Chapter 5 Seeking Justice

"These are all fakes!" Inside a well-known pawnshop, the store clerk firmly put the jewelry box on the counter with her face steaming with anger. "Do you take me for a fool?"

The store clerk looked at Annie from head to toe. Seeing that she was poorly dressed, the woman sneered in disdain. "Have you seen your shabby appearance in the mirror? You should be ashamed of yourself. Did you steal this box of jewelry? I guess that a poverty-stricken woman like you knows nothing about jewelry at all. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if you had indeed stolen this box of fake jewelry."

Annie felt so insulted that her face turned red. But she didn't come here to quarrel. She took a deep breath to suppress her anger and spoke in a neutral tone. "This is my dowry given by my sister. It can't be fake. Maybe someone else here in the store can properly appraise it."

The store clerk rolled her eyes and said, "This is the biggest pawnshop in Ywood, and I am the senior appraiser here. If I say it's fake, then it must be fake! Now please leave the store and stop wasting my time."

Biting her lip in frustration, Annie remained persistent. "I believe my family won't lie to me. There must be some misunderstanding here. How about you check it for me again? Maybe you just made a mistake."

Unable to keep her cool any further, the store clerk carelessly poured the contents of the box onto the table. She grabbed a ring and raised it in front of Annie's startled face. "Miss, can you at least make some effort in bringing me better-looking fake jewelry than this one? This ring looks like a cheap toy worth less than ten dollars from a stall on the street!"

Then the store clerk took out a box from the shop display with a diamond ring in it. She showed it to Annie and said, "Now this is a real diamond ring. As long as you have eyes that work, you can see the difference, right?"

Annie's cheeks flushed heavily in embarrassment, and her hands clenched into fists. She was struggling not to break down in public.

She grew up in the countryside and had never seen any jewelry. It never occurred to her to question the authenticity of the dowry given to her. Just a week ago, the White family found her and welcomed her warmly to their home. Everyone was kind and gracious to her. This box of jewelry was personally handed over to her by Florrie. She said that it was a token of appreciation for Annie's help. Her younger sister insisted that she accept the gift and take it as a dowry.

Florrie also mentioned that these were her favorite jewelry and her most prized possessions. How could they be fake?

However, when Annie examined the two rings in front of her, even her untrained eyes easily spotted their differences. The diamond ring the store clerk took out was so dazzling that it completely outshone her fake ring.

"Well, why are you so silent all of a sudden? Didn't you just insist that this box of jewelry is genuine? Weren't you questioning my authority?" The store clerk smirked in delight when she saw that Annie dropped her head in defeat.

"This dowry was really given to me by my sister. I wanted to pawn it to fund my husband's hospital treatment. If the jewelry is fake, I think she might have made an honest mistake." Annie tried to make an excuse, but she couldn't argue the fact that the real diamond ring in front of her was obviously different from the fake one. Her reasoning suddenly sounded absurd. Her face became even paler after she made a big fool of herself.

Right across the street, a handsome man with black hair sitting inside the Ywood Teahouse stared blankly at the scene in the pawnshop.

"Why are you always looking at that woman?" Sitting opposite to Addy, Chasen poked his head out and looked at the beautiful woman inside the pawnshop across the street in confusion. It seemed that something important was going on.

Addy frowned and let out a deep sigh. He didn't answer Chasen's question as his mind was a mess at the moment.

When Addy first found out that Annie wanted to sell the jewelry, he thought she was going to use the money to run away from him.

He had hastily presumed that this woman was no different from those greedy people who only cared about their own interests.

But she just revealed that she was only selling the jewelry so that he could finally afford the hospital treatment.

Even though the so-called disease was made up, Addy felt deeply moved by her thoughtful gesture.

They were still strangers yesterday. But it didn't seem to matter at all. Annie had shown that she was willing to go to great lengths for him. She had wholeheartedly decided to sell her dowry for his sake.

Now she was being mocked and humiliated by the store clerk in the pawnshop because of the counterfeit items. Although he had no true feelings for this fake bride, he couldn't bear to see her suffer in embarrassment.

Annie was backed into a corner, and several bystanders gathered around to laugh at her expense. Addy could no longer sit still and watch the pitiful scene unfold any further. He rushed across the street to enter the pawnshop.

Left alone at the table, Chasen scratched his head in puzzlement. Countless women kept throwing themselves at Ronald, but he never showed any interest in anyone.

Never had Chasen thought that this shabbily dressed woman could actually attract Ronald's attention. Was this person somehow special to him? Could she be Ronald's girlfriend?

Chasen sat restlessly with curiosity, dying to know the answer.

Standing in front of the counter with her head lowered in shame, Annie endured the sarcasm and insults thrown her way. The store clerk's words were full of discrimination against the poor.

Annie couldn't stand such an ill-mannered woman anymore. It was time to fight back and defend her honor. She glared at the store clerk and retorted, "If the jewelry is fake, then it's my fault that I took it to the pawnshop. But being poor is not a good reason for you to be mean and rude to me! Does being poor instantly make me a thief? Your rude behavior is uncalled for. You have gone too far!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Annie felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned around and was greeted by a pair of amber eyes. "Addy? What are you doing here?"

Addy smiled at Annie fondly and said, "I'll explain later. Now, I have to deal with this store clerk."

Since Annie had been subjected to humiliation and stress for his sake, he had to seek justice for his wife.

Addy took off the gold watch from his wrist and tossed it on the counter. He raised his chin and asked, "How much is this watch worth?"

The store clerk was still in a foul mood after dealing with the fake jewelry. She rolled her eyes and picked up the watch with an impatient sigh. But the longer she examined the watch, the wider her eyes grew. She was in shock!

"This watch has a pyramid-shaped diamond encrusted in the centerpiece. Its high-quality components are clearly visible inside, and it's adorned with expensive jewelry. It is a limited edition watch from Jacob Company. Its unique design and craftsmanship are undeniably genuine. It's one of the most expensive watches in the world. Sir, do you really own this priceless item?"

"Of course, it's my watch. Do you think I stole it as well?" Addy sneered, emitting an imposing aura. "Think about it carefully with your stupid head. How could my prominent family use fake jewelry? The fake jewelry is just our child's toy, which my wife brought here by mistake."

The store clerk was so frightened that her legs trembled uncontrollably. She quickly bowed to Addy in respect. "I'm truly sorry, sir!" She knew she couldn't afford to offend a man who owned such an expensive watch. It would be bad for business.

"There's someone else you need to ask for forgiveness." Addy glanced at the store clerk in disdain. The hint of threat in his eyes made the room temperature drop. He put his arm around Annie's shoulder and said, "We are not leaving this place until you apologize to my wife. You need to be sincere. Or else, there will be hell to pay."