Chapter 5

"Ah... never mind, I'd better go to Angela's house. I have to get that necklace," Al said.

Al walked hurriedly; he decided to visit Angela's house.

Al really regretted that he had rejected the offer from Alessandria Cassandra Lee, a CEO who turned out to have abundant wealth. Plus, Cassandra lives alone and already has no parents, like Al.

"If I accept Miss Cassie's offer, maybe I can.... " Al paused his steps for a moment, then he took a deep breath. "Ah... it's really embarrassing if I now come over there and agree to her request. Where is my pride as a man?" Al continued to mutter.

Al arrived in front of Angela's house. Immediately, Al knocked on Angela's door.

"Angela!" Al shouted, "Open the door!" He banged roughly on the door.

Soon, the door opened, and Angela appeared with a lazy smile. "Oh, it was you who knocked on the door, Al? Huh, you have no education. You have no manners at all. Why did you come to my house?" asked Angela sarcastically.

"Where's my necklace, Angela? I didn't come here to listen to your inconsequential ramblings. I just came here to get my necklace!" said Al firmly.

Angela smiled sarcastically and folded her arms across her chest. "Oh, the necklace?" she said with a chuckle. "Sorry, Al. I already sold it. Oops!"

"What?" Al's gaze sharpened. "You sold my necklace? You're shameless, Angela; you sold something that didn't belong to you! You fucking woman!" snapped Al.

Angela just shrugged, not feeling guilty at all. "I thought the diamonds were fake! It turned out to be real, so I sold it. Besides, it's useless to have the necklace with you; you don't know how to use it yourself. If you sell it, who knows, you might get rich," Angela said with a lopsided smile.

Al was really annoyed; he felt like slapping Angela on the cheek, but he held back. "Angela, you've crossed the line," he said in a cold tone, his gaze deadly. "Where is the necklace now? Who did you sell it to?" Al asked, glaring.

Before Angela could answer Al's question, Angela's father appeared.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking at Al sharply. "What are you doing here, Al? Are you trying to seduce my daughter to come back to you?"

"CIH! I'm not willing to seduce your cheap daughter. I only came here to get my diamond necklace back. Angela, your slutty daughter sold it! Not only is your daughter a slut, she's also a thief! Shame on you!" taunted Al with a small smile. 

"Shut your mouth, Al Vino Chandra! Don't insult my daughter! You're a real thief!" said Angela's father, not accepting his daughter being insulted. 

"Angela is a thief, uncle!" shouted Al angrily. 

The old man laughed sarcastically. "You are the thief, not Angela! Do you think I can be lied to? A poor man like you couldn't afford such an expensive diamond!"

"Dad's right, that necklace was stolen. A trashy guy like Al wouldn't be able to afford such an expensive necklace," Angela added. 

Al struggled to contain his anger. "That necklace was my mother's," he said, trying to remain calm. "Don't talk out of your ass. And now, I just want to know who Angela sold it to. I'll buy it back. That is, if Angela sold it!"

"Yes, I did sell the necklace, Al! And of course I sold it to a jeweler, not a bakery! You idiot!" Angele chuckled. 

Al felt his temper getting the better of him, but he tried to keep it down. "Okay. Where's the jewelry store?" he asked in a firm tone. 

Angela's index finger tapped the side of her temple. "Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the store. There are so many jewelry stores in this town," Angela said, "You'd better find one!" 

"Go away, poor man!" snapped Angela's father, "Go find that diamond necklace you stole!" 

Al clenched his fists, trying to control the anger that was getting the better of him. "Fine, thank you!" said Al with a sardonic look. 

Al felt his head throbbing with anger. He knew it would be useless to talk any longer with Angela and the old man, so Al decided to leave.

Al turned and walked away out of sight of Angela and Angela's father. Al really felt angry and so frustrated.

"What about this? Can I get my necklace back?" Al whispered, feeling desperate. 

***

Al felt very tired, he had searched for the diamond necklace from one jewelry store to another. Every time he asked one of the jewelry stores while showing a photo of the diamond necklace he carried on his cellphone, but he always got the same answer from the diamond shopkeeper. That the diamond necklace was not in the store Al went to. 

His heart was getting restless. The necklace was the last memory of his mother, something priceless to him. And that necklace must be given to a woman who truly loves him. 

However, Al continued to search relentlessly. He re-entered every jewelry store he came across. But still, he couldn't find his diamond necklace. 

Then Al stepped onto the sidewalk, he rubbed his face roughly, "MOM, FORGIVE ME!" Al shouted in frustration, he shouted just to express his anger that he had been holding back. "I can't keep the necklace, Mom!" Al said softly. 

Al continued to shout, he didn't care if he was now in the spotlight of many people. The most important thing was that he could vent his frustration. 

"ANGELA!" Al shouted again, "This is all because of you!"

As Al stood panting with unbearable emotion, his eyes fell on a woman walking not far from where he stood. The woman, who looked about fifty years old was wearing elegant clothes and... something caught Al's attention. The diamond necklace around her neck. The same necklace he was looking for.

Al's eyes widened, and without thinking, he immediately approached the woman. "Excuse me, ma'am," Al called in a strained tone.

The woman turned around, staring at Al with an astonished look. "Yes? Can I help you?"

Al tried to compose himself, trying to be polite despite his racing heart. "The necklace you're wearing... it's my mother's necklace. Please, give it back to me."

The woman was surprised to hear Al's request. "What do you mean? This necklace is mine," she replied in a firm tone.

"Please, you won't understand. The necklace was sold without my permission. It belongs to my family, inherited from my mother. I beg you, return the necklace." Al tried to explain to the woman. 

The woman looked annoyed, "I don't know what you're talking about. I bought this necklace from a jewelry store. It belongs to me now," the woman said. 

Al felt desperate, but he didn't want to give up. "I will buy it back from you. Whatever the price is. I just want to get the necklace back," Al said, even though he had no money at all. 

The woman looked at Al with a small smile, then smiled sarcastically. "Then you'll have to pay ten times the original price. That is if you really want it back."

Al was surprised by the woman's answer. "What? Ten times?" he said in a surprised tone. 

The woman shrugged, still with a sardonic smile on her face. "Yeah I don't want to know, that's the price I've given you. So if you can't afford it, fine, you don't want this necklace."

Al could only hold back his anger in front of the old lady, it seemed very useless if he showed his anger in front of the lady, it wouldn't solve the problem either. 

"Please, Madam. This is not about money. That necklace means a lot to me. I beg you, let me buy it back at a fair price."

The woman snorted, rolling her eyes boredly. "I've already made an offer. Whether you accept or not is your choice."

Al felt helpless. He realized that getting that kind of money would not be easy. Especially at such a fantastic price. I don't know... Al was really confused. 

"Okay," Al said in a desperate tone. "Okay, Madam, I will try to find the money you asked for. But please, don't sell the necklace to anyone else."

The woman nodded, "Sure, sure. I will wait. But not too long, okay?" she said in a mocking tone before turning around and walking away.

Al stared at the woman who was getting farther and farther away from his eyes. Al was really desperate, where could he get that much money? 

But suddenly Al remembered something, "Should I just accept Miss Cassie's offer?" Al whispered. 

Without thinking, Al immediately stepped into the mansion where Alessandria Cassandra Lee, a CEO, lived. 

Suddenly Al stopped his steps as he stood in the courtyard of the Mansion, he saw Cassandra with a man, about 31 years old, his clothes looked neat and very familiar. 

"I'm late," Al whispered, he could only swallow his saliva bitterly.