Bound to My Billionaire Ex

Chapter 33 Instigation

Chapter 33 Instigation

"Well, this doesn't seem right." Ingrid hesitated. While losing the pills wasn't a big deal for her, she was concerned about the possibility of a thief living in this house. This was a cause for alarm.

But she was too embarrassed to reveal the stolen stuff. If it had been jewelry, she would have already asked the butler to search for it.

Hillary stared at Ingrid with a strange smile and turned the premium jade bracelet on her wrist, which Heidi had just given her. "Ingrid, tell me what you lost, so I can help you find it. Your expression is saying that it is something important. If the thief was one of those two women, then there is a chance for Grandpa to see their true colors. You know, Grandpa may have been tricked into giving them much valuable stuff. I'm not interested in the stuff, but it belongs to our family. Even if we don't want it, it's not for outsiders like Rejoyla to take. They've driven Georgina out of the house, and it might be our turn next."

Working far from the house, Charlotte and Dahlia lived elsewhere to avoid long commutes and returned only on weekends. So among the young people, only Ingrid, Georgina, Hillary, and also Jason stayed here.

Hearing this, Ingrid frowned slightly and glanced around to make sure no servants were nearby. She leaned over to Hillary and whispered, "I'll tell you, but you must keep it a secret!"

"My lips are sealed!"

"It's contraceptives. I drank too much last night, and my memory became hazy. I thought I bought a bottle of contraceptives, but I couldn't find it in my bag this morning. I got a shock! Am I mistaken?" Ingrid rubbed her temples as she still felt a bit dizzy.

Hillary was surprised-no wonder Ingrid was hesitant to speak up. The Sterling family had a strong set of rules and principles for every member, except for Jason. If the elders were to discover that Ingrid messed around outside, she would become useless and no longer able to compete with Hillary.

If Rejoyla had stolen the contraceptives, what did she need them for? For sure, she was attempting to hide her indiscretions from her private life! If this was found out, both Rejoyla and Ingrid would lose their place in this family. Now, the only uncertainty was if Rejoyla had taken the contraceptives. But whether it was true or not, Hillary only needed to ensure that the contraceptives were in Rejoyla's room.

Hillary fluttered her long eyelashes, trying to conceal the coldness in her eyes. Humph, she had been trying hard to please Burton and Heidi, but they didn't care about her! Infatuated with a woman who had married multiple times, Burton even introduced Elvis to Rejoyla! Wasn't it his own granddaughter that he ought to be considering?

"Rejoyla, I hoped for us to maintain a distance, but now that you go against me, I have no choice but to drive you out of the Sterling family! If the contraceptives are found in your room, you'll be regarded as a shameless bitch just like your mother. By then, neither our family nor Elvis will accept you." Hillary thought. She was determined to stop Rejoyla from meeting Elvis!

"You're overthinking this. If you're not sure, just say you lost something else and search her room." Hillary said in a casual tone.

Ingrid's face lit up with joy, but then she paused and asked, "What if I say I lost something but we can't find it in her room?"

What a fool!

For the sake of Elvis, Hillary patiently explained, "That's easy. Just make it found there!"

Ingrid immediately got what Hillary meant. Being merely a drag on her mother, Rejoyla was inferior in this family. It didn't matter to wrong such a person. Anyway, she had followed Jacquelyn here just for money. If she hadn't stolen anything, Ingrid would be generous enough to give her some money!

Having made up her mind, Ingrid had no mood to eat more and hurried upstairs. Hillary watched Ingrid's back and revealed a slight smile. Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Before Rejoyla could walk to the nearest subway station, she was called back by Jacquelyn.

Yes, she walked there because the drivers serving the Sterling family were busy. Of course, this was just an excuse. If other members needed a ride, the drivers wouldn't dare to refuse. She knew better than to cause a fuss and optimistically took it as a workout.

When Rejoyla ran back, a group of people had gathered outside her room. Jacquelyn was crying by Burton's side while being bombarded with questions from Heidi, Ingrid, and Hillary. Rejoyla rushed over and wondered if Jacquelyn was bullied.

