I Send A Family To Jail

While having dinner, someone mistakenly took my coat. When I contacted her, she was incredibly arrogant. “I’ve already given your coat to someone else to wear. “If you think you’re losing out, just take my coat instead.” I was so furious I could barely keep a straight face. My coat was a fur coat worth over 300,000 dollars. If we included that small clutch that came with it, and if I really wanted to make a big deal out of it, it would be enough to put her in prison for three to five years. Since I insisted on compensation, she stopped pretending. “I don’t have any money. Take it or leave it. I’ve already left. You can’t exactly bring people to my door to stand in my way, can you?” Later, I went straight to her door with the police. Chapter 1 After dinner, I went to the coat room to retrieve my coat. As soon as I picked it up, I realized something was wrong. Upon closer inspection, I realized the clothes in my hands were not mine. I had also lost a small clutch. It contained my car keys and ID. Since both items were quite valuable, I hurried to report the situation to a staff member. The staff member reassured me that someone might have taken the wrong coat by mistake. The restaurant had real-time surveillance. So, it should not be hard to track down the person who took my coat. I waited all day. Finally, I received a message from the restaurant. They had found the person. It was a middle-aged woman in her fifties named Molly Clark. The surveillance footage showed that she took my coat half an hour after I entered the restaurant. She had examined it carefully before taking it. My clutch was also neatly placed right next to it. I could not figure out why this Molly Clark would have taken the wrong one. Then, I eagerly called her. “Hello, Ms. Clark, I’m the customer who dined at the same restaurant as you three days ago. When you left, you took my coat by mistake. “How about this? Let’s add each other on WhatsApp so we can figure out how to exchange the items back.” There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Then, she denied it. “Coat? What coat? I didn’t take your coat. You have the wrong number.” Before I could say another word, she had already hung up. As I listened to the busy signal coming from my phone, I felt a bit frustrated. Did this person have no eyes? It had already been three days. Yet she still had not realized she had taken the wrong coat. I called back, but she was not picking up. Staring at the “unreachable” message, I took a deep breath. Even if she did it on purpose, my coat was still in her possession. I should try to communicate with her first, if possible. I forced myself to calm down and called back from my spare phone. “Ms. Clark, I didn’t dial the wrong number. You were having dinner at the restaurant on the second floor of Joy Mall yesterday at 5 p.m., right? “If you don’t believe me, just take out your coat and check. Also, that clutch that was with it isn’t yours either. Neither the coat nor the clutch belongs to you. As long as you give them back, I won’t hold it against you.” To my surprise, Molly was not having any of it and immediately launched into a tirade. “Are you out of your mind? I said I didn’t take the wrong items, and I didn’t. That’s my coat. Are you so poor you have to steal other people’s clothes?” Her unwarranted insults made me so furious I felt like I was about to burst into flames. Just as I was about to snap back, she blocked my number again. I had no choice but to borrow a friend’s phone and text her again. “I have surveillance footage on my phone showing you taking my coat. If you don’t return it, we’ll see each other at the police station.” About ten minutes later, I received a friend request on WhatsApp. It read [Molly Clark]. As soon as I accepted it, she asked if I had called the police. After I told her I had not, she said she had not seen clearly at the time and had taken the wrong clutch. She offered to mail the clutch back to me. As for the coat, she had already washed it. So, she told me to take her jacket as compensation. I was so furious that I was shaking all over. So, I immediately called her back via WhatsApp. Chapter 2 “Ms. Clark, since you knew that was my coat, how dare you not return it? You’re even trying to trade it for one of your own? Do you have any idea how expensive that coat is?” Molly immediately flew into a rage. Her shrill voice almost seemed to pierce my eardrums. “You little wench, who do you think you’re looking down on? I’ll tell you this: I’m not giving that coat back. What are you going to do about it?” I could not stand for that, so I immediately took a firm stance. “Fine, if you won’t return it, you’ll have to pay for it at full price. That’ll be 320,000 dollars.” There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line, followed by a burst of derisive laughter. “320,000 dollars? Why don’t you just go rob someone? Even if that were true, how could a little girl like you even afford it? “Besides, it’s your own fault for not keeping an eye on your things. Finders keepers.” I was so furious I was about to lose my mind. I shouted, “You didn’t take it by accident. You were stealing!” Molly was nonchalant and utterly brazen. “I took your coat, so just take my jacket. That jacket’s worth 400,000 dollars. I’ll make up the difference with that purse, and we’ll call it even. “If you want to call the police, go ahead. I’ll stick to my story that I grabbed the wrong one by mistake. It’s not like you can throw me in jail.” That was the last straw. Without another word, I ran straight to the nearest police station. After explaining the situation to the officers, I produced the surveillance footage as evidence. The police immediately called Molly. Their intervention certainly had the desired effect. Molly’s attitude was like night and day compared to before. “Yes, yes, yes. I just took the wrong one by accident. We were still talking it out. It’s just a little disagreement. “I didn’t expect the young lady to have such a short fuse that she called the police right away. I’ll talk it over with her properly on WhatsApp later. Officer, rest assured, I still have the coat, and I’ll definitely return it to her.” She sounded exceptionally sincere