?Chapter 470:


    Feigning innocence, Leah stepped forward.


    “Miss Hond, no one wants to use an innocent person, but we also cannot ignore wrongdoing. This is not meant to target you, but I am sure you understand why we need to be thorough. The ne is very dear to me—Bruce bought it for me at the recent Forreal auction.” She sighed, pressing a delicate hand to her chest.


    “I truly have no choice.” Her words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken implications.


    A murmur rippled through the crowd, their expressions shifting as realization dawned. Corrine. Bruce. Leah. Everyone knew the tangled history between them. Perhaps Corrine, driven by jealousy, had stolen the ne out of spite?


    Curiosity flickered across their faces, eyes darting toward Corrine’s door, waiting for the inevitable confrontation.


    Inside, Corrine’s lips curved into a smirk. She exhaled sharply and threw off the covers.


    “I will go out and see what this nonsense is about. Stay here and do not move,” she instructed, grabbing the robe draped at the foot of the bed before heading for the door.


    Meanwhile, Leah had already signaled the guestroom manager to open the door. But before anyone could act, the door swung open.


    Corrine leanedzily against the doorframe, her silk robe loosely tied at the waist. The soft fabric slipped just enough to reveal faint, telltale kiss marks along her corbone.


    Leah’s breath caught. She believed Corrine had indeed fallen into the trap. A victorious gleam flickered in her eyes before she quickly masked it with a gentle, almost apologetic expression.


    The tales you love are at g?lnσν???s?c?m


    “Miss Hond, sorry to disturb you,” she said sweetly, her voice honeyed with false regret.


    Corrine arched an eyebrow, a slow, mocking smile ying on her lips.


    “Since you have already disturbed me, do you really think an apology makes a difference, Miss Burgess?”


    Her tone was light, almost amused, but the sharp edge in her words did not go unnoticed. She nced around at the gathered onlookers.


    “With such an eager audience, your sincerity feels a little…cking.”


    Leah’s smile faltered, a fleeting chill shing through her gaze before she quickly recovered.


    “Everyone is only here out of concern. There is no malice in this.”


    Corrine tilted her head, eyes glinting with cool amusement.


    “So, by that logic, I should be grateful for the intrusion?”


    The pointed retort left Leah momentarily speechless. Corrine was like a cornered animal, her quills already raised. She was indeed difficult to handle.


    Leah bit her lip, her gaze flitting toward Bruce, her expression softening into something fragile—deliberate, calcted.


    Bruce’s expression hardened as he watched Leah’s lips tremble, her eyes brimming with unspoken distress. Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms, his grip protective, his gaze turning cold as itnded on Corrine.


    “Open the door and let them search. If the ne is not there, we will leave.”


    At his signal, the staff moved forward.


    But Corrine stepped into the doorway, her posture deceptively rxed, her eyes cial.


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