Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 244 - Two Hundred And Forty Three

The evidence was irrefutable.

Ashlyn stared at the ledger, her chest heaving, her mind frantically searching for a lie, an excuse, a way out. But there was none. The ink on the pages didn’t lie. The pendant in Marissa’s hand didn’t lie.

Ashlyn slumped against the wall. The fight drained out of her, replaced by a cold, hard realization of defeat. She was cornered.

"What do you want?" Ashlyn asked. Her voice was flat, stripped of its usual arrogance.

She looked at Marissa, waiting for the demand. She expected Marissa to drag her to Beatrice’s room. She expected Marissa to call the guards and have her thrown out of the estate tonight.

Marissa smiled. It was a small, benevolent smile.

"I am not unreasonable, sister," Marissa said softly.

She took a step closer, avoiding the overturned chair.

"Considering your pregnancy," Marissa said, her eyes flicking briefly to Ashlyn’s stomach, "I will not be cruel. I won’t report you to the Dowager Duchess tonight. The shock might be too much for her heart, and the stress might be bad for your... condition."

Ashlyn let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She isn’t telling.

"However," Marissa continued, her voice hardening just a fraction. "Theft is theft. The Thompson family cannot subsidize your greed."

Marissa held out her hand, palm open.

"You will have to repay the embezzled silver," Marissa stated. "Every single coin. You will pay back the difference between the cheap silk and the gold you spent. You will pay back the kickbacks."

She paused.

"If you do that," Marissa promised, "I will let it slide. I will burn the ledger. I will forget this ever happened."

Ashlyn stared at her. Repay? The sum was enormous. She had spent the kickbacks on bribing a doctor to keep her miscarriage a secret and her small luxury life.

"But I..." Ashlyn stammered, her hands twisting in her dress. "I... I have no money."

It was the truth, and it was a lie. She had used the mortgage money from Mr. Silas to buy more jewelry to fill dowry, to replace what Carlos took from her, but she couldn’t use that. That was for her future. If she gave that up, she admitted defeat completely.

Marissa frowned. She furrowed her brow, looking genuinely confused.

"No money?" Marissa repeated.

She looked around the room. She looked at the floor.

The floor was covered in treasure.

Because Ashlyn had staged a robbery, she had dumped out her own jewelry boxes. Necklaces lay draped over the rug. Pearl earrings glinted in the candlelight. Silver coins—the ones she had used to make the "mess"—were scattered everywhere.

Marissa turned back to Ashlyn. She gasped, her hand flying to her chest in mock surprise.

"Ashlyn!" Marissa exclaimed. "Why would you lie to me?"

She gestured to the glittering debris on the floor.

"If you have no money," Marissa asked, her voice dripping with sweet sarcasm, "then why are there so many jewels and coins on the floor? It looks like a dragon’s hoard in here."

She tilted her head. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Did you foresee this?" Marissa asked, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Did you know I was coming? Did you prepare them for repayment in advance, sister? How thoughtful of you."

Ashlyn’s eyes went wide. She looked at her treasures on the floor. She had thrown them there to fake a crime. Now, they were going to be used to pay a fine. It was a trap of her own making.

"No!" Ashlyn cried. "Those are... those are my personal belongings! Those are not for you!"

Marissa didn’t listen. She bent down gracefully.

Near her foot lay a heavy bracelet, encrusted with rubies. It was one of Ashlyn’s favorites, a gift from her father years ago.

Marissa picked it up. She held it to the light, admiring the stones.

"This is beautiful," Marissa said. "It is heavy. Solid. This should cover a significant portion of the debt."

Ashlyn lunged.

She moved faster than she had all night. She snatched the bracelet from Marissa’s hand, clutching it to her chest.

"That’s mine!" Ashlyn shrieked. "Don’t touch it! You can’t have it!"

Marissa didn’t fight her for it. She just stood up straight, smoothing her robe. She looked at Ashlyn, clutching the gold like a desperate miser.

"You have a debt, Ashlyn," Marissa said coldly. "Debts are paid with assets. If you won’t give me coin, I will take collateral."

Marissa turned her head toward the open door.

"Lily," Marissa called out. Her voice was calm, but it carried authority.

Lily walked into the room instantly. She didn’t look surprised. She looked like she had been standing just outside the frame, waiting for her cue. She was holding a large, empty velvet sack.

"Yes, Your Grace?" Lily asked, bobbing a quick curtsy.

Marissa gestured to the floor with a sweeping motion of her hand.

"Find more valuables," Marissa ordered. " Search the entire room, gather them. Anything gold. Anything silver. Anything with a stone in it. Pick it all up."

Lily smiled. It was a bright, eager smile. She had been waiting for this. She hated Ashlyn for the way she treated the servants. This was justice.

"Yes, Your Grace," Lily said happily.

Lily dropped to her knees. She moved quickly. She grabbed a pearl necklace. She dropped it into the bag. She grabbed a handful of silver coins. Into the bag.

Ashlyn watched in horror. They were looting her room. They were cleaning her out.

"Stop!" Ashlyn yelled. "Stop it! You can’t do this!"

She tried to block Lily, but Mrs. Alma stepped forward. The housekeeper didn’t touch Ashlyn, but her stern presence was a wall.

"My Lady," Mrs. Alma said, her voice disapproving. "Please step aside. Her Grace is being generous. The alternative is not pleasant for your condition."

Ashlyn looked at Mrs. Alma, betrayed. She looked at Lily, who was scooping up a pair of diamond earrings.

She turned to Marissa, shaking with rage.

"You don’t have the right to touch my belongings!" Ashlyn screamed. "This is theft! This is robbery! I will tell Grandmother!"

She pointed a finger at Marissa’s face.

"I will go to her right now!" Ashlyn threatened. "I will wake her up! I will tell her you broke into my room and stole my dowry! She will believe me! She knows you hate me!"

Marissa’s face changed. The amusement vanished. The mockery vanished.

Her expression became hard. Her eyes became dark.

She took a step toward Ashlyn.

"Perfect," Marissa said.

Her voice hardened into stone.

"Go ahead," Marissa challenged her. "Let us go to Grandmother. Right now."

She pointed to the ledger on the floor.

"Let Grandmother know about your embezzlement," Marissa hissed. "Let her see the book where you recorded stealing from the family accounts. Let her see the testimony of the clerk."

Marissa leaned in, her face inches from Ashlyn’s.

"Do you think she will care about you?" Marissa asked. "When she finds out you have been stealing from her ? When she finds out you have been cheating the estate she managed for years with her own hands?"

Ashlyn froze. Her mouth snapped shut.

"Go," Marissa urged, gesturing to the door. "Run to her. Tell her everything. See who she throws out of the house tonight."