Chapter 216: Flirt With Me

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Everyone knew the missing item was a million-dollar necklace, a birthday gift from Josiah to Audrey. Dakota and Josiah's expressions darkened at the mention of it.

Camila, emboldened by Audrey, said, "If you have nothing to hide, why won't you let me look in your bag? Something's fishy."

Josiah defended Dakota, saying, "You don't understand! She's my girlfriend. Why would she steal a necklace?" Dakota added, "Why am I always suspected? Why do I have to prove my innocence?"

Dakota harbored doubts. She’d experienced Audrey and Camila's hostility firsthand.

Camila pointed to a bracelet on the table. "Hey! This is the same design as Audrey's necklace!" She snatched it up. "Whose is this? Yours?"

Dakota, troubled, replied, "I returned it to Mr. Josiah."

"It was yours, then," Camila declared excitedly.

Audrey suddenly asked, "Josiah gave me the necklace. It came with a bracelet. Is this it?"

The room erupted in surprise. Whispers coalesced into a single sentiment: "He gave the necklace to Audrey and the bracelet to his girlfriend? No wonder he keeps her hidden! He must think little of her." The onlookers hadn't yet grasped the full, more shocking truth; they assumed Josiah undervalued his girlfriend.

Dakota felt a stinging humiliation. Even though she'd broken up with Josiah, she'd never wanted to bring up this past slight. She had once cherished the bracelet deeply.

Josiah stiffened, guilt gnawing at him despite his initial denial of wrongdoing. He wished he could undo it all. Anxiety filled him, but he avoided looking at Dakota, instead glaring at Audrey and Camila. Audrey, feigning innocence, said, "Are you upset with Josiah and using my necklace to confront him? You could have just told me."

Camila retorted, "She's a thief! She probably felt undervalued and took the necklace as revenge."

This statement, surprisingly, seemed to excuse Dakota's alleged theft.

Josiah shouted, "Both of you, shut up!" Noah and Lorelei scolded him. Noah defended Audrey, while Lorelei, displeased with Dakota, said, "If your girlfriend took it, just give it back. We won't press charges."

Noah and Lorelei, knowing Josiah well, assumed his anger stemmed from guilt over Dakota's actions. They couldn't imagine another reason for his guilt, thus concluding Dakota had taken something to create a scene. The argument was disrupting their wine tasting party.

Dakota's eyes filled with tears. "Dad, Mom, don't you believe—"

Camila lunged, grabbing Dakota's bag and upending it. Items spilled out, revealing a necklace identical to the bracelet, silencing the room.

Josiah stared in disbelief, then at Dakota with a bewildered expression. Dakota, though prepared, panicked. "It wasn't me! I was framed!" She looked directly at Audrey. "It's you!"

Whispers turned to stares. No one believed Audrey would frame Dakota with her own necklace.

Audrey, sounding aggrieved, said, "I don't blame you for stirring up trouble with Josiah, but don't slander me because you've been exposed."

Dakota retorted, "You framed me! You took advantage of my distraction—"

Isabella was stunned, then thrilled. Spill it! Let's take them all down! But Dakota didn't finish. She looked at Josiah. "She framed me. Do you believe me?"

Isabella inwardly lamented, Why ask him to choose now? Didn't you stop being a hopeless romantic?

Alexander, however, saw things differently. He believed Dakota understood the situation. Revealing Josiah and Audrey's affair required proof; otherwise, she'd be accused of fabricating the connection between the necklace and bracelet to avoid guilt. She lacked proof, unless Josiah admitted his past relationship with Audrey—an act that would shatter the Hampton family's harmony. Dakota had lost trust in Josiah and wouldn't gamble on him. The incident occurred in the makeup room, without surveillance, making it nearly impossible to prove anything. Even if Dakota claimed innocence, she was already deemed guilty. A simple setup was the hardest to overcome.

Despair washed over Dakota. Her only hope lay in Josiah. She asked him for his trust, knowing that his belief in her would cast doubt on Audrey's actions. But Alexander suspected she would be disappointed.

Josiah, surprised by Dakota's question, glanced at Audrey, who looked aggrieved, seemingly on the verge of speaking but hesitating. He didn't know the truth. His hostility toward Audrey stemmed from his secret being exposed. Dakota's accusation puzzled him; he couldn't believe Audrey would do such a thing. His past love couldn't so easily become a villain in his mind. He instinctively believed Audrey, but also had faith in Dakota. There had to be a misunderstanding. Perhaps the necklace slipped in accidentally? Or maybe Camila was responsible.

"Did you do this? You've been acting strangely. How did you find the necklace so precisely? You were in the makeup room. It must have been you," Josiah said, questioning Camila instead of answering Dakota. This showed his trust in both Audrey and Dakota.

Camila protested, and Dakota let out a cold chuckle. "Let's call the police. I'll prove my innocence."

The crowd gasped. Was she truly innocent, or stubbornly refusing to admit guilt?

Roland, a police officer, was about to intervene, intrigued by the situation. But Noah and Lorelei intervened. "No need to call the police. We found the necklace. Josiah, talk to your girlfriend."

Josiah hesitated, seeing the unseemliness of airing family matters at the police station. He subtly stopped Roland from standing, then exasperatedly told Dakota, "Forget it. I trust you. Let's stop this. We'll talk to my parents later. They'll believe you."

Tears welled in Dakota's eyes. "Will everyone believe me? Can you guarantee my innocence if this gets out?"

Josiah's face soured. "Isn't my belief enough? I'll ensure your future is worry-free. But if you keep making a fuss, can you really prove yourself? Don't dig your own grave." He feared further escalation, as a criminal record would damage Dakota. He wanted to protect her, but also wanted to maintain harmony for his family.

Isabella thought, How ridiculous! You sacrifice the weakest link for harmony. Dakota is the lowest in your eyes. You're worse than I thought! She wished Roland would do something, but knew his friends would likely protect each other.

Dakota knew her reputation was ruined. She had no one to turn to. She thought of Isabella, but hesitated. Was it pointless to seek help?

Isabella couldn't intervene without evidence. She glanced at Alexander twice, hesitant to ask him to expose his friend, as exposure wouldn't solve the problem. Alexander noticed, and asked, "What's the matter?"

Isabella pouted.

Alexander smiled, gently pinching Isabella's chin. Isabella was surprised. Is he flirting now? He turned her head toward a large screen showing wine promotional videos. The scene shifted. A voice boomed, "What is this necklace?"

Everyone's eyes turned to the screen.