Blurb：
To save his daughter, a desperate father returns to his estranged family—until a mysterious phone call about a diamond necklace worth ten million dollars sparks new hope. But when he arrives at the luxury boutique, the sales clerk and security guards accuse him of theft. Humiliated and pinned down, he insists the necklace belongs to his wife, Madeline Quinn. As onlookers mock his shabby appearance, he fights to prove his innocence using call records, uncovering shocking truths about Madeline’s hidden wealth. Will he clear his name and secure the funds for his daughter’s treatment, or will this costly mistake ruin everything?
Content：
To fund my daughter’s medical treatment, I consider reconnecting with my estranged family until an expected phone call changes everything.
Sir, your diamond necklace has arrived. You may come tomorrow to pick it up.
After confirming the order is placed using my and my wife’s contract information, my hope sparks. Perhaps the medical bills will finally be covered.
When I arrive at the luxury boutique to claim the necklace, the sales clerk frowns, eyeing me from head to toe. “You’re saying… you bought this necklace?”
I nod, irritated by the condescension.
“What happened to the service? Did all the luxury jewelers forget how to treat customers while I was away?” I said inwardly.
The clerk flashes me a polite smile and turns to “retrieve” the item, but in reality, he radios the security. “Security, we have a suspected thief here.”
Chapter 1
A couple of uniformed security guards sieged me, and the sales clerk pointed at me with disgust. “Right here—this dumb thief. Who in their right mind would dare to steal a ten-million-dollar necklace from us?”
I was stunned by the astronomical figure that came out of his mouth. My wife, Madeline Quinn, was no more than an ordinary woman. How did she afford a necklace with such an exorbitant price tag?
Before I could make sense of the situation, the security guards grabbed my arms and forcefully pinned me to the counter.
Feeling the near-dislocation of my elbow joints, I yelled, “Let go of me! You’re making a mistake! I’m not a thief; I’m just here to collect a necklace!”
“The next time you say that, take a good look at your shabby, pathetic state. Forget about affording a ten-million-dollar necklace—do you even have a hundred-dollar bill, loser?”
I fought back, my tone filled with urgency. “I didn’t steal it! Why would you accuse me of that?”
The clerk let out a sneer and pulled the jewelry box from my pocket, the one holding the necklace.
He looked down on me, quite literally, and said, “Well, we’ve got both the thief and the goods. Let’s see what kind of excuse you’ll come up with for the cops.”
Hearing the commotion, other clerks and customers began casting disdainful gazes my way, murmuring to each other, “I don’t understand. People still steal these days?”
“I bet he isn’t in his right mind. The least he could’ve done before trying to steal was dress the part. What a deluded freak.”
“People will do anything but work for money nowadays.”
Everyone’s eyes landed on my washed-out clothes and the fraying seams of my shoes. Their mocking stares pierced me like knives.
“I’m not a thief! Your manager called me yesterday—let me speak to him.”
The clerk scoffed. “What a nutcase. Who do you think you are? You think our manager would take the time out of his day to call someone like you?”
He turned to the onlookers and other clerks, gesturing mockingly. “Our manager only deals with VVIPs. If you’re going to make something up, at least try to make it convincing.”
“I swear he called me and told me to come over.”
Before I could even wonder why the manager would attend to Madeline, I thought of the call logs from yesterday. “I have yesterday’s call records right here. You’ll see if he’d called!”
I broke free from the security guards’ grips and pulled out my phone to search for the call history. I remembered vividly that the manager had called three times.
I had even thought it was a scam at first, but I only came here after double-checking the information.
The clerk silently watched as I scrolled through the logs. Leaning in to glance at the screen, he snorted coldly. “Dude, where? All I see are outgoing calls. None are from our manager at all.”
The other clerks burst out laughing.
“That was a good lie, actually. He almost had me!”
“Man, he should’ve gone above and beyond. I was waiting to see that call log!”
“Come on, he’s obviously stalling.”
My heart started racing, but I didn’t stop what I was doing.
I made numerous calls to customers while delivering food from yesterday to today. If they could just give me some time, I could find the manager’s calls!
The security guard grabbed my arm again, his voice getting impatient. “Thief or not, we’ll let the cops decide.”
As they pushed and dragged me, I mustered all my strength and shouted, “I’m not! I want to see your manager! He’s the one who told me to come pick up the necklace!”
