Stella abruptly cut him off. “You can keep your apologies, Mr. Wilkinson. Even if you said sorry, I wouldn’t accept it.
What you’ve done can’t be erased with a simple apology.”
Jasper smirked, feigning indifference. “You said it yourself. Don’t go back on your word.”
“I won’t,” Stella replied with a calm smile. “But it’s a shame, really.”
Jasper’s brows drew together. “A shame? What are you talking about?”
She looked him square in the eye. “If you’d confessed earlier, maybe things could have gone easier on you. But now… that ship has sailed. You’ve lost your chance.”
Jasper scoffed, about to taunt her for her theatrics—when he noticed Stella’s eyes shift toward the entrance.
A group of uniformed officers strode into the room and stopped right in front of Jasper.
“Mr. Wilkinson, we’ve received a report. You’re under suspicion for breaking and entering, and willful property damage. Please come with us to cooperate with our investigation.”
Jasper instinctively protested, “I didn’t do anything—there must be some mistake—”
But when he hesitated, the officers moved in to form a tight circle around him.
“Mr. Wilkinson,” one of them said, “we need your cooperation.”
Realizing resistance would only make things worse—and he might end up being dragged out in handcuffs—Jasper fell silent. His pride wouldn’t survive such a scene.
He didn’t need to ask who had reported him.
He shot Stella a venomous glare. “Enjoy your moment, Stella. You’ll pay for this. The higher you climb, the harder you’ll fall.”
As Jasper was led away, a ripple of surprise passed through the crowd. But since he was an outsider, the event quickly resumed its normal flow.
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