Reborn From Ashes novel Chapter 295

Hayden laughed heartily.

"If you were really planning to give that emerald to the Sterling family, why'd you send it to the auction house?" Lily snapped, her voice laced with anger.

"Maybe," Hayden replied mockingly, "you stole the wrong emerald. Next time, be more careful. Double-check what you're stealing."

With that, he turned to leave, tossing out one last jab over his shoulder.

"Oh, and if you're still thinking about causing trouble for me, I wouldn't mind calling the cops. Maybe checking the security cameras in the neighborhood would clear things up."

He shot a confident, devilish grin before walking out, leaving behind an eerie silence.

Everyone stood frozen, watching Hayden's retreating figure.

"He's changed…" Julia whispered, a hint of fear in her voice.

She realized that Hayden had grown ruthless. He had calculated everything, leaving no room for error.

"Dad, we can't let Hayden get away with this. We have to make him pay!" Lily shouted, her fury boiling over.

"Enough!" Francis barked, glaring at her with an expression so dark it was almost terrifying.

He said nothing else, simply turning and walking away. His birthday celebration was ruined, and his reputation lay in tatters. The humiliation left him in no mood for further discussion.

"Why… Why did it turn out like this…" Lily murmured, her voice trembling as she stared at her father's retreating back.

She couldn't bear the look in his eyes. It was as if he saw her as nothing more than a failure.

Desperate, she turned to Charlotte and the others.

"Mom, I didn't mean for this to happen! I just wanted Dad to be happy!" Lily cried, tears streaming down her face. "I didn't do anything wrong. That emerald was just sitting there on the table! You believe me, don't you?"

"If it weren't for him, Dad wouldn't have blamed you, and you wouldn't have ended up taking the fall for this!" Morgan declared, his tone full of righteous indignation.

He conveniently left out his own involvement in the fiasco. He needed to distance himself from the situation to protect his future. After all, if Hayden followed through with calling the cops, a criminal record would ruin everything for him.

Lily broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Lily," Morgan said, opening his arms to console her. "Come here. You can cry it out. I hate seeing you like this."

Just as he moved closer, Lily wiped her tears, and her expression hardened.

"Hayden," she muttered with venom in her voice. "I'll make you pay for this."

Her eyes flashed with determination. "You think I don't have dirt on you? You might want to think twice."