At that moment, a firm voice rang out. “I’m the manager. Sir, there’s only one person I called yesterday, and it was Ms. Quinn… Who are you?”
The sharply dressed man glanced at my worn clothes with obvious contempt. His cold words froze me in place.
Could the woman he mentioned happen to be my wife, Madeline Quinn?
Chapter 2
Persistent as I was, I met the manager’s gaze head-on, ready to speak, when the clerk shoved my head brutally down against the floor. “Our manager said he doesn’t know you. Speak another word, and I’ll cut off your hand!”
My forehead buzzed with electrifying pain. My body collapsed to the ground, a wave of dizziness crashing over me so hard I couldn’t even speak.
“Mr. Paxton, we’ve got no idea how this thief acquired information about our customers. He came here, trying to impersonate someone and steal the necklace. You can’t trust anything he says!”
The manager, whose name tag read “Nicholas Paxton”, glanced at me with an indifference reserved for a dead stranger. “Have I taught you nothing about dealing with people like this? Beat them up and then call the police!”
His words landed like a verdict. I soldiered on through the dizziness and excruciating pain and used all my strength to yell, “You called and told me to drop by the store yesterday! Doesn’t that ring a bell?”
“This dude really needs to be put in his place.” The clerk spat on the ground near me, disdainful as he mocked, “As I said, our manager only calls VVIPs on his private line. Who the hell do you think you are?”
The irritated Nicholas waved dismissively. “What are you all standing around for? Call the cops already! Ms. Quinn is coming today, and if this trash runs into her, you can all kiss your jobs goodbye!”
I couldn’t accept being framed like this.
Hearing him mention “Ms. Quinn” again, I quickly shouted, “Madeline Quinn—my wife is Madeline Quinn! That necklace belongs to her. You can check the system records if you don’t believe me!”
Nicholas froze in place. For a second, I thought he might’ve remembered our phone call yesterday, or Madeline’s order, perhaps even gearing up for an apology.
Instead, he simply sneered at me. “You went as far as finding out her name, yet you still have no idea where you’ve stumbled into, huh?”
His sharp leather shoe suddenly landed on my fingers. “You see this entire store? It belongs to her. And as her liaison officer, don’t you think I’d know if she was married?”
Wait, what? Wasn’t Madeline working three jobs a day to make ends meet, just like me? Since when did she own a luxury jewelry boutique?
“No way! You’re lying!”
I had lost it. I tried to get up from the floor, but Nicholas cruelly ground his heel into my fingers, sending a wave of searing pain through my entire body.
“Spreading lies about Ms. Quinn, huh? You’ll be hearing from our lawyers soon,” the clerk added with a sneer, piling on while I was down.
Suddenly, a furious voice sliced through the tension. “Who the hell do you think you are, impersonating me?”
Then, the next second, I was yanked up by the collar and knocked sideways with a crisp slap. Buzzing rang in my ears, and instant pain bloomed across my cheek.
“Who are you? What right do you have to hit me?” I hissed, my bloodshot eyes fixed on the man who had appeared from nowhere.
“Who am I? Just the fact that I’m Maddie’s husband gives me all the reasons to beat you up, loser!”
The clerk fanned the flames from the sideline. “Mr. Lockley, he’s the thief! He’d somehow found out about the necklace Ms. Quinn custom-made for you and tried to steal it!”
Mr. Lockley—whose name was probably something as bland as his personality, like Jacob—clung to my collar and flashed me a fierce glare. “Wow. Impersonating me to steal a necklace? That’s a first.”
Noisy whispers and chatter erupted in that instant.
“Is this how people steal nowadays? By stealing our identity, too?”
“Oh my gosh. Someone, call the cops already!”
“If anyone asks me, I’m for chopping his hand.”
I fought back the choking feeling and said through gritted teeth, “I’m not a thief! I’m Madeline’s husband!”
Jacob burst into a tearful laughter. He pulled out his phone and called someone. “Hey, babe.”
His once fierce voice turned slick and syrupy. “Come to the boutique real quick. A thief just tried stealing the gift you were supposed to give me. And get this—he claims he’s your husband and even accused me of being the other man!
“He even threatened to make you divorce me and smash up the shop. So arrogant, I know…”
After hanging up, he wiped the grin off his stupid face and looked at me with fake pity. “When my wifey gets here, I promise I’ll tear you apart right before her.”
