Chapter 245

Tina stared at her, wide-eyed. “I didn’t see anything. Dorothea, did you lose your ring p>

“I came in with Bertha this morning. No one else has been in here since. It wasn’t me Her voice trembled. She looked terrified that Dorothea might think she’d done something wrong.

Dorothea glanced over, seeing how close Tina was to tears. She softened her tone. “I’m not accusing you. I just wanted to know if you saw anything, that’s all p>

There weren’t any cameras in her office, and she definitely wasn’t the type to spy on herself. It didn’t make sense for one of her employees to take the ring. The answer was becoming painfully obvious.

Frustration bubbled up inside Dorothea. She unlocked her phone and took off the privacy settings on her social media. Sure enough, there was a red notification on Twitter from Bertha’s account.

“These flowers are gorgeous!” the post said.

The attached photo was unmistakable: the bouquet of roses Latham had given Dorothea that very morning. The card was still there too, clearly showing Latham’s handwriting. “Honey, I was wrong p>

Dorothea recognized it immediately. Was Bertha out of her mind? She was flaunting Dorothea’s flowers on social media for everyone to see.

Someone had even commented, “Bertha, did you get a boyfriend p>

Dorothea didn’t hesitate. She called Bertha straight away.

The second Bertha picked up, Dorothea didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Bertha, did you steal my ring p>

“Dorothea, what’s wrong with you? Why would I steal your ring? I never even went into your office! How could you just accuse me like that p>

Dorothea pressed her lips together, her voice icy. “I’m not joking. If you took it, you have until tonight to bring it back. Otherwise, I’m calling the police p>

“I didn’t steal anything! Maybe that receptionist of yours did. Dorothea, you can’t just accuse me with no proof. Go ahead, call the cops if you have evidence p>

Bertha hung up before Dorothea could say another word.

Dorothea was so angry she almost laughed. This was classic-acting like the victim when she was the one in the wrong.

Tina was still in the office. She’d overheard her own name on the call and looked even more anxious.

Dorothea turned to her, keeping her voice calm. “You can go now. Just remember what I told you earlier p>

Once Tina had left, Dorothea scrolled through her contacts and unblocked a number she’d sworn to never call again. She dialed Elise.

Elise saw Dorothea’s name pop up and felt a flicker of hope. Was Dorothea ready to make up?

“Hello, Dorothea p>

“Elise, you need to deal with your family. Bertha came to my office today and stole my wedding ring. I’ve already war arned her if she

doesn’t give it back by tonight net

calling the police. If this blows up and ends up at the station, don’t blame me for not caring about family p>

She didn’t wait for Elise to answer. The call ended with a click.

Dorothea sat there for a long moment, trying to calm down before finally calling Latham back.

“My wife disappears as soon as she

clocks in called you a bunch of times and you didn’t answer. Are you still mad at me?” Latham’s voice was warm, almost teasing. Did you get the flowers p>

If he hadn’t mentioned the flowers, Dorothea might not have been upset. But just hearing about them made her think of Bertha’s poste Disgust washed over her.

Her silence made Latham nervous. “What’s wrong, babe? I’m sorry, okay? Please

don’t be mad. Next time, I’ll be more careful, I promise p>

Dorothea sighed. “That’s not what I’m upset about p>

“Then what is it?” Latham sounded genuinely confused.

Dorothea’s irritation flared. “Someone came into my office and stole my ring p>

“Who was it?” Latham’s tone switched in an instant, cold and sharp.

“My cousin. Bertha p>

Latham’s anger was obvious now. “Her p>

“You know her?” Dorothea asked.

He gave a short, humorless laugh. “She tried to hit on me this morning when I was

buying flowers. I avoided her p>

He paused for a moment. “Don’t wait until tonight p>

“Call the police right now p>