?Chapter 481:


    “My, Miss Hond, such unbridled anger! That poor trash bin bears the brunt of your fury.”


    She tossed her hair with exaggerated ir, gasping dramatically.


    “Oh my!”


    Her performance bordered on the ridiculous, desperately vying to maintain the crowd’s attention.


    Sharp eyes in the gathering spotted the familiar glint of jewelry among the scattered refuse.


    “That’s Miss Burgess’s ne fromst night!”


    Another voice confirmed it.


    “It really is!”


    “How did it end up in the trash?”


    A murmur of suspicion swept through the crowd.


    “Could it be that Corrine really stole it?”


    Callie observed the unfolding scene with barely contained mirth.


    “What absolute fools,” she muttered under her breath.


    Despite her own antipathy toward Corrine, she recognized that someone of her standing would never stoop to petty theft.


    Jocelynn’s failure to learn from Rita’s downfall marked her as particrly foolish.


    Callie had been at odds with Corrine for years but had nevere out on top.


    Discover more on gα ? ησ ν?? ??s,


    Leah was virtually inviting trouble.


    Chelsea cast a knowing nce at Callie.


    “Simply observe the spectacle,” she advised, her gentle smile masking steel.


    “It should prove… educational.”


    Callie pressed her lips together, falling into contemtive silence as she watched the unwitting yers stumble deeper into Corrine’s masterfullyid trap.


    Jocelynn strode forward, snatching up the fallen ne with theatrical precision.


    Triumph gleamed in her eyes as she turned to face Corrine.


    “Miss Hond, perhaps you’d care to exin this situation?”


    Without waiting for a response, she pressed her advantage.


    “The trash can sits directly outside your room. iming coincidence strains credibility beyond reason. Why not simply admit the truth?”


    Corrine’s gaze lifted slowly, arctic in its intensity, though her lips curved in a subtle, almost taunting smile.


    “Rest assured, if I were responsible, I would acknowledge it without hesitation.”


    Satisfaction crept across Jocelynn’s features as she seized upon the statement.


    “So you’re confessing to the theft of Leah’s ne?”


    Her voice dripped with premature victory.


    Corrine remained silent, fixing Jocelynn with an unwavering stare that seemed to pierce through her very thoughts.


    “Enough, Jocelynn.”


    Leah’s voice cut through the tension as she approached with calcted grace, her smile radiating practiced serenity.


    “We’ve recovered the ne—that’s what matters. Let’s not dwell on unpleasant details.”


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