Chapter 3
I trembled with anger.
The woman Jacob kept calling his wife and babe had better not be the same person I knew. If it was…
Ten minutes later, a fleet of stretched Lincolns pulled up in front of the jewelry boutique. The crowd gasped in awe.
“Ms. Quinn’s status really shows. No wonder she owns a jewelry boutique of this caliber!”
“That thief is doomed. Ms. Quinn’s notorious for never letting anything slide!”
Madeline, the wife I had married for years and now dripping in jewels and luxury, stepped out of the car, flanked by a squad of bodyguards.
“Babe!”
Jacob pulled her into his arms with practiced ease, his tone laced with a hint of grievance. “Maddie, you have no idea how mean that thief was to me. He tried to steal the necklace you prepared for me and even threatened to…
“If he hadn’t claimed to be your husband, I wouldn’t have gotten mad and called you over to handle him. Please forgive me for loving you too much. I just don’t want any other men coveting you!”
Madeline gently straightened his collar and said softly, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he pays for threatening you, alright?”
Her sharp gaze swept over the crowd before she waved to the bodyguards behind her. “Bring me that thief. I want to see who’s got the guts to mess with my man.”
Her commanding tone sent a wave of excitement through the onlookers. Their eyes darted toward me, eager to see what kind of punishment I was about to face.
Then, her eyes lifted, carefree at first, until they landed on me. The moment our eyes met, her expression dropped.
I chuckled coldly, my gaze mocking and laced with amusement. Oh, Madeline. She really did a number on me all these years.
While I was busting my back day and night for our family, she was pretending to be broke. Now, there she was, back in her rightful, lofty place.
I wondered how she planned to deal with me, the husband who shared all her worst days.
The next second, she pushed Jacob aside and stepped out to shield him, planting herself a few steps before me. “Who sent you? What are you after?”
The crowd fell silent, all eyes on me and Madeline.
“Shouldn’t I be questioning you instead? Our daughter is still waiting for us to pay for her treatment, Ms. Quinn!”
I deliberately stressed her title. Her expression cracked, allowing a trace of panic to slip through.
Everyone was stunned, their eyes still fixed on us.
Madeline masked her face quickly and lowered her gaze. Panic slithered underneath her feigned composure. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. A surgery? You must be a lunatic!”
I clenched my fists, every muscle in my body on the verge of snapping as I caught her fidgeting eyes. “Oh, Madeline… What a great mom—”
Before I could say more, her face went pale, and she snapped her fingers at her bodyguards to clamp a hand over my mouth.
She grabbed me by my hair, yanking my head up. “You filthy thief. Say another word of nonsense, and you won’t live long enough for the cops to get here.”
Then, in a voice so low only I could hear, she leaned in and hissed, “Play along. Finish this act clean. Mess this up… and you’ll never see Molly again.”
The last shred of hope in my chest shattered with her words. This was my wife, who not only had pretended to be broke all these years, but also threatened me with our daughter.
As the anger in my eyes sharpened, her gaze flickered with something complicated. She looked at me for a moment, then pressed her fingers to her forehead, clearly annoyed.
“I can give you money, if that’s what you want. Just don’t disrupt my husband’s life over this,” she told me.
I laughed coldly. “You know damn well what I want to know. Don’t you think I deserve an explanation?”
Her lips twitched. She cast me a sideways glance, indifferent. “Explanation? Why would I explain anything to a thief? I won’t call the cops today—heck, I’ll even give you some money—but I want you out of my life.
“Now, don’t ever come back.”
The crowd’s jeers and judgmental stares rained down on me.
“Did you hear her? She doesn’t even want to waste a word on you. Get lost already!”
“Dude doesn’t know his place. You, married to Ms. Quinn? What a joke.”
“Good thing she has a good heart. Otherwise, you’d be in jail!”
I ignored the noises around me and fixed my cold stare on Madeline. “I underestimated you. Let’s just get a divorce.”
Disappointment weighed on my chest. Back then, I cut ties with my family to be with her and even lowered myself to being a food delivery guy just to help pay back her debt.
She had lied to me all these years, saying she needed more than two part-time jobs to make ends meet. It turned out she had lied.
The last thing I would ever imagine was that I was living in a hoax. She was hiding everything… even another man. Our family had been nothing but a big, fat lie.
Madeline turned around in disbelief when she heard me say that. For the first time, panic flashed across her face.
