Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I looked at Mason, who wore a faint smile that didn't reach his eyes―an expression brimming with mockery, just like the rest of them.

He had already declared me guilty in his mind. No amount of truth would ever sway him.

I closed my eyes briefly, forcing down the turmoil in my chest.

"Call the police," I said steadily. "Since none of you believe me, let law enforcement handle it."

The moment the words left my lips, the condescension in Mason's eyes sharpened.

"That's enough, Melanie," he said in a chilled voice. "Drop the innocent act. The evidence is right in front of us... why can't you just admit what you did?"

He took a step closer, his voice dropping. "Valerie is letting this go for my sake. Do you really want to drag this into a criminal scandal?"

He let out a dry laugh. "A few days ago, you gave me a birthday gift. It wasn't wildly expensive, but it still cost a few thousand dollars. Where would someone from your background get that kind of cash?"

Mason paused, ignoring Valerie's fake attempts to pull his sleeve, and pressed on ruthlessly.

"Valerie noticed several luxury accessories missing over the past few weeks," he continued. "And every single time something vanished, you were nearby."

"Valerie didn't want to make a scene. She told me to let it go because the money didn't matter. But you crossed the line by stealing that brooch. Did you really not know how much sentimental value it holds for her?"

My mind exploded with a deafening ring.

In that singular moment, the brutal reality became glaringly clear: Mason looked down on me just as much as the rest of his social circle did.

I had spent an entire year convincing myself that Mason was different from the arrogant elites around him.

Now, the veil was completely lifted. Deep in his bones, he harbored the same instinctive prejudice against the poor.

No matter how politely he masked it, that was who he truly was.

I didn't even blame him anymore.

Mason and Valerie were born at the absolute top of the social hierarchy, pampered and revered since birth.

In their narrow worldview, impoverished people could only acquire luxury items through theft or deception.

He would never believe Valerie could be a liar, nor would he ever believe in my innocence.

To him, my social standing was far too insignificant for someone of Valerie's stature to bother framing.

If I had been an heiress born into their elite circle, he would have backed me without a second thought.

At the end of the day, I was just a girl on financial aid. In their eyes, the poor possessed no dignity worth respecting.

Furthermore, even if Mason discovered Valerie had set me up, he would still stand firmly by her side.

In their world, family reputation and business alliances outweighed everything else. A clean image meant a stronger claim to corporate inheritance.

Between an impoverished scholarship girlfriend and a powerful heiress ally, the choice was glaringly obvious.

Even knowing all of this, I still pulled out my cracked, outdated phone and dialed 911.

I believed the law would prove my innocence, and I refused to believe their wealth could completely bury the truth.

The police arrived shortly after. When the three of us headed to the precinct, Mason sat beside Valerie in his luxury sports car, without sparing me a single backward glance.

I rode to the station alone in the back of a police cruiser.

When we arrived, Mason went to park the car, leaving Valerie and me momentarily alone in the corridor.

She approached me with an immaculate, composed smile and slipped a black banking card toward my fingers.

"I know you're desperate for money," Valerie said softly. "There is half a million dollars in this account. Take it and disappear from Mason's life."

She tilted her head, admiring her manicure. "You're a smart girl, Melanie. Calling the police was a clever move."

"The officers will clear your name, but they won't be able to pin anything on me either," she whispered, letting out a faint sigh of pity. "You and Mason belong to entirely different worlds. You didn't honestly believe he loved you, did you?"