Chapter 15: Chapter 15: I Just Love to See Your Unworldly Look
Luxury goods were so fragile.
Cecilia Sterling’s gaze darkened as she looked at the "remains" of the bracelet scattered on the floor.
Cindy Underwood was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly let out a cold laugh, looking at Cecilia with contempt. "This cheap knockoff of yours is such garbage quality. I barely touched it, and it broke like this?"
Cecilia didn’t respond. Instead, she crouched down to pick up the broken bracelet. Seeing this, Estelle Goodman quickly knelt to help her.
As Estelle picked up a piece, she instinctively glanced at it and happened to see the logo on the bracelet.
The font of the logo was small, but it was a clear and perfect steel stamp: Cartier!
"Take a good look! This is Cartier, not some cheap knockoff!" Estelle Goodman stood up, her pretty face flushed with anger as she confronted Cindy Underwood.
Her own jewelry was all from Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels—she wouldn’t wear anything less than top luxury brands—so she could tell from the stamp that Cecilia’s bracelet was authentic.
Hearing this, Cindy Underwood wasn’t the least bit intimidated. In fact, she laughed even louder. "How is that possible? Her? Wearing Cartier? It’s probably a high-end replica she bought from some online store."
"Yeah, right. Would she even dare to step foot inside a Cartier store?"
"A single Cartier bracelet costs more than her life is worth. Does she look like she deserves it?"
Summer Lynn and Hope Warner chimed in with their own sarcastic remarks. The malice in their words was mirrored on their faces, making them look utterly cruel.
But such petty insults could no longer hurt Cecilia in the slightest. After all, what was real couldn’t be fake, and what was fake couldn’t be real. Money was her confidence.
Unwilling to waste her breath on people like them, she immediately took out her phone and dialed the police.
"Hello, I’d like to report a crime. Someone has maliciously damaged my personal property."
"As for the value, it’s close to a hundred dollars."
"Lorcain University of Science and Technology, south entrance, on the Everjoy Plaza food street. The restaurant is Lily’s Stir-fry."
Her movements were composed, her tone calm. The five words "close to a hundred dollars" rolled off her tongue without a ripple of emotion, as if she couldn’t care less about a hundred dollars.
And the more composed she was, the more convinced Cindy Underwood was that she was lying.
’Who wouldn’t be anxious if something worth nearly a hundred dollars was broken?’
She curled her lip and let out a disdainful snort. "Cecilia Sterling, stop bluffing. Others might not know you, but we were your roommates for over a year. You think we don’t know you?"
Summer Lynn added, "Exactly. The only valuable things you ever had were gifts from Shawn Lane. Now that you’ve broken up, you’re back to being flat broke, aren’t you?"
Hope Warner piled on, "Before you were dating Shawn Lane, you’d pinch every penny when you got food at the cafeteria. You were always picking up dorm cleaning jobs on WhatsApp to earn living expenses. And now you have the audacity to claim your bracelet is worth nearly a hundred dollars? Aren’t you afraid of choking on your own lies?"
"I think you all are taking this too far."
Someone who couldn’t watch any longer stood up to speak for Cecilia. "It doesn’t matter how much Cecilia’s bracelet costs. Cindy Underwood broke it, so she has to pay for it."
"Yeah! You broke someone’s property and didn’t even apologize. Instead, you’re standing here making snarky, passive-aggressive comments. You think she’s an easy target, is that it?"
The ones who spoke up were the same girls who had greeted Cecilia earlier. Cecilia shot them a grateful look.
People at other tables also began to speak up. Someone even took out their phone, planning to record the incident and expose this bullying on the school forum.
Seeing that she’d gotten carried away and become the target of public criticism, Cindy Underwood quickly adopted a righteous tone. "Who said I wouldn’t pay? Of course I’ll pay for what I broke. The only reason I’m even arguing is because she claimed this bracelet is worth nearly a hundred dollars!"
"A fake designer bracelet is worth fifty cents at most. I’ll transfer you the money right now!"
With that, Cindy took out her phone, ready to transfer the money to Cecilia.
"Who here just called the police?"
Less than ten minutes had passed before the police from the nearby station arrived. Since this was the Lorcain Institute of Technology, the closest precinct was just at the other end of the food street.
When Cindy saw the police had actually arrived, her eyes lit up again. She pointed at Cecilia and announced loudly, "Officers, she filed a false report!"
The two officers looked at Cecilia. One of them asked with a serious expression, "You’re the one who called?"
Cecilia nodded slightly. "She broke my bracelet."
As she spoke, Cecilia opened her palm to show the officers the bracelet, now broken into several pieces. Estelle Goodman quickly added the pieces she had picked up.
Seeing this, the two officers couldn’t help but exchange a hesitant glance.
The dispatch call said it was a dispute over nearly a hundred dollars. Could this bracelet really be worth nearly a hundred dollars?
One of the officers looked at Cecilia and said, "Then please provide proof of purchase, or any evidence that can directly or indirectly prove the bracelet’s value. We only intervene to mediate personal property disputes valued at over twenty dollars."
Hearing the officer’s words, Cindy couldn’t help but look gleeful. ’Where would she get a receipt for a fake bracelet? Just wait until you get a lecture from the police for wasting their time!’
However, her triumphant expression lasted less than three seconds before her eyes flew wide open.
Because she was standing so close, Cindy saw it clearly when Cecilia pulled up her WhatsApp payment history.
And the payment record wasn’t for nearly a hundred dollars, but for over two hundred dollars. The receiving merchant was clearly marked: "Cartier, The Metro, Lorcain."
’How is that possible?’
’How could Cecilia possibly spend over two hundred dollars at Cartier in one go?’
The two officers were also stunned. This young woman had spent over two hundred dollars at a single store in one transaction?
Only Estelle Goodman smiled in relief, excitedly grabbing Cecilia’s hand. She knew it! She had said the bracelet was real; she couldn’t have been wrong!
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Cindy Underwood’s face finally showed a flicker of panic. She shook her head in disbelief at Cecilia. "That record must be fake! How could you possibly have over two hundred dollars?"
Cecilia looked at Cindy with a mocking expression. "I just love this look on you—the one where you show how you’ve never seen the real world."
The officer, snapping back to his senses, said, "We will certainly investigate whether it’s real or fake. Because the value of the damaged item exceeds twenty dollars, this now falls under the category of significant property damage. You’ll both have to come with us."
Cecilia nodded lightly. Estelle grinned and whispered, "I’ll go with you. I’ve never been inside a police station before."
Seeing this, one of the girls from the other table stood up and said to the police and Cecilia, "Officer, we witnessed the whole thing. If you need witnesses, we’re willing to testify for Cecilia!"
"That’s right, we’re all witnesses!"
"I have a video recording."
The officer raised a hand to quiet the crowd. "If needed, we will contact you all later. As for the student who recorded a video, please don’t circulate it for now to avoid any negative impact on your university. Rest assured, we will handle this matter properly."
After speaking, he gestured for Cecilia and Cindy to follow them back to the station. Estelle tagged along excitedly, while Summer Lynn and Hope Warner exchanged a look, their feet suddenly feeling as if they were filled with lead. Neither of them dared to move or offer to accompany Cindy.
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