"The ruby ring from counter three is gone!" a sales assistant cried out, spotting the empty display. Almost instantly, several staff members moved to block Nancy and Carolyn's path. "Ladies, please wait!" Nancy stared at the staff in disbelief. "You're actually stopping me? I'm a VIP here! Is this how you treat your best customers?" The clerk's expression remained firm. "Please cooperate with us, miss. We have to follow procedure. The alarm triggered the moment you stepped out. Did you accidentally take something without paying?" "How ridiculous—who'd take your stuff?" Nancy retorted sharply, her eyes blazing with anger. If looks could kill, the clerk in front of her would've been dead. "You think we need to steal from this place? It could've been someone else, and the alarm's only ringing now because of the delay. You should be locking down the mall before the real thief gets away, not bothering us!" Carolyn added, trying to sound reasonable. Chloe had just left, and now the alarm went off? Clearly, the system was faulty. But the clerk didn't move. Carolyn grew irritated. She'd practically spelled it out, but the clerk just stood there like a wall. "Move!" Nancy snapped. "I have places to be. If you keep this up, I swear I'll never come back to Belle Mall again." The clerk stood her ground, her tone becoming more insistent. "Ladies, please don't make this difficult. May we check your bags?" Nancy actually laughed in sheer frustration. She was Nancy Steffes. She'd shopped at Belle Mall countless times, always treated like royalty. Now they wanted to search her bag? The insult was unbelievable. "So you're accusing me of theft?" Nancy raised an eyebrow, her eyes challenging. "I'm a Steffes. My allowance is more than your annual salary. Why would I steal from this store?" The clerk ignored her protest, clearly intent on inspecting their belongings. Nancy was so angry she felt like hitting someone. The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder. Soon, the mall's security team and the duty manager arrived. Seeing the manager, Nancy pointed at the clerk blocking her path. "Has Belle Mall's standards dropped this low? You hire rude staff who harass customers and ruin shopping experiences? The Steffes family will be reconsidering all our corporate orders with Belle!" She played the heiress card to the fullest. Every year, her family's company placed large gift orders with Belle Mall, and they were always treated as premium clients. But today, Nancy was furious. Even a low-level clerk dared to disrespect her? She vented at the manager, expecting him to reprimand the clerk and apologize to her. Unfortunately, Nancy guessed wrong. The manager showed no deference to her status. He gave her a cold look, his gaze settling on their bags. "Have their bags been inspected?" he asked the staff. The clerk shook her head. "They refuse to cooperate." Nancy's anger flared. Was the manager deaf? She'd made her identity clear, and he was still playing dumb. "Didn't you hear me? I'm Nancy Steffes! How dare you block me and demand to search my bag? I'll make sure the Steffes family cancels every single order with Belle!" She stamped her foot in rage, wishing she could slap the manager across the face. The manager looked at her sternly. "Since you are Ms. Steffes, you should be familiar with Belle Mall's policies. When the alarm sounds, it indicates unpaid merchandise has left the store. The alarm triggered as you two exited. We must ask for your cooperation." "You—!" "Please don't worry, ladies. This is standard procedure," the manager said, signaling to two female staff members. They stepped forward, ready to inspect Nancy and Carolyn's bags. "I would never steal from you! The person who took your item is—" Nancy began to blurt out but caught herself. She glared at the staff. "What happens if you find nothing?" The stolen ring was with Chloe, so there was no way they'd find it on her. "If we find nothing, we will fully compensate you for the inconvenience," the manager replied seriously. A crowd had begun to gather, watching the scene unfold. Nancy shot an icy glare at the onlookers, her fury reaching its boiling point. These idiots had no idea what was really going on.