Alice froze.
No way!
She was sure she had hidden two banknotes in that envelope. How the heck did they turn into prayer charms?
Not wanting to believe it, she stuck her hand into the envelope, fingers shaking.
But there was nothing inside.
Evelyn leaned down and picked up the two prayer charms, her face flashing with disappointment. “Alice, I know your grades aren’t the best and that you rushed your thesis. I got you these charms and wish you’d get through graduation. But you accused me of stealing instead. Am I that worthless to you?”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant,” Alice said, almost crying. “It’s just … Dad’s money went missing, and I saw you hiding an envelope under your blanket. I thought—”
Is that so?
Evelyn looked over at her and smiled. “You only saw the envelope, not any money. Why would you jump to that conclusion?”
Unless Alice already knew there was cash inside.
Zaid caught on right away. He turned to Alice, his stare sharp. “Where’s the money?”
His expression was so scary that it made her tear up and freeze on the spot.
“Where’s the money?!” Getting no response, Zaid finally lost his patience and was ready to hit.
That was the moment Evelyn had been waiting for. Her eyes widened slightly.
But the slap never hit Alice.
Yvonne rushed over and blocked him, wrapping Alice in her arms.
Her cheeks flushed with anxiety. “Don’t hit her! She’s just a kid! She doesn’t know anything!”
How ironic.
Earlier, when Evelyn was almost hit, Yvonne just stood there and didn’t say a word.
Why didn’t she speak up then and say Evelyn was just a clueless kid?
Since Yvonne wanted to help, Evelyn figured she’d do her part as well.
But what she gave was a mess.
Evelyn stepped forward and grabbed Yvonne’s arm, eyes filled with sadness. “Mom, let Alice admit what she did. If she says sorry and promises not to steal next time, Dad won’t stay mad.”
“Next time?” Zaid fell for it. His face darkened. “Maybe I should beat her now. Save us all the trouble later.”
He started looking around, clearly searching for something to use.
Alice was terrified.
Even if Zaid worked in an office now, he’d been in the army, and he still packed a punch.
If he truly started hitting, she’d be doomed.
“Dad, I didn’t take the money! I swear!” Alice cried, turning to her mother. “Mom, please tell Dad I didn’t do it!”
Yvonne jumped in, “Hubby, I just remembered! I took 20 dollars from you yesterday. The kids have their graduation stuff coming up, so I wanted to get them some supplements. I forgot to mention it!”
Zaid turned her way. “You did?”
“Yes. It’s still in my bag. I can show you,” Yvonne said, nodding.
She did have money in there, but it was hers.
Evelyn acted like she had just realized. “Oh, so Mom took it?”
Yvonne shot her a sharp look, then forced a smile. “Yes, I forgot. Sorry, Hubby.”
She looked as lovely as ever, and her soft apology made Zaid’s temper cool off.
“Alright. If no one stole anything, just go to school,” he said with a wave.
Alice sighed in relief, thinking it was finally over.
But Evelyn wasn’t finished yet.
With a smile, she pointed at the bag on the table. “Alice, you forgot this.”
She picked it up and walked toward her. Right as she passed the bed, she tripped and grabbed the blanket by instinct.
The blanket and pillow fell to the floor with a thud.
Two banknotes slid out right in front of Yvonne and Zaid.
They’d been under Alice’s pillow.
Alice went pale, and everything around her felt like it was spinning.
She was sure she’d hidden the cash inside the envelope and tucked it under Evelyn’s blanket.
She’d even double-checked before Evelyn went downstairs. It was still there.
Wait, that’s the problem!
Right then, she realized Evelyn had swapped them out. The envelope was just a trick, and the actual money had been slipped under her pillow.
Now that the pillow had been flipped over, the missing money confirmed her guilt.
Fueled by rage, Alice launched at Evelyn, trying to strangle her. “You did this! You set me up!”
Evelyn was just getting up when Alice grabbed her. She freaked out, waving her arms around. “Dad! She’s trying to kill me!”
“What are you doing? Let go of her!” Zaid shouted, pulling Alice back by the collar and tossing her aside.
He bent down to Evelyn, who looked pale, and helped her stand. “Are you okay?”
She coughed hard and grabbed onto his arm, shaking all over and keeping her lips tight shut.
She looked completely crushed.
Alice had taken the money and blamed it on Evelyn, and when things fell apart, she’d gone straight for Evelyn’s throat.
Seeing Evelyn’s tear-streaked face, Zaid felt heartbroken.
Then, the fury returned.
His wife had said she took the money, but it was clear she was just covering for Alice.
They were both lying.
Fine. Very well!
Alice hit the desk hard, her back aching as she broke down in tears.
“Dad, Evelyn set me up! I didn’t steal your money!” she cried, crawling over and grabbing onto his leg.
But he didn’t believe a word of it.
From the missing cash to Alice begging Yvonne, and Yvonne saying she took the money—everything lined up too well for Alice to deny it.
Zaid felt like Alice thought he was stupid.
“Enough! You’re staying home to think about what you’ve done. And you! Helping her lie? You also need to reflect on yourself!” he snapped.
Alice tried to say something, but Yvonne held her back.
Saying anything now would only make things worse. It was better to hold off until Zaid cooled down.
“If that’s all, I’m heading to school,” Evelyn said as she stood up and walked unsteadily toward the door.
When she passed by Zaid, she purposely moved her hair so the red marks on her neck were visible.
“Wait,” he said.
She turned around. “Dad, can’t I go to school either? I didn’t steal anything.”
Zaid handed her a banknote. “Go to the hospital first and get your neck checked. You can head to class after that. I’m not going with you.”
Yvonne’s eyes twitched, and she quickly added, “If the doctor asks, just say you got hurt while playing around.”
Seeing Zaid’s gaze, she explained softly, “Hubby, I just don’t want everyone knowing what’s going on with us.”
Evelyn let out a chuckle, her eyes wet with tears.
Back in her previous life, when people blamed her for stealing, the whole campus heard about it. Why didn’t Yvonne worry about family image and protect herself at that time?
“Okay, I got it,” she said with a nod, then headed down the stairs.