The Day I Kissed An Older Man

A missing bangle should not be that big of a deal for the Russell family. Vince felt that Karen had lost her mind to publicly bring up the subject on such an occasion. Vince mustered a smile and said, "That won't be necessary, Gina. It's merely a bangle. There's no need for everyone to get so worked up about it.

"In any case, our banquet today has come to an end. It's getting late, and we really appreciate your presence with us today. We wish you all a safe journey home."

He wanted nothing more than to expedite the departure of the onlookers. Otherwise, the Russells' reputation would be marred by the incident in social circles the following day.

Unexpectedly, Karen burst into tears and turned to Gina. "So, you do understand how important it is to me! That bangle was a memento left by my late mother-in-law. I wouldn't have made such a big fuss if it was any old bangle. I understand that everyone here has no reason to take it, so I know it must've been misplaced somewhere. Since you're all still here, why don't you help us to search for it? We'll find it faster if we have more people looking for it. You agree, don't you, dear?"Têxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

Karen seemed determined to keep everyone there. Vince maintained his smile, but he approached Karen and warned her, "Stop this nonsense." Everyone felt that it would be improper to leave after Karen brought the sentimentality of her late mother-in-law into the picture. Despite their displeasure, everyone there acknowledged Karen as Vince's wife and felt obliged to show her due respect.

Meanwhile, Rita held a glass of champagne with a composed expression and refrained from getting involved. She had hoped to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to herself. Who knew what sort of schemes Karen had planned that evening?

The family home had been married with discontent ever since Karen came. She frequently maintained a facade of kindness before Vince, but her true nature surfaced when he was not around.

Rita recalled the harsh words Karen said to her while she was still a child. At that time, Rita genuinely thought that she would have a new loving mother, but Karen smiled and said to her, "Your mom's dead. You should keep quiet if you know what's good for you."

Rita was still young then, and she had been so eager to make the new family members feel at home. Alas, her kindness was met with the most hateful remarks she had ever heard. Later on, she realized that Karen was not a good person and not someone she would want to be close with. It was unfortunate that her father was blinded by Karen's deceit, and Rita's hesitance to build a relationship with Karen was seen as being ungrateful.

Sadie stood to one side and observed carefully. By lowering her gaze slightly, her demure demeanor projected the stately image of being the Russells' second daughter, enough to fool those who were unaware of her true nature.

Rita knew what kind of person Karen was, but she could not discern the motives behind those actions. It had been grossly inappropriate for Karen to choose such a time and place to assert the loss of her bangle. As significant as it was to her, questioning its disappearance in the presence of guests was an ill-timed move.

All the guests found themselves compelled to witness the unfolding drama, while the Russells' servants immediately began their search. Some of them checked the surveillance system, while others scoured every inch of the villa in search of the missing item.

Despite Vince's mounting frustration, he continued to force a smile because he knew that the situation would grow worse if he were to show his displeasure.

At that moment, a servant announced a breakthrough. "We've recovered footage related to Madam Karen's bangle."

Vince breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh? Is that so?"

"I'm sure she just misplaced it somewhere. Told you she was forgetful," Gina quipped.

Karen bit her lip and offered no response. The tablet played the footage, revealing that Rita had entered the room where the bangle had been last seen. When she exited, the bangle was conspicuously absent from its position on the table.