Chapter 576 Deal Reached
Elodie's trust had already done wonders for Elara, even making Arthur's attitude better.
Some rich folks, hearing that Arthur was favoring Elara, would secretly approach her, offering big bucks for her treatments.
But this cash wasn't fixing the real issue; it was nowhere near the fancy life Elara dreamed of.
It wasn't even enough to let her live comfortably in another country; at best, it could cover a trip.
After crunching the numbers, Elara still had her eyes on Elodie.
Elodie didn't mix with people much and was pretty naive, not really getting how tricky people could be.
She trusted Elara and even covered for her, making her the perfect target for Elara.
"But I..." Elodie hesitated because if she couldn't get out, she couldn't give Elara money.
She had no cash herself, and asking for it out of the blue would make Arthur suspicious.
"I know." Elara could see why Elodie was hesitating; without going out, she had no money.
No matter how rich Arthur was, he wouldn't give money to someone who couldn't even leave the house. Plus, Elodie didn't need to ask; Arthur would buy stuff for her.
Elara had already made up her mind.
She said, "I want that sapphire necklace."
Elodie was momentarily stunned, not immediately recalling which sapphire necklace Elara was talking about.
Arthur had given Elodie lots of jewelry, but she always wore them briefly before taking them off.
Elara said, "The one with a big sapphire in the middle, surrounded by diamonds."
She described it perfectly because the last time she saw it, the beautiful necklace had caught her eye.
She had never seen such a large and pure sapphire, with even the chain encrusted with diamonds, clearly very valuable.
That time, Elara had secretly taken it out and tried it on after Elodie fell asleep post-treatment.
The moment she put it on, Elara's ordinary appearance suddenly became noble.
She didn't even need fancy clothes to complement it; even her regular work clothes looked high-class.
Elara thought, 'Turns out being noble isn't that hard. Just one necklace can make me shine.'
Elara's description finally made Elodie remember the necklace.
Elodie said, "Elara, I promise to give you what you want. If you think it's not enough, I can give you $20 million."
Elodie didn't care about jewelry. After all, Elara was taking a big risk to help her, and she was willing to give her more money.
But if she gave her the necklace, Arthur might trace it back to Elara, which would undoubtedly put Elara in danger.
Elara's face immediately changed as she was displeased, "Since you're so reluctant to part with that necklace, then forget it. I won't risk my life for you."
Elara picked up her medical bag, ready to leave.
Before leaving, she threatened Elodie, "Madam, if Mr. Hernandez finds out things he shouldn't, I'll relay every word you said to him, including what you just asked me to do."
Elara couldn't keep her greedy intentions hidden any longer. She'd already gathered enough dirt on Elodie to ensure her own survival, so there was no need to keep pretending to be all understanding.
Elara walked slowly, hoping Elodie would call her back.
"Elara," Elodie finally called out.
Elara stopped, and Elodie explained, "It's not that I'm reluctant; I'm just worried Arthur will find out and it'll be bad for you."
"You have so many pieces of jewelry; how would he notice one missing?"
Elara was getting super frustrated, thinking Elodie was just being stingy.
Elara stood still, looking at Elodie with great impatience, "Just say whether you'll give it or not. If not, I'll tell Mr. Hernandez everything."
This was a blatant threat.
Elodie's face turned pale. She hadn't interacted with many people over the years. After waking up, besides a mute maid who cleaned the room, she had the most contact with Elara.
Elodie always thought that Elara was a kind and timid person, but she never expected her to be so scheming.
If it was just a failed negotiation, it would be fine; Elodie could just find another way. After all, she didn't want her plans to harm Elara. But now, Elara was threatening her.
Elodie gritted her teeth and said, "Fine."
Elara was happy and immediately changed her expression, softly saying, "Madam, you are so kind. Since it's just sitting there, why not let me keep it for you?"
Elodie looked at Elara's happy face, feeling uneasy.
Elara urged her, "Madam, hurry up and open the safe."
All the jewelry was kept in a specially made glass cabinet with iris and password protection.
Last time, Elodie had forgotten to close it, and Elara had seen it and tried it on.
The Hernandez Mansion was heavily guarded, and Elara hadn't brought a special anti-metal detection bag that day, making it hard to take the necklace out.
Besides, without Elodie's cooperation, it would be easily discovered.
Otherwise, Elara wouldn't have waited so long without making a move.
As Elodie hesitated in front of the safe, Elara suddenly pushed her face against the cabinet, forcing her to open it with iris verification.
Elara urged, "Madam, hurry and enter the password. Mr. Hernandez will be back soon, and we'll both be punished."
Under Elara's constant urging, Elodie finally opened the cabinet. Before she could move, Elara pushed her aside and excitedly took out the sapphire necklace.
The beautiful sapphire refracted countless different lights under the lamp, looking dreamily beautiful.
Elara was astonished as she looked at it; it was so beautiful! She could finally have it.
Elodie tried to persuade Elara, "Elara, you'd better not take it now. After you deliver the embroidery, you can come back for it. Then you won't have to come back. If I can get out, you can find me in Dreamlandia."
Elodie's plan was more reliable. After taking the necklace, Elara could have left with her family or hidden, reducing some of the risks.
