Chapter 10

When she pushed the door open, Gregory was sitting on the leather couch with Beatrice on his lap. Her arms were wrapped around his neck as they kissed passionately, oblivious to everything around them. Blair took in the entire scene. Her eyes showed no emotion. Acting as if she'd seen nothing, she calmly set down the necklace and prepared to leave. Hearing the commotion, the entangled pair reluctantly separated. Gregory's eyes were sharp, instantly clear. Seeing that it was Blair, he narrowed them dangerously. "What are you doing here?" Blair pointed to the necklace on the table. "I delivered what you asked for, Ms. Pierson. Don't forget to transfer the payment." With that, she turned to leave. But just then, Beatrice's shocked voice rang out. "Greg, I'm so sorry! You gave me the necklace yesterday, but it broke today. Are you angry with me?" She held the necklace in both hands, her eyes reddening as she looked up at Gregory pitifully. His sharp gaze shot toward Blair, though he addressed Beatrice. "What happened?" Beatrice glanced meaningfully at Blair. "I don't know. It was perfectly fine yesterday. But after Blair brought it over… Well, you can see for yourself." Anyone with half a brain could understand what Beatrice was implying. She was all but directly accusing Blair of breaking it. Gregory's eyes darkened as he took the necklace and walked over to Blair. "It wasn't me," she said curtly. Before he could speak, Blair looked at him with clear, honest eyes. "Mr. Croft, the necklace is expensive. I can't afford to replace it, so I wouldn't do something so stupid." Gregory held the necklace up to her neck, his tone loaded with meaning. "You wanted it so badly before. And since you can't have it, you decided to destroy it. Am I right, Blair?" Blair took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly. "Like you said, that was before. Now, I have no interest in it whatsoever." Or in him, for that matter. Gregory understood exactly what she meant, and anger surged through him. It was not because of the necklace, but because of her words. His grip tightened on the necklace as he let out a cold laugh. "Since it passed through your hands, you can't escape responsibility. Unless..." Outside the balcony was a swimming pool. Gregory withdrew his gaze and looked down at her condescendingly, his dark eyes unfathomable. The next moment, he flung his hand out, throwing the necklace into the pool. He smirked coldly and said, "Find it and bring it to me. Then, I'll pretend this never happened." Beatrice gloated inwardly but put on a show of concern and intervention. "Greg, Blair just recovered from her cold. Her body can't handle it. Let me go instead." She hadn't taken two steps before Gregory stopped her. He stared directly at Blair, his smile ice-cold. "Pay for it, or find it. Your choice." Gregory had essentially given her only one option. Blair didn't flinch and chose the latter without hesitation. "I'll find it." Those calm words sent shockwaves through Gregory's heart. He studied Blair with unfamiliar eyes, as if trying to read something in her expression. Blair met his gaze. "Even though I didn't break it, I don't want to be framed by you two." She didn't care anymore. She was leaving anyway, so putting up with this wouldn't kill her. Blair jumped into the water with a splash. There were quite a few people around the pool, and when they saw her, some whistled lewdly and spoke without restraint. "Miss, swimming with your clothes on must be uncomfortable. How about I help you take them off?" Blair gritted her teeth and ignored their voices, struggling to search underwater. Fortunately, she found the necklace. Ignoring the leering stares of the men around her, she walked step by step back toward the room. Her shoulders stayed hunched from the cold, every step stiff with control. She refused to shiver, at least not in front of them.