Chapter 186: Chapter 186 The Stolen Ring
Elara
The moment I walked into the conference room and saw Sophie, I didn’t recognize her at first.
Not until she lunged toward me with her arms open. "Elara! It’s me, Sophie! It’s been forever. I actually missed you."
My brow furrowed. I barely knew this woman. And I definitely wasn’t comfortable with her acting like we were best friends.
I stepped to the side, dodging her grabby hands. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you, obviously!" She smiled like we were long-lost sisters.
I didn’t remember us ever being that close.
"When I got here, I didn’t know you’d be in a meeting. I tried to wait in your office, but your receptionist basically threw me out!" Sophie immediately started trashing Heidi.
My frown deepened. "She was just doing her job."
"Sure, whatever."
"Elara, you didn’t even invite us to your mating ceremony. Are you holding some grudge against the family?"
That crossed a line. My face went cold. "Did you not see Nadia’s disownment announcement?"
"Nadia and I are done. Permanently."
Translation: None of you are my family anymore.
But Sophie acted like she didn’t get it. "Oh come on, Elara. Aunt Nadia was just saying stuff she didn’t mean. You can’t actually take her seriously."
"She’s your biological mother. Being this cold to her is just wrong."
My patience was gone. "Fine. Then I’m cold. Anything else?"
"Because if not, I need to get back to work."
Sophie finally got the hint. She pouted like a child. "Elara, you’re so cold. I came all this way to see you and you’re already kicking me out."
"Fine, fine. I guess now that you’re some big shot executive, you’re too good for us."
"I won’t take up any more of your precious time."
She lifted her chin and strutted out like she owned the building.
I stood there completely confused. I had no idea what her angle was.
I turned to my assistant. "What just happened?"
"She went into my office?"
My assistant nodded. "Elara, your cousin... she was kind of pushy. We didn’t want to cause a scene. Heidi stayed with her the whole time she was in your office. Nothing should have gone missing."
I nodded slightly. "Get Heidi in here. I need to ask her something."
When Heidi showed up at my door, she looked nervous as hell. "Elara, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to keep your cousin out. I might have upset her, but honestly, she was acting really weird."
I raised an eyebrow. "Weird how?"
"The second she walked in, she sat in your chair. Then she grabbed those roses Mr. Wolfe sent you and started taking selfies. Pretty sure she posted them too."
My jaw tightened. That wasn’t just weird. That was completely out of line.
"It’s fine. I get it now. Going forward, anyone who comes to see me waits in the conference room. The only exception is my husband."
This morning I’d gotten a small cut on my ring finger. I’d taken off my wedding band and set it on my desk while I looked for a bandaid.
I glanced down at the spot where I’d left it.
My stomach dropped.
No. My ring was gone.
The ring I wore every day was the simple band Dominic and I had picked out together. The big diamond engagement ring stayed at home—too flashy for everyday wear.
"Heidi, did you see a ring on my desk?"
Heidi’s eyes went wide. "No, I didn’t. Elara, is your ring missing?"
"After I walked your cousin into your office this morning, nobody else went in. I swear I didn’t take it."
She looked like she was about to cry. Terrified I’d blame her.
I softened my voice. "I’m not saying you took it. I’m just asking if you saw it."
There were no cameras in my office. I’d never wanted to spy on myself.
My staff wouldn’t steal from me. That left only one option.
Anger burned in my chest. I unlocked my phone and pulled up Sophie’s Instagram story.
Sure enough, there it was.
[These flowers are gorgeous!]
The photo showed Dominic’s roses front and center.
My temple started throbbing. I pulled up Sophie’s number and called.
She picked up on the second ring. I didn’t bother with hello. "Sophie, did you steal my ring?"
"Elara, are you insane? Why would I steal your ring?"
"I didn’t even go in your office! You can’t just accuse me like that."
My jaw tightened. My voice went cold. "I’m not playing games. If you took it, bring it back tonight. Otherwise I’m calling the police."
"I didn’t steal anything! Maybe that receptionist of yours took it. You can’t make accusations without proof. If you’ve got evidence, go ahead and call the cops!"
Sophie hung up on me.
I almost laughed. The thief was literally crying thief.
Heidi stood frozen in my office, having heard her name come up during my call. Her whole body was tense.
I looked at her worried face and kept my voice calm. "You can go. Just remember what I said about visitors."
I’d blocked Nadia’s number months ago. I unblocked it temporarily and dialed.
Nadia saw my name pop up on her screen. Her heart jumped. Had Elara finally come to her senses?
"Hello, Elara."
"Nadia, do me a favor. Control your crazy relatives. Sophie came to my office today and stole my wedding ring. I already warned her. If she doesn’t bring it back tonight, I’m calling the cops. When this ends up at the station, don’t expect me to go easy just because we’re blood."
I hung up before she could respond.
I sat in my office for a few minutes, forcing myself to calm down before I called Dominic back.
"Well, well. My Luna disappears the second she gets to work. I called you multiple times. Nothing. Still mad at me?" His voice was warm, teasing. "Did you get the flowers?"
The mention of flowers made my blood pressure spike again. I’d been managing my anger until he brought them up. Thinking about Sophie’s Instagram post made my skin crawl.
My silence made Dominic nervous.
"What’s wrong, baby? I’m sorry. I really am. Next time I’ll be gentler, I promise."
I blinked, confused, then realized what he was apologizing for. "I’m not upset about that."
"Then what’s wrong?"
I let out an irritated breath. "Some psycho came to my office and stole my ring."
"Who?" Dominic’s voice went ice cold.
"My cousin, Sophie."
The anger in his tone sharpened. "Ah. So that’s who she is. She really is your cousin, then."
"You know her?"
Dominic laughed, but there was no humor in it. "This morning when I was buying your flowers, your deranged cousin tried to throw herself at me. I shut that down real quick."
"Don’t wait until tonight. Some people don’t learn until they’re staring at consequences."
"Call the police. Now."