Elara tucked the necklace into her bosom and shot Elodie a wary glance. "Madam, it's not cool to go back on your word. I said I'd help you get the embroidery out, and I will. Be ready to trade money for this necklace."
Elodie was momentarily speechless. If she could really get out, she wouldn't care about the necklace, and she didn't want Arthur's stuff anyway.
Elodie would not only give Elara money, but she also didn't plan to take the necklace back.
But given Elara's current state, saying more would only lead to misunderstandings. It was better to say nothing.
Elara seemed genuinely afraid that Elodie would go back on her word. She stepped forward and said, "You need to cover for me now."
Elodie didn't understand and looked at Elara. "Tell me what to do."
Elara said, "When you open the door, call Clifford down and make sure he doesn't check me."
"Okay."
Elara pressed the bell at the door, signaling that she wanted to leave.
Arthur had set up two lines of defense: one for entering and one for leaving, to prevent anyone from taking things out that shouldn't be taken.
Last time, the herbs were fine because there was only a small amount hidden in the medical bag, which went undetected.
This time, Elara had to take the necklace out, so she had to be careful. However, she was prepared. Her bra was detection-proof, so no detector could find anything inside it.
She had prepared for this necklace a long time ago, but after missing that opportunity, she hadn't had another good chance to get close to the necklace.
Even though she was wearing the detection-proof bra, it was best to avoid detection altogether.
When Clifford opened the door, Elara still gave him a shy smile. "Sorry to trouble you, Clifford."
Elara was very good at winning people over. Her ordinary appearance made her seem a bit simple, which lowered people's guard.
The way Elara looked now made Elodie feel like everything that had just happened was a dream. The Elara in the dream was nothing like the one she saw now.
Clifford also liked the unassuming Elara. She would give him thoughtful but inexpensive gifts.
As Arthur's butler, Clifford wasn't short on money. If Elara tried to bribe him with money or valuable items, it would backfire and arouse suspicion.
These thoughtful gifts were different.
Elara had been studying the psychology of wealthy people. She knew that, for them, a heartfelt gesture always moved them more than money.
Seeing that Elodie behind her was not moving, Elara pretended to twist her ankle and let out a cry of pain to remind Elodie.
Clifford had already taken out the detection device. He was very cautious, and everyone entering or leaving had to go through a security gate and be manually checked.
Seeing Elara in discomfort, Clifford didn't suspect anything and asked, "Are you okay, Elara?"
Elodie knew Elara was reminding her. Being discovered now would be bad for both of them, so she had to call Clifford, "Clifford, could you come here for a moment?"
When Elodie called him, Clifford put down the detection device and went to her.
Elara easily walked out without going through the security gate.
Once outside, Elara hopped into the Hernandez Mansion's car.
In the car, she couldn't hide her excitement. If she weren't still outside, she would have taken out the necklace to admire it.
The car taking Elara away slowly started.
Elara had no idea that her barely concealed smile was seen by Arthur in a nearby black car.
Arthur had just returned home. After the driver got out, he stayed in the car alone to rest for a moment.
So, everyone thought the car was empty.
Just as Arthur was about to get out, he saw Elara get into the car with a greedy smile.
Elara never smiled in the Hernandez Mansion, always maintaining a serious demeanor.
Seeing her smile like that before even leaving the mansion was very strange.
Arthur immediately recognized that it was a greedy smile, which looked very out of place on the usually timid Elara.
Watching the car disappear from sight, Arthur made a call and gave an order, "Follow Elara's car and report back."
He had spent the whole day outside dealing with some matters and was in a bad mood.
He had also received a report that someone had recently tried to approach one of his houses abroad but was stopped by the guards.
The guards reported that it was a drunk homeless man who, seeing a luxurious mansion, climbed in through a window to sleep.
Once inside, he wandered around, amazed by the luxury.
When the guards found him, he hadn't been inside for long. Arthur had instructed them not to alert the police under any circumstances.
So, they had beaten the homeless man and thrown him into the river.
They couldn't determine whether this person was intentional or not. On the surface, it seemed unintentional; he was genuinely drunk and was known to wander around the nearby park.
But Arthur didn't believe it. He couldn't believe that a drunk homeless man could get past six guards, climb the wall, and wander around inside for a while.
These guards were elite, trained by Arthur himself. Was this homeless man really as simple as he seemed?
But there was a more pressing matter.
Arthur had sent a team to demolish the luxurious basement under the house and fill it with soil, making it look like the basement had never existed.
For the past few days, he had been overseeing the destruction of all his basements in various countries.
He was always very thorough in his actions, believing that he could never be too careful.
But now, Arthur smiled, feeling that a new problem had arisen.
Arthur stepped out of the car, standing firmly in front of the mansion. He adjusted his suit, looking spirited.
But up close, one could see the cold flame hidden in his eyes.
Arthur turned his head slightly, revealing a cruel smile.
Anyone trying to stop him would face destruction!
After entering, Arthur didn't go to Elodie's room as usual. Instead, he called Clifford to ask questions.
Clifford told him everything he had seen, leaving nothing out.
To Clifford, it was just another ordinary day with nothing special.
Arthur swirled the wine in his glass and raised an eyebrow. "You said Elodie asked you to bring her a glass of milk?"
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