Chapter 141:
Paralyzed by fear, Javier was too terrified to confess and equally afraid to flee. Every passing moment felt like torture, like a cat on a hot tin roof.
Vince carefully removed each painting from the safe, inspecting them one by one. He eventually discovered that five paintings had been swapped. Their total worth was no less than forty million dollars. His blood pressure skyrocketed, causing him to sway and nearly lose his balance.
Fortunately, Javier reacted quickly, steadying Vince with a worried voice, “Dad, are you alright?”
Once regaining his balance, Vince shouted in frustration, “We need to catch the thief and get my paintings back!” The financial value was secondary; the true worth of these paintings lay in their cultural significance.
Typically calm and dignified, Vince’s fury broke through as he yelled, “That damn thief! When I catch him, he’ll regret it deeply!”
Javier dared not make a sound, sweat beading on his back.
After a pause, Javier hesitantly said, “Dad, maybe calling the police isn’t necessary…”
“Call the police! Now!” Vince declared firmly.
As Vince reached for his phone, Javier panicked and snatched it away.
Vince looked at him, confused. “What are you doing? Cut out this nonsense.”
Javier stammered, his face betraying his inner turmoil.
Arms crossed, Jeffry glanced at Elena with understanding. Clearly, Elena had realized early on that this was an inside job, explaining why she had initially stopped Vince from calling the police.
Standing casually with one hand in her pocket, Elena watched the situation unfold. It was obvious Javier was about to face a hard lesson.
“Did you stop me from calling the police because of guilt?” Vince narrowed his eyes, scanning Javier from head to toe. “Your mom and I give you half a million every month for your expenses, and your uncle, aunt, and grandmother often give you extra cash. You’re not short on money, so why would you resort to stealing artwork?”
Vince still couldn’t believe his son would stoop to theft. Javier might be reckless, but he wasn’t the type to commit petty crimes. Still, Javier’s reaction was suspicious.
Lᴀt𝑒st chαptєrs in g𝒶lnovels.c𝑜m
Javier clutched Vince’s phone as if terrified of what might happen if the police got involved.
At that moment, Elena casually held out her own phone. “Vince, you can use mine.”
Javier shot her a sharp glare. She was doing this on purpose—he was sure of it! If not for her meddling earlier, his father wouldn’t have even thought about checking the paintings. Those replicas had cost him a fortune, and they were so well-made that even experts could be fooled. If Elena hadn’t interfered, his father wouldn’t have noticed a thing!
Javier’s resentment toward Elena deepened. First, she made Elyse’s life miserable, and now she was coming after him too. He wasn’t about to let her get away with it.
Just as Javier was glaring daggers at Elena, pain shot through his ear. He let out a miserable cry. “Ah! It hurts! Dad, take it easy! You’re gonna tear my ear off!”
Vince gripped Javier’s ear with one hand and held his phone with the other. “Who do you think you’re glaring at? Answer me—did you do it?”
