Chapter 218: The Gold Medal Falls Out of the Bag

Chapter 218: Chapter 218: The Gold Medal Falls Out of the Bag

"Stealing?" Mrs. Forrest looked taken aback, her expression filled with doubt. "Renee, are you saying Rhonda stole something?"

Renee nodded. "That’s right."

Mrs. Forrest’s brows knitted together, her expression growing serious. "Renee, do you know Rhonda?"

"I don’t know her," Renee explained. "This is my first time meeting her."

"Then why would you say she’s a thief?" Mrs. Forrest’s frown deepened.

Renee blinked. "Nini told me."

Mrs. Forrest was stunned. "Nini?"

Renee said with a smile, "When I arrived this afternoon, Nini told me a thief had broken into the house."

Mrs. Forrest stood frozen for a long moment, unable to process it.

She wondered, ’When Nini told Renee, how did I not hear it?’

’No, wait...’

"Renee, how can you understand Nini?" Mrs. Forrest asked curiously.

Renee said, "Mrs. Forrest, I can understand Nini. Do you believe me?"

Mrs. Forrest replied almost without hesitation. "With a face like yours, I’d believe anything you say."

Renee let out a small laugh. "Then I’ll be sure not to disappoint you."

"Come tell me what this is all about." Mrs. Forrest pulled her over to sit in the lounge area. "Go on, Renee."

Renee recounted what she knew. "Renee Brooks went to mop the floor earlier, and Nini saw her take a gold medal from a drawer in your walk-in closet."

Mrs. Forrest’s face immediately darkened, and a look of displeasure clouded her aged features.

’She had felt sorry for Renee Brooks’s plight and had enjoyed chatting with her. If the girl needed money, she could have just asked. Why resort to such a despicable method?’

’Wait a minute...’

It suddenly dawned on Mrs. Forrest that Renee Brooks hadn’t come over just to chat—she was looking for an opportunity to steal something.

’From the very beginning, Renee Brooks was after her jewelry!’

Mrs. Forrest’s face turned livid with rage. "This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"

She immediately pulled out her phone and dialed Auntie Brooks.

"Crowe, has Rhonda left yet?"

"Quick, stop her. Don’t let her leave."

"I have a few words for her."

"Alright, I’ll have her wait for you." Auntie Brooks hung up and quickly called out to Renee Brooks, who was changing her shoes. "Rhonda, wait a minute. Mrs. Forrest has something to say to you."

Renee Brooks was furtively kicking at Nini, who was lying on her shoes. She asked curiously, "Auntie, what does Mrs. Forrest want to talk to me about?"

Auntie Brooks shook her head. "I don’t know."

"Fine." Renee Brooks slipped her slippers back on, and with her handbag in tow, she sat back down on the sofa.

"DING—"

The elevator doors slid open, and Mrs. Forrest stormed out of the car.

"Grandma, you’re back!" When Renee Brooks saw her, she immediately stood and went to her side, affectionately linking arms with her. "I was just about to leave, but Auntie said you had something to tell me."

Mrs. Forrest’s face was cold as she brushed her hand away, her gaze sharp as she stared at her.

Renee Brooks had never seen such a look from the old woman. Her heart skipped a beat in fear, and she took two steps back, asking innocently, "Grandma, what’s wrong?"

Nini bounded over to Renee, complaining pitifully, "Renee, that thief kicked me! It really hurts!"

Renee bent down and scooped the fluffy ball into her arms. "Alright, I’ll tell Grandma."

"Tell me what?" Mrs. Forrest turned her head to look at her, her expression softening.

Renee leaned into her ear and whispered, "Nini says the thief kicked her and it hurts."

Seeing this, Renee Brooks felt a strange sense of unease.

Mrs. Forrest, of course, knew who "the thief" was. She looked at Renee Brooks again, her eyes flashing with displeasure and her voice laced with fury. "Renee Brooks, you’ve gone too far!"

"Grandma..." Renee Brooks was completely at a loss. "Why are you being so harsh with me all of a sudden? Did... did this lady say something bad about me behind my back?"

Auntie Brooks pressed her lips together, her heart sinking.

’She had rarely seen Mrs. Forrest this angry. What on earth had Renee Brooks done?’

With a stony expression, Mrs. Forrest glanced at the handbag Renee Brooks had set aside, snatched it, and dumped its contents onto the sofa.

Renee Brooks never imagined she would do such a thing and had no time to stop her. She could only watch, horrified, as the gold medal tumbled out of her bag.

When Auntie Brooks saw the gold medal, her eyes widened and a look of utter disbelief washed over her face. "Isn’t that..."

"Oh!" Renee Brooks reacted quickly, feigning surprise. "How did a gold medal get in my bag? Whose is this?"

Mrs. Forrest watched her with a sneer. "Stop the act!"

"That’s Mrs. Forrest’s gold medal." Auntie Brooks recognized it at once. It was part of her dowry.

Renee Brooks was kicking herself. ’I should have just left when I had the chance!’

’What am I going to do now?’

Renee Brooks lowered her gaze, her mind racing to find a way out of this.

’I’ve got it!’

"Is this Grandma’s gold medal?" Renee Brooks asked, her face a mask of confusion. "How did it get into my bag?"

Auntie Brooks snapped, "We should be asking you that! Renee Brooks, you’d better start talking, and make it the truth!"

Renee Brooks frowned, retorting with a look of pure innocence and hurt, "Auntie, what are you trying to say? Are you suggesting I stole Grandma’s gold medal? I would never do something like that! My family may be poor, but I have my dignity!"

"Then you tell me how the gold medal got into your bag!" Auntie Brooks pointed at the medal on the sofa, trembling with rage.

’This was so humiliating! She had failed Mrs. Forrest!’

"How should I know?" Renee Brooks’s eyes welled with tears as she choked out, "Maybe... maybe Nini dropped it in my bag by accident while she was playing?"

Hearing herself being framed, Nini’s fur stood on end. She let out a series of furious meows. "You liar! You’re horrible! This cat is furious!"

Renee smiled and smoothed Nini’s fur. ’If Blueberry were in this situation,’ she thought, ’it probably would have leaped out and scratched her by now.’

’Nini is just too well-mannered.’

Renee said with a faint, knowing smile, "Then why didn’t Nini drop it into my bag? I was playing with her much more, after all."

Renee Brooks’s eyes darted around before she pointed a finger at Renee. "I know! You’re the one who framed me, aren’t you? You couldn’t stand seeing Grandma treat me so well. You’re jealous!"

Renee had to admit, the girl’s ability to twist the truth was impressive. ’First she frames Nini, now she’s trying to pin it on me.’

"Are you saying you never once touched this gold medal?"

Renee Brooks declared brazenly, "That’s right! I never touched it!"

"Alright." Renee turned to Mrs. Forrest and said softly, "Mrs. Forrest, let’s call the police. We can have them check it for Renee Brooks’s fingerprints. And don’t forget to give them the surveillance footage from your walk-in closet."

Mrs. Forrest blinked.

There were no surveillance cameras in the house, but she didn’t say so. Instead, she went along with Renee’s words and nodded. "Alright. Help me copy the surveillance footage, and I’ll call the police."

"What?" Renee Brooks cried out in shock. "You have a camera in your walk-in closet?"