George looked at Suzy's pale face and frail figure, irritation rising quietly inside him. She appeared so weak that even a strong breeze might knock her over.
Still, he knew better than to pressure her too much right now.
He waved a hand impatiently. "Fine. Go rest for a bit, but don't take too long. Aunt Fiona is almost finished with lunch."
Inwardly, he wasn't worried at all.
Suzy had already returned home. The transfer documents were with her, along with the gold bracelet. Waiting a little longer wouldn't change the outcome.
Wendy immediately put on an expression of gentle concern as well.
"That's right, Suzy," she said softly. "Your health is more important. Go upstairs and rest first. We can talk about everything else later."
Her gaze followed Suzy as she slowly climbed the staircase, her steps deliberately weak and unsteady, her slender frame looking fragile enough to collapse at any moment.
Inside, Wendy sneered coldly.
With a body like that, she probably won't survive long anyway. Makes things easier for me.
The moment Suzy reached the second floor and disappeared from the sight of the three people downstairs, the weakness vanished from her completely.
Her back straightened at once.
The fragile act from moments earlier disappeared without a trace.
A faintly mocking smile curled at the corners of her lips as she quickened her pace toward her bedroom.
She pulled out her key and unlocked the door.
The handle turned smoothly beneath her fingers, and the room opened before her exactly as she remembered.
At least, on the surface.
After all, thieves hiding within the family were always the hardest to guard against.
While she had been away at university, Fiona and Wendy had entered her room more times than she could count.
Suzy walked directly toward the wardrobe.
Hidden deep in the back was a small safe. She entered the password without hesitation.
The moment the safe clicked open and she saw its contents untouched inside, the tension in her chest finally eased.
Inside were copies of Elisabeth Ashford's handwritten will, the deed to the villa, and several photocopied files documenting George Kale's past business scandals—mistakes and illegal dealings that had never been exposed publicly.
Before her death, her mother had personally entrusted those documents to her.
Just in case Suzy was ever mistreated within the Kale family.
She had once held Suzy's hand and said gently: If anything happens, take these documents and find your uncle. He'll protect you.
Remembering that now, Suzy felt a sharp ache spread through her chest.
She inhaled slowly to steady herself before storing everything safely inside her spatial dimension.
Afterward, she rose and entered the walk-in closet.
At first glance, nothing seemed unusual.
But in reality, many of the valuables had already been secretly replaced by Wendy and Fiona.
The mother and daughter had swapped out Suzy's genuine jewelry with cheap counterfeits while she was away, quietly pocketing the originals for themselves.
If not for the dream she experienced last night, Suzy might never have realized it.
She had trusted these so-called family members far too deeply.
"They didn't even bother buying convincing fakes," Suzy muttered coldly.
Her fingers brushed lightly across a counterfeit gold bracelet resting in the cabinet.
The craftsmanship was terrible. It probably cost less than ten dollars online.
The fake quality was almost insulting.
Because she rarely returned home, she had failed to notice the swaps earlier.
Without caring whether the remaining pieces were genuine or counterfeit, Suzy lifted her hand and swept every item from the jewelry cabinet into her space.
Then she left her room and headed straight for George and Fiona's bedroom.
Pushing the door open quietly, she walked directly toward the vanity table.
The dream had revealed everything clearly.
All the jewelry Fiona had stolen and replaced was hidden inside the vanity drawers.
Suzy pulled open the first drawer.
Inside sat a jewelry case.
Judging by how carelessly it had been stored, Fiona clearly opened it often to admire the contents. She hadn't even bothered locking it properly.
Suzy opened the box without hesitation.
Inside lay every piece of jewelry her mother had left behind.
Among them was a diamond necklace that had once been part of Elisabeth's dowry.
That necklace alone was worth over three million dollars.
And it was only one item among many.
Rings. Earrings. Bracelets. Necklaces.
Altogether, the collection was worth well over ten million.
Fiona truly had incredible audacity.
And even greedier ambitions.
Anger flashed through Suzy as she gritted her teeth.
With a single thought, she stored every piece into her space.
At the same time, she carefully placed the counterfeit jewelry Fiona had used for the swap back into the box exactly where the originals had been.
If Fiona could play that game, then so could she.
And since she was already here, Suzy didn't stop there.
She also took several valuable pieces that genuinely belonged to Fiona herself.
Although they couldn't compare to the priceless things left by her mother, they were still worth tens of thousands—possibly even hundreds of thousands—of dollars.
Why should she leave anything behind for them?