Chapter 518 - 514: Added to the Blacklist

Jasmine Sterling’s stance was firm, and she showed no hesitation in her move to call the police.

Just as she’d said, they couldn’t just leave under a cloud of suspicion. If she walked out the door of the Lane residence today, the accusation of theft would stick to them forever.

She needed the truth, and more importantly, her employees needed their names cleared.

Mrs. Lane frowned slightly at the sight. ’Cecilia Sterling’s mother is certainly stubborn,’ she thought. ’I already said I’d drop it, but she’s the one making a federal case out of it.’

Just as she was about to speak, a DING echoed from the living room’s private elevator.

The doors opened, and to everyone’s surprise, Walter Lane stepped out.

Jasmine Sterling’s hand, poised to dial, froze for a moment. Mrs. Lane was just as surprised. "Darling? Why are you home at this hour?"

The living room was bustling with activity. It had been a long time since Walter Lane had seen so many people in his home.

He stepped out of the elevator with a puzzled expression, explaining to his wife that he wasn’t feeling well and had come home to rest, all while his eyes scanned the people standing in the living room.

Until his gaze fell upon Jasmine Sterling.

"Ms. Sterling?"

Walter Lane sounded astonished, clearly surprised to find Jasmine Sterling in his home. "What brings you here?"

He was surprisingly courteous, a stark contrast to his wife’s treatment of her. Jasmine Sterling wasn’t one to deliberately make things difficult for others; she simply mirrored the attitude she was shown.

So, she gave Walter Lane a slight nod in acknowledgment before saying, "An issue arose with my employees while they were working for Mrs. Lane. I’m here to resolve it."

Upon hearing this, Walter Lane turned to his wife.

Mrs. Lane’s guilt was palpable. She quickly tried to laugh it off. "Oh, it’s just a misunderstanding! I already said I was dropping the matter."

A chill entered Walter Lane’s eyes. He knew his wife’s personality better than anyone; things were surely not that simple.

And just as he expected, Jasmine Sterling immediately called her out. "A misunderstanding? That’s not what you were saying a moment ago, Mrs. Lane. Weren’t you just insisting that my employee stole from you?"

As she spoke, she held up her phone, its screen displaying the number for the police, which she hadn’t yet had a chance to dial.

Walter Lane understood everything in an instant.

"Ms. Sterling, please don’t call the police. There might genuinely be a misunderstanding here," he said, quickly trying to placate Jasmine before turning to his wife. "What’s missing?"

Mrs. Lane averted her gaze and pressed her lips together, then mumbled in a voice as quiet as a mouse, "My... my Nephrite Jade bracelet."

Walter Lane’s pupils constricted, and his fists clenched involuntarily.

Because his wife’s Nephrite Jade bracelet had snapped last week when she’d accidentally knocked it during dinner. He’d seen it happen with his own eyes and had even promised to buy her a new one as a replacement.

The two maids had even witnessed it.

Walter Lane shot a dagger-like glare at the two maids, the fury in his eyes asking a silent question: ’So you just helped my wife frame someone?’

The two maids instantly cowered and lowered their heads.

"Mr. Lane, my employees are hardworking, honest people who earn every penny they make. If one of my employees were responsible, I would absolutely not condone it. But if this is nothing more than Mrs. Lane’s malicious accusation, then they deserve an apology for the slander and contempt they have been subjected to today."

As Jasmine Sterling spoke, she again made a move to call the police.

’To get an impartial judgment, it’s best to leave it to the police.’

"Ms. Sterling!" Walter Lane interjected, softening his tone. "There’s no need to call the police. I remember now. I took that Nephrite Jade bracelet to give to someone. This whole affair is just a misunderstanding."

Walter Lane had blurted out an excuse that was an obvious lie, but any intelligent person could see he was offering a way for everyone to save face.

Jasmine Sterling, of course, could see that as well.

Seizing the opportunity, Mrs. Lane feigned a pout. "Honestly, you could have at least told me you took it."

Walter Lane looked at his wife. "You weren’t home that day."

Inwardly, however, he was cursing his wife a million times over.

Jasmine Sterling watched the couple’s little charade and sneered internally. Since the Nephrite Jade bracelet wasn’t even missing, calling the police was now pointless.

But the matter couldn’t end just like that.

She looked at Mrs. Lane, her expression calm, and said, "Then I must ask you, Mrs. Lane, to apologize to my employees for falsely accusing them."

Her tone was soft, but it held an undeniable resolve.

"What?" Mrs. Lane looked shocked and blurted out with disgust, "Me? Apologize to *them*?"

"That’s right. They were falsely accused of being thieves for no reason. Don’t they deserve an apology?" Jasmine Sterling met the other woman’s stunned gaze, her aura uncharacteristically aggressive.

"Or perhaps," Jasmine Sterling threatened directly, "Mrs. Lane would prefer I post a detailed account of this entire incident on social media?"

The wealthy care about nothing more than their reputation.

Lorcain’s elite circle was large, but it was also incredibly small. The client list for Jasmine Sterling’s company had a significant overlap with Mrs. Lane’s social acquaintances.

If this incident were to go public, the ones who would be utterly humiliated would be Mrs. Lane, and by extension, Walter Lane.

"You..." Mrs. Lane was clearly intimidated now. She glared at Jasmine Sterling, but dared not say another disrespectful word.

"You should apologize," Walter Lane said quickly, looking at his wife. "It’s the right thing to do. Since it was a misunderstanding and you wrongly accused them, just apologize. Or would you rather this incident become the talk of the town?"

A knot of frustration tightened in Mrs. Lane’s chest. She had intended to humiliate Cecilia Sterling’s mother to vent her own anger, but instead, she had once again shot herself in the foot.

She glanced at Ashton and the other women. Though their appearances were tidy, the sight of their cleaning uniforms filled her with nothing but loathing and disgust.

"Today was a misunderstanding. I apologize for my earlier words." Mrs. Lane practically ground the words out through clenched teeth, a sickening wave of humiliation washing over her.

’I’m actually apologizing to *cleaners*.’

’This is worse than death.’

Jasmine Sterling watched her with cold eyes. The apology was far from sincere, but she had never expected a heartfelt one to begin with.

"Ashton, do you and the others accept her apology?" Jasmine Sterling asked her employees.

Ashton and the others nodded. It wasn’t that they cared about the apology, but the feeling of having their boss stand up for them was incredible. More than anything, they felt a profound sense of gratitude toward Jasmine Sterling.

"In that case, we’ll be leaving," Jasmine Sterling said, preparing to take her leave. But just as she turned, she looked back one last time. "Oh, and Mrs. Lane? To prevent any similar incidents in the future, your address will be permanently blacklisted in our company’s system. We will no longer be providing any of our services to this residence. Goodbye!"