"Rejoyla, thank goodness you're back. We're bullied again. It's clear that we don't have any standing in this family; everyone looks down on us!"

Rejoyla panted, wiped the sweat off her forehead, and looked at Jacquelyn in confusion. "What's going on here?"

"Miss Lynn, you're finally back." Ingrid sized Rejoyla up, with a pitiful expression that prompted the desire to give her a comforting hug. However, what she said next gave Rejoyla an impulse to punch her. "You know, my necklace is missing, and someone said you entered my room..."

Ingrid glanced at Rejoyla with a hesitant and embarrassed expression. She didn't finish her words, but her meaning was clear: she suspected that Rejoyla had stolen her necklace!

"Someone? Who? Bring him out and let me confront him. Let's guess when he saw me enter your room. I don't even know where your room is!"

Rejoyla trembled with rage. She felt the suspicious stares from the people around her. Most of them wore expressions of disbelief as if they were certain that she had stolen Ingrid's necklace.

Ingrid pressed her lips. "I don't mean to embarrass anyone. Miss Lynn, I just want you to return my necklace. If it were an ordinary item, I wouldn't have insisted on asking you for it. But it was left to me by my mother, and I can't be without it. Miss Lynn, please! I beg you to give it back to me! I'll exchange it with other jewelry if you want."

It was an assertion that Rejoyla was the thief!

Burton stood by, not planning to get involved. But Heidi's face momentarily hardened when Ingrid mentioned her natural mother. Hillary, who had been watching Heidi closely, noticed this and smiled slightly. Ingrid was foolish enough to offend Heidi by bringing up her natural mother!

"I've already told you I didn't take your necklace. Don't act like it's so valuable that I'd want them. Stop pretending and using your mother as an excuse. You're really good at coming up with stories. Bring the person over, and I'll confront him. What's this all about? Maybe there is no such person and you just made it up!"

Rejoyla was not bragging. When she was with Jason, he was very generous despite not having any fondness for her, which gave her a keen eye. At one single glance, she could tell that the jewelry Ingrid was wearing wasn't of good quality. She had no desire for such items.

Ingrid revealed a smile. "All right. If you don't admit it, I have no choice but to offend you for the sake of my mother's necklace. Paula, come here and tell Miss Lynn what you saw!"

"Yes, miss."

A servant in her forties, plump and honest-looking, stepped out from not far away and cast a nervous glance at Rejoyla. Then, she stopped in front of Burton with her head lowered.

"Paula, don't be afraid. This is the Sterling family, where you won't be retaliated against. We won't allow such a thing to happen. Rest assured, Grandpa is here with us." Ingrid comforted Paula while giving Rejoyla a meaningful look.

Burton stared at Paula, with unreadable emotions in his dark eyes. "Be honest with us. If you tell the truth, I can assure you that you won't be affected in any way."

With eyes lit up, Ingrid urged, "Paula, tell us what you saw. Grandpa, please help me this time!"

Paula gave Rejoyla a guilty glance and silently apologized, "I'm sorry, Miss Lynn. I have no choice. My son is going to study abroad and needs a large sum of money. Ingrid has promised to fund that, so he won't have to suffer. If my son succeeds in the future, I can also live a better life." The matter wouldn't have much impact on Rejoyla, aside from being gossiped about, while it meant a better life for Paula and her son. In general, this was a small sacrifice to make!

With her son in mind, Paula mustered up the courage to look Rejoyla in the eye. "I'm a cook who starts working early every day. To make herbal soup for you, sir, I needed to ensure low heat and long cooking, so I got up early today. At that time, I saw a figure quickly pass by the kitchen door and followed up to find it was Miss Lynn. I thought she might be looking for food, so I didn't pay much attention at first. When I was about to leave, I saw her enter Miss Ingrid's room and soon come out holding a necklace. I was shocked and didn't know what to do, so I hurried back to the kitchen. After I finished preparing breakfast, I knew I couldn't act as if nothing had happened, so I told Miss Ingrid about this."

Rejoyla frowned. The story sounded real, and the worst part was that she had already been to the kitchen and admitted it. It was like she was drawing suspicion on herself!