Chapter 20: A Framed Crime

Victoria took one last drag from her cigarette before putting it out and turning toward the Camdens.

“Old Mrs. Camden, Mr. Camden, I have business to handle at the office, so I’ll be leaving now.”

Old Mrs. Camden, eager to maintain good relations, grabbed Victoria’s hand with a smile.

“Miss Clarke, we’re counting on you for the investment.”

Victoria nodded. “Rest assured.”

As Victoria left, Zack also got up.

“Old Mrs. Camden, Mr. Camden, we should get going too.”

With Victoria gone and the mysterious gift-giver still nowhere in sight, the guests slowly began dispersing.

---

The Missing Treasure

Soon, only the Camden family remained.

Old Mrs. Camden’s face darkened as she turned to Sylvie.

“What did Hailey say? Why are we only realizing now that Jordan stole from us—after the divorce?”

She was already furious about Jordan’s alleged crime, but what made it worse was that he had the perfect opportunity to steal from her.

For three years, Jordan had regularly visited her villa to take care of her beloved poodle.

That meant he had full access to her valuables.

Sylvie sighed and explained.

“Hailey found out Jordan booked a $70,000 stay in the presidential suite of West Lake Hotel. She suspects he stole from you to afford it.”

Old Mrs. Camden’s chest tightened with rage.

“Let’s go back to the villa immediately!”

Just as she turned to leave, Elle rushed over.

“Grandma, wait! My suitor could arrive any minute now!”

The delusional girl still believed the million-dollar jadeite bracelet had been sent by a wealthy admirer.

Old Mrs. Camden hesitated before making a decision.

“Drew, Benedict, Sylvie—you go back to the villa and check what’s missing. The rest of us will wait here a little longer.”

“Yes!”

Drew nodded and quickly drove Benedict and Sylvie back to the villa.

---

Checking the Records

The Camden family kept meticulous records of all jewelry, antiques, and luxury items stored in their estate.

The basement of the villa housed two massive rooms:

• One filled with luxury accessories, watches, and liquor.
• The other filled with antique calligraphy and paintings.

“Uncle, let’s split up to check,” Drew suggested.

“You two check the antiques while I check the accessories and watches.”

Benedict nodded.

“Alright, we’ll compare everything to the records.”

For the next twenty minutes, Benedict and Sylvie went through every listed item, meticulously checking the inventory.

Meanwhile, Drew did the same in his assigned room—except he wasn’t actually looking for missing items.

Because…

Nothing was missing.

---

Drew’s Sinister Plan

Drew froze for a moment.

He had been certain that Jordan stole something.

But now, there was no missing item to pin on him.

Still, Drew wasn’t willing to let Jordan off the hook.

The thought of Jordan beating him up twice made his blood boil.

And since he was running low on money, he figured…

Why not kill two birds with one stone?

A slow, devious smirk crept across his face.

His eyes landed on an exquisite Richard Mille watch—the very one that belonged to his late grandfather.

There were only 48 of these in the world. Each one was worth over $800,000.

Drew carefully picked it up and slipped it into his pocket.

“Jordan, from now on, you’ll be the thief who stole this watch.”

---

Framing Jordan

Two minutes later, Drew burst into the antique room, his face frantic.

“Uncle! There’s a watch missing from my section!”

Benedict and Sylvie rushed over, flipping through the inventory list.

Benedict’s face fell.

“He’s right. Grandpa’s Richard Mille watch is gone!”

Sylvie’s eyes burned with rage.

“No wonder that worthless scumbag could afford the presidential suite! That thief!”

Benedict immediately called Old Mrs. Camden.

“Mom! We found out what’s missing—Father’s Richard Mille watch!”

Old Mrs. Camden’s voice trembled with rage.

“Bring him back to me! I’m going to chop his hand off!”

Benedict nodded.

“Understood.”

He turned to Drew. “Grandma wants us to go bring Jordan back.”

At that moment, Drew’s confidence crumbled.

“Aren’t… aren’t we going to call the police?”

Benedict sighed.

“You know Grandma hates dealing with the police. She wants us to handle this personally.”

Drew felt a chill run down his spine.

Confronting Jordan one-on-one again?

After getting beaten up twice?

Absolutely not.

Suddenly, Drew clutched his injured face and winced in fake pain.

“Ah! My wound is acting up! I need to go to the hospital first. Uncle, you go ahead. I’ll catch up later!”

Without waiting for a response, Drew turned on his heel and bolted out the door.