Chapter 3

My gaze drifted over to Gavin's side, where the real culprit stood looking at me with open disgust.

I rolled my eyes and turned to the crowd. "If you're all so sure that it was me, you'd better have some proof. Otherwise, what are you basing this on?"

The others let out a cold laugh. "We knew you'd say that. If we hadn't checked the surveillance footage, we really would've let scum like you walk free."

One of them held up a phone and shoved a video right in my face. I stared at the footage, and sure enough, the person on screen was me. I honestly hadn't expected them to still have it this time around.

The person then held the video up to the livestream, and the comment section erupted immediately.

"She was so calm just now, I actually thought they had the wrong person. But they've actually got the footage. This woman's probably a serial thief!"

"Got slapped in the face with evidence, huh? Let's hear what excuse she's got now."

"Call the police! Get her arrested! Society doesn't need trash like this!"

I looked past all of them and let my eyes settle on Gavin and Brooke. Maybe it was my imagination, but I could've sworn I caught a flicker of satisfaction on both their faces.

I'd thought spending three days in custody would've been enough to stop them from framing me again, but clearly I was wrong.

With the surveillance footage backing them up, the victims grew even bolder and closed in on me with their hands out.

"Elena Chambers, pay up! I got fired from the department store because of you. That perfume you stole? I had to cover the cost out of my own pocket. You owe me for the perfume and my lost wages. A few thousand dollars should cover it!"

The bar owner jumped in next. "Yeah, and what about me? Do you have any idea what those bottles you smashed were worth? That was my entire collection, built up over years, over 500 thousand dollars worth. Pay up!"

Then there was the elderly couple. Their son had been hit by a car and was still lying in a hospital bed.

The old man pointed at me, shaking with fury. "I don't care about anything else. If something happens to my son, you're paying for it with your life!"

"That's right!" the old woman added. "If our son doesn't recover, you couldn't pay us enough even if you had 100 million dollars!"

The crowd was getting out of control. I cleared my throat. "Everyone, please calm down and hear me out!"

I pointed at Gavin and Brooke, who'd been standing off to the side, enjoying the show. "The person who did all of this isn't me. It's her, Brooke Ashton.

"She's the one behind everything. None of it has anything to do with me. Please believe me!"

The words had barely left my mouth before Gavin stormed in, furious. "Still denying it? The evidence is right there, and you're trying to pin this on Brooke? Are you even human?"

Brooke's eyes welled up with tears, her face the portrait of wounded innocence. "Elena, if you can't afford to pay them back, I can even lend you the money. Why are you trying to drag me into this?"

The livestream camera swung over to capture Gavin and Brooke perfectly on cue, and the comments flooded in with sympathy.

"There's no way that pretty lady's the culprit."

"Has this woman lost her mind? She's just lashing out at random people now."

"She's vicious. She's got hard evidence against her, and she's still trying to frame someone else. Imagine what she'd pull if there wasn't any proof."

Just then, the wail of a police siren cut through the noise.

A squad car pulled up nearby, and the same police officer who'd processed my case stepped out. "We got a call about a suspect at the scene."

Everyone pointed at me in unison. "It's her!"

The officer blinked in surprise. "Elena Chambers? Didn't I just release you? How are you a suspect again?"