"Huh? Back to the car?" The team leader was clearly taken aback.
She hadn't expected that with a ring worth tens of thousands missing, they wouldn't stick around to oversee the search.
"Our Celeste is a popular star. If she stands here watching you look for the ring, she'll be surrounded by fans in no time," Gloria said.
The leader thought about it and agreed.
Celeste's car was parked not far away.
Even sitting in the car, they could easily see Rachel rummaging through the trash can in a sorry state.
"She deserves to dig through the trash," Gloria sneered. "She was so arrogant just now, and now she's stuck in the garbage heap."
Celeste responded indifferently, "Let's give it a little more time and then leave." Seeing Rachel in this state made her feel less threatened.
Even though Ralph had once loved this woman, in the end, he had discarded her.
Celeste couldn't help but remember how, back in prison, Rachel had insisted on her innocence despite her fingers bleeding and bones breaking.
This stubbornness made Celeste feel a deep irritation.
Why did that woman, after enduring such pain, still cling to her innocence?
Did she really think that insisting on her innocence would make her innocent?
The law cares about evidence!
"By the way, let's keep a souvenir," Gloria said, taking out her phone and snapping a picture of Rachel digging through the trash.
Rachel had no idea when this farce would end, but it was clear she wouldn't be getting off work at a normal time today.
She had even dragged Sister Rivera into this mess, searching for a non-existent "ring."
Rachel took off her plastic gloves, pulled out her phone, and made a call. "Jeffrey, it's me. Something came up at the office today, and I might be home late. Don't wait for me for dinner; just make something for yourself."
A gentle male voice came from the other end of the line, "What's going on?"
"Just... uh, some work stuff. You don't need to wait for me," Rachel said, noticing her team leader glaring at her.
She quickly ended the call, put her gloves back on, and continued rummaging through the trash.
---
Gray Family Corporation, President's Office
"Jeffrey," the President instructed Finn, "find out what happened to Rachel at the sanitation department."
Finn nodded and left the office.
Jeffrey's eyes narrowed in thought.
During the call, he could sense she was hiding something. But what could it be?
It didn't take Finn long to uncover the details. "Celeste said she lost a ring worth tens of thousands of dollars. She called the sanitation department head, Mr. Weijian, who then had Miss Diaz search through the trash to find it."
Finn referred to Celeste by her first name but used a formal title for Rachel, indicating their different statuses in Jeffrey's eyes.
Jeffrey's eyes suddenly narrowed.
"Searching through trash?"
The icy tone made Finn shiver. "Yes."
"A worthless ring, and she has to search through trash for it?" Jeffrey sneered. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "If Celeste likes finding rings so much, let her search thoroughly. Let her search to her heart's content!"
Finn had been with Jeffrey for years and knew his boss was angry.
It was rare. Over the years, few things had ever angered Master Jeffrey. But now, he was furious over a woman.
Finn sighed inwardly. It seemed Rachel's place in Master Jeffrey's heart was far more significant than he had previously thought.
Celeste and Gloria were sitting in the car, seemingly satisfied with watching Rachel rummage through the trash in a pitiful state.
They were just about to drive away.
Gloria asked, "How long are you gonna let her keep looking?"
Celeste replied casually, "Until tonight, just before I go to bed. Then I'll call the chief and tell him if the ring isn't found, I'll just consider it my bad luck."
Gloria chuckled, "You're really letting her off easy. She looks so pathetic right now, even Ralph would probably be disgusted.
Someone like Rachel isn't worthy of Ralph. Only a socialite like you, Celeste, is a good match for him."
Just as the red Maserati started, several police cars suddenly pulled up, surrounding them.
The officers got out and knocked on the car window.
Celeste rolled it down and heard the officer say, "We received a report about a missing ring valued over $10,000. We need to investigate whether it was lost or stolen."
"An investigation?" Celeste and Gloria were stunned.
"We didn't call the police!" Gloria blurted out.
But the officer ignored her. "A value over $10,000 makes this a major case. We need your cooperation to help recover the ring."
The problem was… there was no missing ring. The two women exchanged nervous looks.
Celeste gritted her teeth and said, "I don't want to pursue this anymore. It's fine if the ring isn't found."
"If this is a theft, the amount involved makes it a criminal case. We need to investigate. Please step out of the car and show us the exact location where you noticed the ring was missing," the officer insisted.
Celeste and Gloria reluctantly stepped out of the warm car into the cold wind and led the officers to the spot where they had confronted Rachel.
The area was now piled high with trash.
A lot of the garbage from the bins was now scattered around, making it easier to search.
The stench of trash filled the air, and Celeste and Gloria, dressed to the nines, looked even more out of place standing there in the middle of it all.
The officers wouldn't let them leave and made them stay to recount everything that happened.
After what felt like forever, the two women finally finished giving their statements and thought they could leave.
But then, one of the officers said, "Since we're already looking for the ring, you two should stay here and confirm if it's yours once we find it."
"Stand here?" Gloria asked, shocked.
"Yes."
"But it's so dirty and smelly here..."
Just then, a voice nearby shouted, "Oh my gosh, is that Celeste? I can't believe I'm seeing a star!"
Suddenly, a crowd started forming.
"Why is she standing in a pile of trash?"
"Is that a cop next to her? Are they filming a movie?"
People around them began whispering and taking pictures.
"I think it's best if I leave now. I'll have my assistant and lawyer come assist the police," Celeste said quickly, trying to get away.
"Miss Celeste, I know you're a star, but the sanitation workers are working hard to find your ring. As the person involved, can't you just stand by and wait? Or do you think you're too good for that?" the officer said coldly.