The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 295

By the time Lavinia finally managed to calm Judith down and hang up, her phone was hot to the touch.

Charley reached over and gently ruffled her hair. "You've had a long night. Let's go home."

The two of them walked out, but as they reached the entrance of the exhibition hall, they spotted two figures standing outside: Julian and Sigrid.

Sigrid was looking at Julian with pleading eyes, clearly begging for a favor.

Lavinia grabbed Charley's arm and pulled him behind a pillar, deciding to eavesdrop for a moment.

Sigrid's tearful, broken voice drifted over to them. "Julian, our fathers were close friends back in the day. You're practically like an older brother to me. Could you please just talk to Garnett for me about tonight? He won't even speak to me..."

The overhead lights cast sharp shadows across Julian's face, making his expression look exceptionally cold.

"Ms. Sloan, it's true our families used to be friends. So you thought that gave you the right to just help yourself to my family's heirloom? Is that how your father raised you?"

Sigrid burst into tears, looking absolutely pitiful.

Lavinia rolled her eyes from behind the pillar. Did she practice crying in the mirror? Did she think every man on earth would just melt the second she shed a tear?

Not every man was as brain-dead as Garnett Harper.

"Julian, I swear I didn't steal it! Garnett's secretary insisted I borrow it for a few days. And Garnett had recently bought my mother a jade bangle that looked exactly like it for her birthday. I honestly just mixed them up."

Sigrid sobbed as she frantically spun her web. "No one believes me now, everyone thinks I swapped it on purpose. But how could I? Even if my family lost its wealth, I have a respectable job. Why would I steal?"

She kept rambling, but Julian just stared at her with dead eyes. When she finally ran out of breath, he asked slowly, deliberately:

"Garnett Harper... bought your mother a bangle for her birthday?"

Sigrid nodded tearfully.

Before anyone could say another word, a police cruiser rolled up and parked right at the bottom of the exhibition hall steps.

The head of security for the event walked up, accompanied by three officers. Judging by the timing, Charley hadn't just called them.

He had called them hours ago, or specifically instructed the head of security to do it.

The lead officer stepped forward, flashed his badge, and looked at a pale, trembling Sigrid. "Are you Sigrid Sloan? Do you have your ID?"

Sigrid was too terrified to speak.

Lavinia stepped out from behind the pillar, her voice light but crystal clear. "That's Sigrid Sloan. We can all verify her identity."

The security head pulled up a photo of the guest list on his phone and showed it to the officer. The cop checked it and nodded. "Someone reported that you're a suspect in the theft and swapping of a multi-million dollar piece of jade jewelry. We need you to come with us for questioning."