Her eyes darted around the crowd. She took one deep breath and… slapped me across the face. The sharp slap echoed in the air, followed by a new wave of cheers from the onlookers.
My fury had reached its boiling point. I looked at her and forced the words through gritted teeth. “You’re wicked, Madeline!”
Not receiving the attention he desperately needed, Boy Toy Jacob became upset at the sight of Madeline’s pale face.
He shielded her and chided me with pointing fingers, “Why the hell are you yelling at my wife, loser? Do you want me to lock you behind bars now?”
With him stepping in for her, Madeline appeared to regain her confidence and composure, as if what she had claimed were true.
Without a second thought, I raised my arm and swung it across Jacob’s face. He collapsed butt-first as blood and a tooth scattered on the ground.
The crowd fell into a deadly silence as the events transpired.
“What the hell? You actually hit him in front of me? Police—someone call the police!”
By then, Madeline was no longer composed. Her face was now full of worry as she rushed to check on her boy toy.
“Instead of rushing to his side, why don’t you start worrying about the consequences of deceiving me?”
Chapter 4
Madeline’s expression shifted slightly at my words. She slowly turned around, biting her lip, her eyes full of conflict.
I knew, at that moment, she finally remembered what kind of family I came from.
“Consequences, you say? Who the hell are you to scare my wifey like that?” Jacob scolded, seeing me as someone insignificant as an ant.
Before I could expose Madeline’s secret, she lunged toward me, voice shaking, and softly pleaded, “Christian, please, just bear with it a little for now. We’ll talk once we’re back home, okay? I promise to explain everything to you.”
I skipped her question and coldly asked, “I may be able to bear with it, but what about Molly? She needs the money so she can have the treatment she needs! How can you, as her mother, be so brutal and awful…”
Her eyes darted away, face flushed red, and after a long pause, she finally squeezed out a sentence. “She’s… She’s not as sickly as you think. She’s fine! It’s just that… Can we talk when we get home?”
In the end, she didn’t reveal the truth about Molly’s condition. Instead, she continued to beg softly, “Let’s not air our dirty laundry here, please, Christian? Can we talk about this later?”
By then, the crowd began to catch on. Seeing Madelie so humble and submissive made them realize I really did know her. Clearly, our relationship wasn’t what they had assumed it to be.
Curious eyes turned toward me, and they were all eager to know who I was.
Some bolder ones even asked aloud, “So, what exactly is your relationship with her?”
This pushed Madeline into an even more humiliating state. She hung her head low, looking like she might crumble at any moment.
But I couldn’t care less. I pulled out my phone and stared coldly at her. “Your reputation matters, but mine doesn’t—is that it?”
Without waiting for a response, I turned away and dialed a number, my tone brooking no argument. “Bring Molly to me now.”
My men had always been nearby, close enough to act if needed. I simply hadn’t wanted them disrupting the quiet, ordinary life I was trying to live.
Less than ten minutes later, my daughter, Molly Lowe, appeared, flanked by a group of bodyguards. The moment she spotted me through the crowd, she burst into tears.
“Daddy, I’ll be good from now on! Please—don’t let Mommy punish me anymore!”
My heart sank as I held her tightly in my arms. “Sweetheart, I never wanted to punish you. Can you tell me what happened?”
The moment Molly ran into my arms, clearly about to reveal something, Madeline panicked. “Christian, look—she’s fine, isn’t she? Why don’t we just go home and talk?”
I could tell she was trying to hide something, so I looked toward the bodyguards for an answer. “What happened when you guys brought her over?”
One of them hesitated for a second, then took a deep breath and replied, “Sir, Mrs. Lowe, she… She wanted Molly to undergo a bone marrow match test for her illegitimate son. When we arrived, she was already crying…”
Madeline’s face drained of color. She rushed forward, flustered, eagerly trying to explain, “Christian, honey, it’s not like that! It’s not what you think at all!”
I stared at her, voice icy with rage. “Do you even see Molly as your daughter? You let her go through testing to help some other man’s child? That’s what you call being a mother?”
I took a step back, my gaze resolute. “The divorce papers will be sent over to you shortly.”
Seeing I was about to leave, Madeline scurried to my feet and knelt, sobbing. “Christian, I…”
I delivered a slap across her face, sparing myself whatever excuse she had prepared. “Save your explanation for my lawyer.”
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