Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary)

As more people gathered around, Natasha's thoughts became more chaotic.

No one cared about the truth. They just wanted to watch the drama unfold.

"Who would steal a scarf that's already been trampled on?"

A cold, clear voice cut through the tension from inside the store. Lara involuntarily shivered.

"Mr. Hampton? What... What are you doing here?"

Natasha looked up the stairs and saw the man standing tall, his posture straight and confident, exuding an air of calm authority. The deep blue pants and simple white shirt accentuated his features, making him appear effortlessly charismatic.

"Ms. Bradley, is it? You can leave now," Vernon Hampton asked as he approached, parting the crowd for her.

Not willing to let it go, Nicole shouted, "She stole something! Even if you're the boss and you don't want to press charges, she's still a thief!"

"Yeah, a thief should be sent to the police station for some lessons, or she'll keep doing this," one of the onlookers added.

"She looks so pretty, but who knew she had dirty hands?" another vice chimed in. "People shouldn't be judged by their appearance," someone else remarked.

Natasha stood still, her gaze somewhat dazed as she looked around. Her mind drifted back to eight years ago when Nicole had intentionally framed her for stealing Olivia's jewelry.

"You're just like your mother. You like to steal things, don't you?"

Olivia chased her with a wooden ruler and hit her, leaving Natasha bedridden for a week before she could get up.

"No proof, and you're so certain she's a thief? Did you see her steal something?" Vernon turned his attention toward Nicole, and the crowd's gaze shifted to her.

"Yes, I saw it!" Nicole's voice faltered, but she forced herself to maintain her stance, not willing to back down.

When Vernon asked her when exactly she saw Natasha steal, Nicole stammered, "Well, I... I forgot..."

Vernon sighed. "Since none of you have any real evidence, let me show everyone some."

Then, Vernon pulled up a photo and showed it to the crowd.

It wasn't from the store's surveillance footage-it was taken head-on, clearly showing one of the women slipping the scarf into Natasha's pocket.

Natasha blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected him to have solid proof.

"I was trying to give your friend a bit of dignity, but it seems like neither of you

cared for it," he said, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction.

The expressions on the faces around him were exactly what he expected.noveldrama

"How could a few girls be this vicious? Framing someone like that-disgusting!"

"If it weren't for that photo, we'd have all been fooled."

"People seriously have no shame these days!"

The tide of public opinion turned fast, and now all fingers were pointed squarely at the girls who had orchestrated the mess. Nicole could hardly hold up under the pressure.

When she noticed someone pulling out their phone to record, she panicked and tried to backpedal. "I don't even know her. I came here alone. This has nothing to do with me."

Thanks to Vernon's intervention, the chaos finally came to an end. The crowd dispersed reluctantly.

Natasha took a deep breath and tried to shake off the lingering frustration. She was about to leave when Vernon called after her.

"Ms. Bradley, if you wouldn't mind staying a moment. What happened today was entirely our fault.

"One of our employees mishandled the situation, and it gave you a bad experience. This is just a small way to make it up to you."

He handed her a popsicle.

For a second, Natasha didn't know how to react. Of all the ways someone had

ever apologized to her, this was the most... unusual.