,’ she thought. ’All I was doing was protecting myself. Just trying not to be bullied. Why is he looking at me like that? Does being ’well-behaved’ mean I have to give Sunny whatever she wants, even if it means being framed and bullied, and just endure it all in silence?’

’Sorry, but I can’t do that.’

A long silence fell over the living room.

A complicated look flashed in Charles Reed’s eyes. He said, "Chloe, the shares or the sapphires. You can only choose one."

Chloe Reed laughed in anger. "On what grounds? I am the biological daughter of the Reed family! The Reed Group is rightfully mine, and the sapphires were bought with my husband’s money—they belong to me, too. On what grounds are you making me choose?!"

"I’m not here to discuss that with you," Charles Reed said grimly, his gaze turning cold. "I’m simply giving you two choices. The paperwork for the shares isn’t finalized yet. I can withdraw it at any time. Think it over carefully."

With that, he got up and left.

Chloe Reed’s fingers clenched into tight fists. "The sapphire earrings are something my grandmother has always wanted. I will never give them to her. And I’m not giving up the shares either!"

Charles Reed turned back to look at her, his brows knitting together. "Your grandmother wants the sapphire earrings?"

"Yes," Chloe Reed nodded. "Grandma said they were a keepsake from Grandpa, a symbol of their love. She accidentally lost them back in the day and has been thinking about them ever since. Now that I’ve finally found them, of course I had to buy them back for her."

Charles Reed frowned. "I’ve never heard your mother mention this."

’If it was really something my mother-in-law has always wanted, how could Autumn have never brought it up?’

Chloe Reed said, "Well, you can go home and ask Mom. In any case, I am not giving these to Sunny Reed."

A complex emotion flickered in Charles Reed’s eyes. Without another word, he turned and left.

When he got home, Autumn Linton was still awake, sitting up in bed in her pajamas, looking at a tablet.

Seeing him return, she asked, "Did you get it back?"

Charles Reed cut right to the chase. "Chloe said those sapphire earrings were a token of love from your father to your mother, that she lost them by accident and has been thinking about them all these years. Do you know anything about that?"

Who would have thought that upon hearing this, the color would drain from Autumn Linton’s face. She clutched her tablet tightly, only speaking after a moment. "She’s talking nonsense. What token of love? My parents had an arranged marriage; they were introduced by a matchmaker. They only gradually developed feelings for each other after they were married."

After a pause, she added, "Besides, I’ve never heard my mother mention this."

She sighed helplessly. "It must be Chloe throwing a tantrum. She knows Sunny wants them, so she’s doing everything she can to snatch them away."

Charles Reed was completely convinced by her words. He said in a low, heavy voice, "So she lied to me. I gave her two choices: the shares or the sapphires. She can only have one."

Autumn Linton then said, "If we can’t get the sapphires back, compensating with the shares will do. Sunny is very understanding; I’m sure she won’t say much about it."

"Mm."

...

The next day, Chloe Reed went to her supervisor at the company to ask for a few days off.

Kyle Coleman happened to be passing by right then. He frowned and asked, "Where are you going?"

Chloe Reed replied, "To the next city over. I’ll be back in three days."

She was going to deliver the sapphires to her grandmother.

But Kyle Coleman rejected her request outright. "No. This project is urgent. We have to rush to meet the deadline. If you take three days off, how much time will it take to make up for the delay?"