When they walked out of the restaurant, they saw a black Maserati parked outside.
Braint let go of Eliza's hand and went straight to the passenger's seat.
Eliza had no choice but to open the door of the back seat.
At the back seat, Beau was sitting there in silence as he stared at his laptop sternly.
Although they had been married for some time, Eliza couldn't help but admire his beauty whenever she saw his impeccable facial features.
"Why are you here..."
He didn't even raise his head. Still concentrating on the computer screen, he tapped on the keyboard gently. "As a parent, I have to go to the police station in person when my son is in trouble."
Eliza pursed her lips and sat inside. "Are you aware of what happened?"
Beau stopped what he was doing and turned to fixate his gaze at her. "Do you really think the kids can get a ten-karat diamond ring without my permission?"
Eliza was dumbfounded.
The children wouldn't be able to do that.
A ten-karat ring was not something a child could afford. No matter how rich the Valentine family was, Beau wouldn't spoil his children like that.
"Are you in it as well?"
Beau put away the laptop and leaned back comfortably on the leather seat. He said indifferently, "Declan has done some investigation about the incident yesterday. Turns out it has something to do with your sister."
"She's a smart one. She erased all the evidence about her relationship with Michael Lewis. She even used Luca's phone number to contact him for the crime."
Eliza squeezed her palms nervously.
She couldn't believe it.
Esme really did have something to do with that incident!
Beau tried to reassure her, "Right now, we haven't been married for long. If I retract my investment from Lawson's group now, the public will turn on us because we don't have enough evidence to use against them. Besides, your reputation is on the line as well." For some reason, his voice alone reflected his maturity, which gave Eliza a sense of security.
Upon hearing his words, she felt warm inside.
All this while, Eliza thought that Beau had a cold and indifferent personality.
She never thought that he could be so thoughtful.
Besides conducting a thorough investigation about that incident, he had also considered Eliza's reputation if he went against the Lawson family.
She pursed her lips and looked into his eyes. "Thank you."
"Mommy, he's your husband. You don't have to thank him."
As soon as she finished speaking, Braint, who was sitting in the front seat, said indifferently, "You should be thanking us instead."
"Demarion is the one who wants to seek revenge for you and I am the one who designed the entire scheme. Daddy is only responsible for sponsoring us 10 thousand dollars and a ring. Compared to our efforts, that's nothing."
Eliza tried to suppress her laughter.
Beau raised his eyebrows and asked, "Do you really think you can pull this off without my support?"
"Yes, I can."
Braint's immature voice reflected maturity and determination that did not match his age. "If I told grandpa that I want to buy a ring for mommy in your stead, he will definitely sponsor me for that."
Beau narrowed his eyes and he stopped talking.
Eliza was dumbfounded as she watched from the side.
Did Braint just win the argument?
She peeked at Beau furtively.
He was leaning on the leather seat with his eyes closed. It seemed like he was resting.
Was he tired from work, or was he just tired of arguing with Braint?
The car engine sputtered to life.
Inside the car, Eliza's phone kept ringing.
It was notifications about the news.
While she was in a relationship with Jay in the past, she was worried about the media outlets broadcasting negative news about Jay. That was why she made it a habit of watching the news every day.
Since the atmosphere in the car was quite depressing, she scrolled through the news to lighten up her mood.
The media platforms were filled with a scandal involving Esme Lawson!
"Who would've known that the only heir of Lawson's Group would swindle money from an underage child? Shocking news indeed!"
"Did you say that she stole the ten-karat ring? Isn't she born into a prestigious family? Why would do something like that?"
"In a logical sense, how would she be punished for her crime?"
"Such a deplorable act!"
The Internet was full of news about Esme's scandal.
Someone had released the video footage from the restaurant as well.
Even Esme and Demarion's chat history was released to the public.
Eliza clicked on the screenshots and scanned through them one by one.
She was boiling with anger.
Esme deserved all the negative comments as stated in the media uproar.
In the chat history, she did ask Demarion for money, and she did it more than once.
Apart from Demarion hiding his real age, Esme was the one who instigated all the crimes.
She even wrote this. "Your mom is already an old lady. The diamond ring wouldn't suit her anymore."
"Give it to me. Since your family is loaded, I'm sure your parents won't blame you for stealing it."
Squeezing her phone, Eliza was about to explode in fury.
Although she knew that Demarion and Braint were the real culprits, Eliza still found it hard to accept that Esme would do something like that.
In the past, Luca did tell Eliza that growing up, Esme got into the habit of stealing after she got acquainted with some gangsters in the neighborhood.
Even after she returned to the Lawson family, her old habits were still hard to erase. It was just disgusting!
Looking at the overwhelming insults on the Internet, Eliza felt elated.
Soon, the car arrived at the police station.
As soon as she got out of the car, Eliza saw Riley's car, which was parked not far away.
It seemed that the news had reached Riley. It was serious enough for him to come to the police station in person.
"I'll stay in the car."
While sitting in the passenger's seat, Braint opened his laptop and put on his headphones. "I won't go in to stir trouble, since I look exactly like Demarion."
"Alright."
Only then did Beau open his eyes and get out of the car.
Eliza did the same as she trailed from behind.
"Please! You need to reinvestigate this entire incident! This is just impossible!"
"My daughter is kind and innocent, how could she do such a thing!"
Presley burst into tears. "There must be something wrong with that kid!"
"My daughter would never do such a thing!"
"The evidence is conclusive!"
The policeman reprimanded Presley, "Right now, your daughter is still unwilling to take off that diamond ring!"
Presley wiped off her tears as she turned to look at Esme. "Esme, can you just..."
"I won't!"
Esme lowered her head and held a firm grip on the ring. "That kid gave it to me! It's mine! I will not give it back to him!"
"That's not a gift. You swindled it from a child."
A man said with a low and magnetic voice.
Esme and Presley looked up immediately. At one glance, they knew where that voice came from. With his oppressing aura and unique looks, he stood out amongst the crowd.
He was walking towards them now.
Esme widened her eyes in disbelief.
"Isn't he..."
"Isn't he the man in the picture? Isn't he Rodolfo Ball?" Esme thought.
When Esme saw that photo, she fell in love at first sight. That was why she was foolish enough to start dating that child.
Now that she had seen the real person, she realized that he looked a lot more handsome than in the photos!
She was deeply attracted by his cold and domineering aura.
"What a handsome man,"
Presley gasped.
"Mr. Valentine."
The two policemen greeted Beau politely. Then, they turned to look at Presley and Esme. "This is Mr. Valentine, Demarion's father."
"You should talk it out with him if you don't want to make this a big issue."
After that, the policeman turned and left.
Esme stared at Beau with her eyes wide open.
Presley tugged at Esme and she came back to her senses almost instantly. She stuttered out the words, "Hello, Mr. Valentine. Are you a married man?"
Esme regretted her choice of words immediately.
His child was already five years old. How could he still be single?
Beau smiled indifferently. "I just got married a while ago."
He pulled his wife, who was hiding behind him, and introduced her to them, "This person here is my wife, Eliza Lawson."