Chapter Fifty Three: The ConfessionThe atmosphere in the conference room was tense. Chris stood at the head of the table, his expression grave as he addressed the assembled members of the Preston management team."We need to find out who was responsible for the sabotage," Chris declared, his voice steady but filled with underlying anger. “I won't rest until we uncover the truth. I want to see the CCTV footage of everyone who entered Loretta's dressing room."The room fell silent. The weight of Chris's words hung heavily in the air. Just as the IT technician was about to start accessing the CCTV footage, a young woman in the back of the room hesitantly raised her hand. She was an intern at MTD, barely noticeable amidst the senior staff, but now all eyes turned to her.Chris's gaze fixed on her. "Was it you?” He simply asked. She didn’t say anything for two minutes. “We have no time, if you’re confessing, go ahead.”The young intern swallowed hard, her nerves evident as she stood u
Chapter Fifty Three: The Family Meeting The Preston mansion was shrouded in a tense silence, the kind that often preceded a storm. The family had been summoned by Grandma Preston, a formidable matriarch whose word was law within the Preston household.Everyone knew why they were gathered, it had to be the incident at Loretta’s premiere had caused a scandal, and heads were about to roll.The family assembled in the grand dining room, its opulence starkly contrasting the somber mood. Henry sat smugly at one end of the table, a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. Stephany sat across from him, her face pale and drawn. She had barely slept, tormented by the events of the previous night and the impending judgment.Grandma Preston entered, her presence commanding immediate respect. She took her seat at the head of the table, her piercing eyes scanning the room before settling on Stephany. “Everyone, you know why we’re here,” she began, her voice cold and authoritative. “What happened
Chapter Fifty Four; Unveiling the Saboteur.Loretta made her way up the grand driveway to the Prestons' mansion, her heart pounding.The sprawling estate, with its meticulously manicured gardens and imposing façade, was a stark contrast to the turmoil she felt inside.As she approached the entrance, two maids standing by the door noticed her immediately, their eyes widening in surprise."Ms. Loretta! Please, come in," one of the maids said, stepping aside to allow her entry.The other maid quickly ran off to inform Grandma Preston of Loretta's arrival.Loretta walked through the ornate hallways, her footsteps echoing on the marble floors.She was determined to set things right, to clear her name, and to expose the truth. The atmosphere in the house was tense, filled with the anticipation of the family meeting that was taking place. She could hear muffled voices from the dining room, where everyone was gathered."Grandma, Ms. Loretta is here," the maid announced as she opened the do
Chapter Fifty Five: A jealous wife.Chris stood up, his chair scraping against the floor, a clear signal that the meeting was over for him, if not for everyone else. He looked around the room, his gaze sharp and unwavering. “Like I said, the elders should remember they are elders and act like one.” Clearly directing it to grandma and his father in law.“I’ll be off now." He said without waiting to hear if anyone had anything to say and strode out of the meeting. Grandma Preston hadn’t officially dismissed the gathering, yet Chris’s departure marked the end of any meaningful discussion. He walked out, the heavy atmosphere following him. Ella quickly stood and rushed after him, her heels clicking on the polished floor."Chris!" she called out, catching up to him in the hallway. “The last time you saved us from that lunatic, I didn’t get a chance to thank you properly."Chris nodded, his expression with out difference, he said, . "You’re welcome."He turned to leave, but Ella reach
Chapter Fifty Six: The Mystery AmuletSinclair stood by the door, anxiously glancing at her watch. She had called her father, an expert in rare and antique jewelry, to help identify a mysterious amulet. Though she had originally called Chris to some and whelp her examine the amulet, she felt that a second opinion was crucial, especially from someone with her father's extensive experience.Besides, she wasn’t sure Har Chris was or how long it would take him to arrive. Sure enough, her father, Mr. Pete, had arrived just in time when the man entered the store. The man was nondescript, dressed in a simple gray suit that had seen better days. His eyes darted around the store nervously, clutching a small, ornate box tightly. "Hi, good day. Where is the manager? I am looking to sell this important piece of jewelry," the man said, his voice tinged with desperation. Sinclair stepped forward with a welcoming smile. "Ah, you are welcome, sir. I am the manager, but I’d like my father to do
Chapter Fifty Seven: The Revelation of the Pendant“Can I have a look?”Chris, who just arrived and had silently observed part of exchange, leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the small, ornate box on the table.“I can't shake the feeling that we might have missed something," Chris said thoughtfully. Sinclair raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"“Yes, are you saying that Mr. pete is wrong?”“Look at this man, just because you were lucky the other time.”“Who’s this?” Mr. Pete asked, when he heard Chris. “Oh dad, this is Chris, he is the special appraiser I told you I hired.”“Isn’t he..” Mr. Pete looked closely at him, his head tilted as he tried to recall where he saw him from. “The Preston’s lowly son in law?” The crowd were eager to put words in his mouth.“Yes he is the one.” “Are you sure he knows what he’s doing?”“Yes dad.”Chris tapped his fingers on the table, a rhythmic drumming that conveyed his inner conflict. “Mr. Pete, with all due respect, could we take another loo
Chapter Fifty Eight: The Legend of the Astral Amulet“Dad dis you know about this Amulet before?” Sinclair asked her father.“Yes Mr. Pete, tell us about it, we want to learn.“Okay, Chris, we’ll go after I’m done here.” He said and continued his story. As Mr. Pete sat down with the man, he felt the weight of history pressing down on him. The Astral Amulet, if that’s truly what this was, carried with it a tale that spanned centuries. He cleared his throat and began to recount the history of the pendant, his voice filled with reverence. "The Astral Amulet is said to have been created over two thousand years ago by an ancient civilization known as the Celestians. The Celestians were a highly advanced society that lived in the region we now know as Northern India. They were renowned for their astronomical knowledge and their ability to create intricate and powerful artifacts." Mr. Pete paused, letting the significance of his words sink in. “The Celestians believed that the amule
Chapter Fifty Nine: The Vanishing TrailChris Followed the man and wanted to ask him directly. However he noticed the man was moving suspiciously and kept looking at his back. Sensing that something was fishy, Chris decided against asking him and followed him instead. He followed him from a distance so as to avoid suspicions of the man noticing him. He saw the man enter an old van that was parked at about six blocks away from the store, it was as if the man intentionally left the van there to avoid anyone noticing how he came there. Seeing this, Chris went back and brought his car, and decided to follow the man. Chris gripped the steering wheel of his sleek M13, his mind racing with questions as he followed the van through the winding roads that led out of town. The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the countryside. He kept a safe distance, wary of alerting the driver of the van. As they left the outskirts of the town behind, Chris noticed the landscap