Chapter 8: Are you innocent?

I looked at her, shocked as I furrowed my eyebrows together in confusion. 

"What are you talking about, Evelyn?" I asked as I looked over at her, the air between us crackling with unspoken tension.

It was at this moment when Natalie came running over with a concerned look etched onto her face. She wrapped her arm around Evelyn as she turned to look at her. "What's going on, Eve?" She asked as she looked between us, seeing that her daughter's finger was still pointing right at me. 

"Aurelia stole my diamond necklace! It was my birthday gift!" She accused without batting an eye as tears started to pool at the brim of her eyes. "I showed it to her earlier and she must have taken it out of the drawer when I wasn't looking or something."

I blinked a couple of times, my mind still struggling to register the situation that was unfolding right before my eyes. I was rendered speechless for a second, struggling to find the words to say. I opened my mouth to say something but Natalie beat me to it. 

Natalie turned to look at me with a tiny frown resting between her brows, her words snapping me back to the present. "Is that true, Aurelia? You stole my daughter's necklace?" She questioned. "If you confess and return it back to Evelyn right now, I promise that I wouldn't pursue this matter any further," she urged in an attempt to convince me. 

"Natalie, you have to trust me. I didn't steal anything," I explained with a look of certainty etched onto my face as my voice remained unwavering.

"Don't lie!" Evelyn's shrill voice rang in my ears as she stared at me with contempt. "In this entire house, you are the only one who would do this. You are the poorest bitch here! And when you saw that necklace you must have wanted it all to yourself so that you can sell it! You probably couldn't even make that much money in your lifetime even if you tried." 

"Evelyn!" Her mother's voice boomed loudly. "Don't be rude to Aurelia. I didn't raise you to behave and talk like this," she said sternly with a serious look on her face. 

Evelyn snapped her head around to meet her mother's eyes. "Mum, I'm your daughter! Why are you defending her?!" She asked, clearly displeased. "She stole my necklace, what I said is true!" She insisted as she crossed her arms over her chest and stomped her foot like a toddler throwing a petty tantrum. 

I turned to look at my mother, my eyes pleading for help, hoping for her to say something to help me and defend me. Well, she did say something, but it wasn't exactly what I expected. 

My mother put her hand on me as we locked eyes. "Aurelia, why don't you just admit that you have taken her necklace? Natalie had already said that she would drop the matter if you return it," she urged in a hush tone. "Quickly apologise to Evelyn and Natalie and tell them you won't do it again," she instructed and her brows were furrowed together as she tugged at my arm lightly.

My eyes widened in surprise as I looked at my mother and a wave of betrayal washed over me in an instant. How could she? My own mother didn't believe me either. Am I that kind of person in her eyes?

"Mum, what are you talking about? Why should I apologise? I didn't take it," I remained insistent. "Do you not trust me?" I asked, hurt evident in my voice.

Seeing that I wouldn't admit it, my mother decided to take things into her own hands. I watched in horror as she bowed deeply at Natalie and Evelyn, placing her hands on top of one another and bending at her waist as she lowered her head. 

"Mrs Lloyd and Evelyn, I apologise on Aurelia's behalf. I'm sorry I didn't teach her well, it is…all…my fault," she said as her hand reached up to slap herself across her face dramatically with each word she said. "I'm a horrible mother." 

I went up to her side and forcefully grabbed my mother's hand to stop her from hitting herself again and simply stared at her with disbelief.

"Stop hitting yourself! Why are you doing this?" I glanced over to see a smirk was starting to form on Evelyn's face as opposed to the concerned look that was stretched across Natalie's face. "I swear, Natalie, I didn't take anything!" I declared as a hint of desperation laced my shaky voice.

"I don't believe you," Evelyn chimed in. "I want to search your bag," she announced loudly, and the other maids in the house were watching in anticipation and murmuring among themselves. 

I clutched onto my bag. "No," I said firmly. "You can't do that."

"Aurelia, why don't you just let Evelyn look through your bag? If there's nothing there then we can all move on from this," Natalie suggested. 

"Exactly," Evelyn said with a smug look plastered across her face, happy that her mother was standing on her side this time. "If you are really innocent then you wouldn't mind me searching your bag," Evelyn sneered with a slight smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. 

In the next second, she forcefully snatched my bag out of my grip. I watched helplessly as the smirk on her face grew even wider than before and she poured everything out onto the ground between us.