Chapter 34: I’ll be the first to punish her
After nearly thirty minutes, Grace finally settled on a gown for Clara.
"We’ll take this one," she said before walking toward the cashier to pay the bill.
Clara quietly followed behind her, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
After trying on more than a dozen gowns, she felt as though her legs were about to give out.
Just as they approached the counter, Grace noticed several employees whispering to the boutique manager.
Their expressions looked unusually tense.
Clara noticed it as well, her brows knitting together.
"Is everything alright?" Grace asked.
The sudden question startled everyone.
The employees immediately stopped talking and lowered their heads.
Standing a short distance away, Julian watched the scene unfold with the faintest smirk.
The manager hesitated before stepping forward.
"Mrs. Sterling..." she began cautiously. "Please don’t misunderstand. We’ve run into a small problem."
Grace looked at her calmly.
"What is it?"
The manager took a deep breath.
"The ruby embellishment on one of the gowns Mrs. Sterling tried on is missing."
The words instantly stunned everyone.
Clara’s eyes widened.
"What?"
She immediately shook her head.
"I clearly remember the ruby was still attached when I took the gown off."
The manager’s expression subtly changed.
The courtesy she had shown Clara moments ago disappeared almost instantly.
Earlier, she had remained respectful only because Clara had arrived with Grace Sterling.
But now...
Standing before her was Clara Hayes—the illegitimate daughter of the Hayes family, a woman whose background had been the subject of countless rumors.
"Mrs. Sterling," the manager said, her tone becoming noticeably colder, "the ruby wasn’t missing before the gown was taken into the fitting room."
She paused before adding,
"And you were the last person to wear it."
Grace instinctively turned toward Clara.
Clara met her gaze and shook her head firmly.
"I didn’t take it."
"There has to be some misunderstanding."
She took a steady breath before continuing.
"Why would I steal a ruby from a gown when I’m already buying one that’s worth far more than the stone itself?"
Her explanation sounded reasonable.
Even Grace couldn’t find any flaw in her logic.
Before anyone else could speak, Julian stepped forward with a look of concern.
"Clara..."
She gently held Clara’s arm.
"What are they talking about?"
Her brows furrowed as though she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
"You... didn’t actually take the ruby, did you?"
Her voice was soft and careful, but every word subtly planted doubt.
Anyone listening would naturally begin to question Clara.
Julian lowered her voice even further.
"If you accidentally removed it, just return it now."
"No one will blame you."
Clara slowly turned to look at her.
Their eyes met.
The concern on Julian’s face looked flawless.
Too flawless.
Clara’s jaw tightened.
She knew that expression all too well.
Julian wasn’t trying to help her.
She was trying to push her into admitting to something she had never done.
Oh... so this is your plan?
A cold glint flashed across Clara’s eyes as she watched Julian turn toward Grace with an expression full of concern.
"Mrs. Sterling," Julian said softly, "please don’t misunderstand Clara."
She glanced at Clara before letting out a helpless sigh.
"She’s still adjusting to this kind of lifestyle. Everything in the Sterling family is so different from what she’s used to."
Julian spoke carefully, as though she were defending Clara.
"I’m sure she might have been fascinated by the ruby..."
She paused deliberately.
"...but stealing?"
Julian quickly shook her head.
"No."
"I’m sure Clara wouldn’t do something like that."
Although her words sounded like they were defending Clara, every sentence subtly reminded everyone of her humble background.
The employees who had remained uncertain moments ago slowly began exchanging suspicious looks.
After all...
Why would someone who had grown up with nothing resist something so valuable?
Grace’s expression remained unreadable.
She neither agreed nor disagreed.
Instead, she quietly observed Clara.
Julian noticed Grace’s silence and inwardly smiled.
That’s right...
Just start doubting her.
Once that seed is planted, it won’t matter whether Clara is innocent or not.
Meanwhile, Clara stared at Julian for several seconds before suddenly smiling.
The smile was so calm that it caught Julian off guard.
"Julian."
Julian blinked.
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
"...For believing I wouldn’t steal."
Julian’s smile stiffened for the briefest moment.
Before she could respond, Clara continued,
"But since you’re so certain I took the ruby..."
