The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 322

That was the Thomson family’s treasured heirloom—passed down for generations—and now, it lay in ruins, shattered by Crystal’s own hands.

Crystal was trembling, her lips quivering as she stammered, “Dad, I—I didn’t mean to...”

Desperately, she dropped to her knees and began gathering the fragments from the floor, trying to piece them together. But the porcelain was smashed beyond hope; it was worthless now.

George strode over, his voice sharp. “Crystal, why did you touch that vase?”

Crystal’s hand froze midair. She looked up, ready to defend herself.

But before she could speak, Ethan stepped forward. “Grandpa,” he said, “she was trying to steal it. She wanted to sell it for money.”

“What?”

George’s face reddened with anger as he turned to Crystal. “You were going to steal the family heirloom for money? Crystal, I can’t believe you’d stoop so low. I’m so disappointed in you!”

Crystal scrambled to explain. “Dad, I wasn’t stealing it! I—I just wanted to borrow it for a while. I was going to buy it back once I had the money, I swear.”

“So you were going to use it to pay off your debts? But just now Rebecca said you’d pay them yourself?” George’s confusion deepened.

Rebecca frowned, not having anticipated things would escalate like this.

She opened her mouth to intervene, but Noah beat her to it. “Grandpa, Mom only did it because she didn’t want you to worry. And honestly, Aunt Crystal should handle her own debts. She’s old enough to take responsibility for her actions.”

Ethan sighed, chiming in. “Exactly. If I were Aunt Crystal, I’d get a job instead of thinking about stealing something that doesn’t belong to me.”

“Wh—what?” Crystal was stunned. Was he really kicking her out?

George turned to Rebecca. “Rebecca, keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t get into any more trouble.”

Rebecca nodded. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll look after her.”

George glanced once more at the broken remains of the heirloom, regret flickering in his eyes. He shot Crystal a final glare before storming out of the room.

Crystal wanted to protest, but the chance had already slipped away.

Furious, she clenched her teeth, rage burning in her chest. She glared at the four little troublemakers, then shot a deadly look at Rebecca. “This is your doing, Rebecca! You must have put them up to it!”