CHAPTER 520: I SHOULDN’T HAVE FOUND HER

Angela felt like she’d finally regained control of the situation. She deliberately furrowed her brows and said, "Don’t spout nonsense. Selina was personally appointed by the Turner family as the project lead. If her Fortune Jade is a fake, then where’s the real one?"

The man sneered. "That’s something you should be asking Selina. How would I know? But let me remind you all—while the jade in Selina’s hands is also worth a decent amount, maybe a few hundred thousand, compared to the Turner family’s heirloom Fortune Jade, it’s nothing but a cheap trinket."

"If Selina sold off the real heirloom and used the money to buy this counterfeit, have you ever considered how much she pocketed for herself?"

Everyone froze, exchanging uncertain looks.

The speculation was outrageous... but if it was true, how could Selina dare?

From within the crowd, someone finally spoke up.

"If Selina is the project lead, she would’ve known the Turner family wouldn’t attend today. That means no one could expose her..."

"I heard the Turner heirloom really is made of warm white jade."

"I’m a jewelry student. The piece Selina’s holding is obviously machine-carved. It’s definitely a fake!"

"Turner Group publicly said they handed the Fortune Jade to Selina. They wouldn’t lie. The only explanation is that Selina got greedy, sold the real one, and tried to pass this off as the real deal!"

"I even saw her go into Kevin’s studio. There’s no doubt!"

"Morris Family is humiliated. A moment ago, everyone was praising them—now this? What a joke..."

Joe’s face grew darker and darker, emotions crashing over him—shame, anger, guilt. It felt as though every insult was directed at him. At the same time, he burned with a desperate urge to distance himself from Selina, to prove his own innocence. He whirled around, red-faced, and roared:

"Selina! Where is the real Fortune Jade?!"

Selina arched a brow, meeting Joe’s eyes with leisurely calm.

This man—always hiding behind others. And the moment he felt embarrassed, he was the first to shove responsibility away. That roar of his was practically an announcement to everyone: If the jade was switched, it was all Selina’s doing. It has nothing to do with me.

"Daddy," Angela soothed sweetly, playing the good daughter. "Please don’t be so anxious. We can’t just take this stranger’s word for it. Maybe... maybe there’s been some mistake. Perhaps when the Turner family gave her the jade, there was already a mix-up."

Joe ground his teeth, disappointment flooding him. He couldn’t believe Victoria’s daughter had turned out like this. Thankfully—thankfully, he still had Angela. Victoria had left him with a good daughter, too.

"Angela, even now you’re making excuses for her? How could the Turner family possibly make such a mistake? Selina, I’ll give you one last chance. Hand over the real Fortune Jade. Daddy won’t let you get hurt."

Grandma Morris seized the opportunity. "Joe, do you see now? I told you Selina couldn’t be trusted, but you insisted on letting Turner Group put her in charge. Look at her now—she’s dragged Morris Family’s name through the mud! And that’s not even the worst of it—she may have cost us this partnership altogether!"

Joe’s face twisted with shame, guilt, and desperation. He quickly tried to wash his hands of the scandal. "Mother, I was deceived by Selina too. I had no idea she would do something like this! Selina, you’ve truly let me down!"

What was supposed to be an honor—collaborating with the Turner family—had now turned into disaster. The loss of the heirloom Fortune Jade made it all the worse. To everyone watching, Selina had single-handedly ruined the Morris Family.

Catching Grandma Morris’s glance, several shareholders spoke up immediately.

"Miss Clark has never handled a project of this scale. She doesn’t understand how vital this is to Morris Family."

"In the end, Miss Clark always sides against her own family. She may be the chairman’s daughter, but she’s nothing compared to Miss Angela. They’re sisters, yet the difference is like night and day!"

"Chairman Morris, what are we going to do now? You need to make a decision quickly."

"That’s right, Chairman Morris. We may be your partners, but we can’t afford to offend the Turner family. Let’s be clear—if the Turners truly get angry, we’ll all pull our investments."

It wasn’t just reporters present today—many of the Morris Family’s business partners were in the crowd. And if Morris Family really had offended Turner Group, those partners would seriously reconsider whether to keep working with them.

The thought made Joe panic. "Selina, hurry up and bring out the Fortune Jade!"

He knew Selina resented Morris Family, resented how Grandma Morris treated her. But Joe felt he was innocent in all this—so why would Selina choose this moment to air her grievances? How could she be so vindictive?

Taking a deep breath, Joe tried again, this time in a conciliatory tone: "Selina, whatever grudges we have, we can settle them privately. You’re still part of the Morris Family. We should be united."

Selina smiled.

Of course. At a moment like this, switching out the Fortune Jade was a deathblow to the Morris Family. Offending the Turner Group meant no credibility, no partners, no future. Joe’s anger was understandable.

But... Selina had never intended this outcome.

All she’d done was give Angela and Grandma Morris an opportunity. If Angela hadn’t wanted to frame her, she never would have fallen for the bait.

Those hecklers in the crowd shouting that the jade was a fake, that "jewelry students" could tell—it was all orchestrated by Grandma Morris.

So the ones destroying this deal, the ones offending the Turner family, had never been Selina.

They were Joe’s beloved mother, and his precious daughter.

Her smile deepened, her gaze cool and glimmering. "Chairman Morris, this is the real Fortune Jade."

Joe’s mind roared like thunder. Even now—she was still lying?! Did Selina really think everyone here was stupid?

Fury and regret surged through him. Thinking of the Morris Family’s decline these past months, he suddenly wondered if he had been wrong to ever bring Selina back.

As voices of doubt swelled around him, Joe’s head buzzed. His disappointment in Selina grew until it felt like she had committed some unforgivable sin.

"You’re still lying! How could Victoria have raised a child like you? You’ve shamed both me and her! Your mother was a proud, honorable woman. If she knew her daughter stooped to petty tricks and thievery, she’d be crushed with disappointment. Tell me, Selina—are you worthy of your mother?"

Selina’s expression hardened. She lifted her gaze, her tone slow and cutting.

"Chairman Morris, since when do you have the right to be disappointed in me?"

"You—you..." Joe’s throat closed up.

He had thought of giving Selina another chance, for Victoria’s sake. But then he caught the whispers rippling through the crowd.

"Joe must be pretending. Scolding his daughter in public so he can sweep it under the rug later. The man has no backbone."

"If that’s the case, and the Turner family retaliates, won’t all of us smaller partners be dragged down with him?"

"I knew Victoria’s reputation. I never once heard she was dishonest. So why is Selina like this? Who did she inherit it from?"

"Maybe Joe himself. If Selina is greedy and unscrupulous, then she must have gotten it straight from her father..."

Joe’s face burned as if it had been slapped raw.

He should never have brought Selina back. He should’ve left her to fend for herself. Since her return, what benefit had she brought him? None. Nothing at all!