She tilted her head slightly.
"You must have a reason."
Julian’s heart skipped a beat.
"What do you mean?"
Clara’s smile only widened.
"You were the only person who went near the fitting rooms after I changed."
She looked directly into Julian’s eyes.
"I remember seeing you there."
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Julian’s smile slowly disappeared.
"I... I only went to check on you."
"Did you?"
Clara asked calmly. "Then perhaps we should ask the staff exactly what happened after I left the fitting room."
She turned to the manager. "I’m sure a boutique like yours has surveillance cameras."
The manager nodded instinctively. "Yes... we do."
"Good."
Clara folded her arms. "Then let’s review the footage. If I stole the ruby, I’ll accept full responsibility."
She paused, her gaze shifting back to Julian. "But if I didn’t..."
"...I’m sure the cameras will show everyone who entered that hallway after I left."
Julian’s confident expression finally cracked. A flicker of panic flashed across her eyes before she hurriedly hid it.
This is not something I expected
Grace, who had remained silent the entire time, noticed that brief change in expression.
Her gaze slowly moved from Clara... to Julian.
"Let’s do it," Grace said calmly. "Check the security cameras."
Julian’s expression froze.
Clara, on the other hand, couldn’t help but smirk inwardly.
She really thought she could get away with this.
Only now did panic begin to creep into Julian’s heart. She had been so focused on ruining Clara’s image in front of Grace that she had completely forgotten about the surveillance cameras.
Damn it...
Why didn’t I think of that?
What surprised her even more was Clara herself.
Instead of panicking or trying to avoid the accusation, Clara had stood her ground from the very beginning.
What’s wrong with her? Since when did she learn to defend herself?
The Clara Julian knew would have either lost her temper or made matters worse with her arrogance.
This calm and composed woman standing before her felt like an entirely different person.
"I-I don’t think that’s necessary," Julian said with an awkward smile. "How much is the ruby worth? If Clara accidentally took it, I’ll pay for it on her behalf."
Although her words sounded generous, they subtly implied that Clara had indeed taken the stone.
’This Julian is still trying to paint me a thief.’
Clara wanted to argue, but before she could utter a word Grace spoke instead.
"No."
Julian looked at her in surprise.
"Clara is no longer a Hayes." Grace’s voice was calm yet carried an unquestionable authority.
"She is a Sterling."
The entire boutique fell silent.
"If you’re accusing her of theft..." Grace continued, her sharp gaze sweeping across the room, "...then you’re accusing the Sterling family of raising a thief."
The manager’s face instantly paled. "I-I’m sorry, Mrs. Sterling. We didn’t mean—"
Grace raised a hand, silencing her. "I don’t care about assumptions. I care about evidence."
She looked directly at the manager.
"You claim the ruby disappeared after Clara tried on the gown. Then prove it."
The manager nervously lowered her head.
Grace had always been a woman of principles. She would never protect someone simply because they were family. If Clara had truly stolen the ruby, Grace would personally make sure she accepted the consequences.
But if she was innocent... Grace’s eyes slowly swept across everyone before finally stopping on Julian.
Her gaze turned noticeably colder. "If Clara stole the ruby... I’ll be the first to punish her."
A brief silence followed.
"But if she didn’t..." Her voice dropped several degrees. "...then the person responsible will answer to me."
The air inside the boutique instantly grew heavy.
"And as for this boutique..."
Grace glanced around the showroom.
"If I find that my daughter-in-law has been falsely accused because of your negligence..."
"...you can consider this boutique’s partnership with the Sterling family terminated."
The manager’s legs nearly gave out beneath her.
Julian’s heart pounded violently against her chest.
For the first time since stepping into the boutique, genuine panic flashed across her face.
No...
The cameras can’t be checked.
If the footage were reviewed, everyone would see her approaching the fitting rooms.
Although she hadn’t entered Clara’s fitting room, she had intentionally bumped into one of the employees carrying the rejected gowns.
That brief collision had been all she needed.
Her fingers unconsciously clenched into fists.
Think...
There has to be another way.
Clara’s lips curled into a smirk. "Julian, why do you seem so anxious? It’s just an investigation; no one is after you. Unless... you know who stole it."
"..."