A second later, he walked over, picked it up, and opened the elegant case in front of everyone.
Nestled inside was the Bloodstone Qilin.
"Isn't that the Farley family's Bloodstone Qilin? The one that's been passed down for centuries?"
Gladys shrieked the moment she saw it.
The fact that the Bloodstone Qilin was a Farley heirloom was no secret in Crestfield. Most people knew it had been stolen over a hundred years ago.
I had spent months tracking down every lead, following every thread, until I finally discovered where the Bloodstone Qilin had ended up. Then I'd placed the winning bid at auction.
All so I could surprise Dudley today.
I never imagined the treasure I'd fought so hard to win would end up in someone else's hands.
I gritted my teeth against the searing pain and forced myself to my feet, reaching for what was mine. But Elliot's grip on the Bloodstone Qilin tightened like a vise, disbelief stamped across his face.
The people around us had recognized it too. Suspicion gleamed in every pair of eyes.
"So that's why you showed up at the Farley estate. For the Bloodstone Qilin."
"Stealing other women's husbands wasn't enough for you? Now you're stealing family heirlooms too?"