Chapter 131 Caught
Katie was pale as she argued, âWe found my bracelet in your room, and that was solid evidence. Itâs been so long, but youâre digging it up again. Are you trying to ruin my reputation?â
âWho cares if it happened a long time ago?â Madeline smiled mockingly and continued, âWhy do it if you donât want anyone to know? Do you think that the truth will be concealed just because it happened a long time ago, and Iâll have to take the blame for you my entire life?â
âWhat about you? Youâre probably thinking you can blame me just because youâre in a higher position now.â Katie had tears in her eyes. âYes, youâre in a different position now. Youâre the young mistress of the Wendel Family, but Iâm only a loose relative of the Taylor Family. Youâre blocking the entrance to the Wendelsâ living room and denying me entry, and youâre also putting stress on Uncle George and Aunt Holly. Youâre forcing me to admit that I was behind that incident so that your name can be cleared, arenât you?â
âQuit trying to twist the truth. Itâs no use,â Madeline said calmly. âSince Iâm blocking you right now, that means I have the right and confidence to. Do you think that just because it happened so long ago, I wonât be able to find any evidence? Youâre wrong.â
Katie trembled in her heart, her face getting paler. âMadeline, what do you mean by that? What evidence? You stole my jewelry, so even if you found evidence, it will only prove that youâre guilty. What does that have to do with me?â
âKatie, do you know that you werenât very smart when you tried to frame me? No one discovered the truth back then, but thatâs only because everyone believed that I was the one who stole your jewelry. No one bothered to investigateâ¦â Madeline stared at her. âA few days ago, some people carried out an investigation and found evidence that could prove my innocenceâ¦â
âYouâre lying!â Katie was panicking now. âEven if they did find evidence, it must be fake. You mustâve faked the evidence so that I would take the blame!â
Madeline smiled. âThis argument is meaningless. Iâve reported it to the police, and they will be here soon. When they get here, Iâll hand over the evidence to the policeâevidence that you framed me and involved a huge sum of money in the process⦠Katie, you will go to prison. You will pay for everything youâve done!â
âW-What did you say?â Katie panicked.
Did she report it to the police?
How could she do that!
Itâs just a private matter within the familyâ¦
That day, everyone believed that Madeline was the one who stole her jewelry, but no one reported it to the police, so what right did Madeline have to file a report now?
She was so scared that her hands and feet went cold. She grabbed Hollyâs wrist in panic with tears welling up in her eyes. âAunt Holly, I didnât frame her. Sheâs trying to blame me for it, Aunt Hollyâ¦â
Holly patted her comfortingly. Then, she frowned as she looked at Madeline. âThis is a private matter in our family, so how could you report it to the police? If everyone knows about it, both the Wendelsâ and the Taylorsâ reputations would be damaged.â
âIf I donât report this to the police, how will I clear my name?â Madeline looked at her with a clear gaze. âI was almost beaten to death by you people. I was young and couldnât prove my innocence, but now that I can do so, Iâd want to clear my name.â
âMomâ¦â Buddy, who was originally leaning in Sebastianâs embrace, suddenly leaped into Madelineâs arms. He buried his small face into her embrace and began to cry.
âItâs okay, Buddy, itâs over now. Iâm not sad anymore, so please donât be sad too, Buddy!â Madeline hugged his little body, her heart aching for him. She gently caressed the back of his head.
She didnât purposefully ask the children to stay away.
To her, it wasnât a proud thing to be called a thief.
She feared that someone would tell her children nonsense in the future.
Her children would definitely believe her, but if they didnât know the truth, they might be hurt by the rumors that were circulating outside.
Instead of that, she would rather have her children know the truth.
Besides that, she didnât want her children to grow up sheltered and spoiled.
They had to experience the storms in life so that they would know how vicious people could be. That way, they would be able to learn how to identify and avoid these people.
Aldo also walked over to Madeline and held her hand. He looked up at her, his pretty little face tensed up. âMom, Iâm not afraid. Iâll protect you!â
âGood boy!â Madeline patted his little head, her smile soft and gentle like water.
Holly frowned hard. She was about to say something when sirens were heard in the distance. They were getting nearer and clearer by the minute.
At the sound of the sirens, Katie trembled all over, the fear evident in her eyes. Her hands that held Hollyâs in a tight grip were as cold as ice.
Holly frowned and looked at her suspiciously. âKatie, what are you scared of? If youâve never done it, no one can blame it on you.â owns © this.
She didnât want to suspect Katie either, but Katieâs reaction was too unusual.
If it were her, she would be furious at Madeline for turning things upside down and accusing her. She would be more angry than scared.
However, Katieâs emotions right now almost contained no anger. In fact, it was only fear.
She couldnât help but begin to suspect that Madeline really was innocent back then.
âAunt Holly, Iâm scared,â Katieâs voice trembled as she said, âAunt Holly, Madeline is now the young mistress of the Wendel Family. Iâm scared that she bribed the police to blame me. I would never be able to clear my nameâ¦â
âAre your Uncle George and I nothing to you?â Holly said, âUnless the police produce concrete proof that you really did it that day, your Uncle George and I are here for you. No one would be able to slander you!â
Katie wasnât the least bit comforted. When she heard the sirens coming nearer, she trembled even more.
She wasnât confident at all.
She was scared that Madeline really found proof that she had set up the incident all those years ago.
If Madeline really found proof, she would be sent to prison, and her life would be over!
In truth, she was secretly in love with Jonathan.
She didnât know when it started. When she realized it, she was already helplessly in love. She didnât have eyes for anyone except Jonathan.
Holly knew of her feelings and had tried to convince her by saying that she wasnât a good fit for Jonathan and that she should give up.
She had to kneel and beg Holly before the latter agreed to ask Michael and his wife to arrange a meeting between her and Jonathan.
If Michael, Crystal, and Jonathan agreed, she could be Jonathanâs girlfriend. She might even marry him in the future.
She had a crush on Jonathan for the longest time, and she had hoped for years. She finally gained Hollyâs support and managed to take one step closer to realizing her dream.
However, this had to happen right now.
If the incident was exposed, how would Jonathan view her?
Jonathan would never like her back!
The more she thought about it, the more scared she got and the more painful it became for her. Tears began to stream down her face.
By then, the police car had arrived.
A few policemen got out of the car, and the policeman at the front showed Katie a warrant. âKatie Baker, youâre suspected to be involved in a case of jewelry theft that happened six years ago. Please come with us; we require your assistance.â
âNo! It wasnât me, Iâm innocent!â Katie was so terrified that she hid behind Holly and gripped Hollyâs arm tightly. âAunt Holly, Iâm innocent!â