throughout the entire conversation. Grassroots police stations had a lot on their plates. Considering Molly’s sincere assurances throughout our conversation, I figured she should know better by this point. So, I did not press the issue any further. “I don’t want your jacket. Later, I’ll mail it back to you. As for my items, once you have returned them, I’ll have them appraised by a professional agency. “If there’s any damage, you’ll have to compensate me for the full value. The same goes for the bag.” Molly replied with a simple [Okay] and seemed quite cooperative. On the third day, I received my coat and bag. The coat looked exactly like the one I had lost. However, when I touched it, I noticed something was off. The fabric on the surface was noticeably rougher than mine. Upon checking the label inside, sure enough, it did not match. My heart sank. I checked the bag again. Nothing was missing from inside. However, the cheap hardware and rough stitching all pointed to the fact that this bag was a fake. She was really taking me for a fool. I immediately called Molly again. “The coat and bag I received are both fakes. I estimate that my losses exceed 350,000 dollars. So, tell me. How are you going to compensate me?” Molly slipped back into her casual tone. “If you say it’s worth 350,000 dollars, then so be it. “I’m telling you, this is exactly what I received. Are you trying to extort me? Are you tired of living?” I was furious and immediately flashed her the purchase receipt. Then, I threatened to call the police again. I thought that might make Molly think twice. To my surprise, she sent me a photo of the front of my ID. It was the one I always kept in my purse. “I never would’ve guessed that a poor country bumpkin like you would be so vain. “You dress up in such expensive clothes. How many men are you seeing?” Molly said this because she saw that my address on the ID was situated in a rural area. That was where my family’s hometown was. When I was a child, my parents were busy with their business, so I grew up with my grandparents. Therefore, my ID was registered under my hometown. Chapter 3 No wonder she was not even afraid of the police this time. She probably saw that I was just a poor student, and a girl at that. So, she figured I would be easy to manipulate. I was so furious that I was trembling all over. “I recorded everything you said. Do you think I won’t press defamation charges?” Molly snorted coldly. “Haha! Do you really think I’m that easily intimidated? You’re a loose woman. You aren’t afraid of selling yourself, so why should I be scared? “If I post your personal information online, you might even get a few more clients. By then, you’ll have to thank me. But if your parents or friends happen to see it, well, you’ll really make a name for yourself.” “Molly, what exactly do you want?” My blood was boiling so much I almost dropped my phone. Seeing that her scheme had succeeded, Molly smirked. “You really won’t cry until your own doom hits you in the face. Now that you know, you’re finally scared. “Fine, I don’t even want to argue with you. If you don’t want your personal information leaked, just transfer me 30,000 dollars. Consider it compensation for my emotional distress.” “That’s a threat. It’s extortion,” I said. Molly snorted derisively. “You loose little woman, I don’t care what you say. If you’ve got the guts, come arrest me in person. “I’ve already had people look into it. I’ve returned your stuff. As for why it’s different from what you lost, as long as I stick to my story and deny it, the police can’t do a thing to me. “Transfer the money right away, or I can’t guarantee your phone won’t be flooded with calls in one minute.” With that, she hung up immediately. Then, she even blocked and deleted me on WhatsApp. I never expected that not only would I fail to get my things back, but I would also be humiliated and have my personal information held hostage by her as a threat. I was so furious that I was shaking all over. Then, everything went white before my eyes. Fortunately, having witnessed her sudden change of attitude at the police station last time, I had recorded every bit of our calls. I gathered all the evidence and immediately scheduled a detailed consultation with my lawyer. It was the 21st century, and she still thought she could play the “purity shaming” card on me? Did she really think I was a pushover? If I did not put her behind bars this time, I would change my last name. I went back to the police station and slammed all the evidence down on the desk. “Hello, I would like to file a police report. Someone stole 350,000 dollars from me. It’s a particularly large sum. She also insulted, slandered, and extorted me.” As soon as I finished speaking, the officers’ expressions changed instantly. They first reviewed the evidence I had submitted. Then, they quickly found Molly’s information through the registration system. They called in another officer, took me with them, and we went together to Molly’s home. The roads in the city’s housing were too narrow for cars, so we had to walk. As soon as the three of us stepped into the courtyard, we saw a young woman walking toward us. She looked like she was about to head out. I looked at her face and felt it looked somewhat familiar. Before I could remember who she was, my gaze was drawn to the clutch bag in her hand. It was the very one I lost. I snatched it right out of her hands. The young woman was startled by my actions. “Are you trying to get yourself killed? You’re robbing someone in broad daylight!” she said as she reached out to yank my hair. The police officer acted quickly, pulling me away and asking what was going on. I pulled up the photo of the clutch on my phone. “This is the clutch I lost.” My words provoked the girl. She pointed at my nose, about to unleash a tirade. However, the moment she got a clear look at my face, she fell silent instantly. She stood there, shocked, while glaring at me with a sinister look. I was completely baffled. The commotion had been so loud that a middle-aged woman came out of the house. She was wearing the very coat I had lost. The moment our eyes met, we both immediately realized who the other was. She turned and scurried back inside. I immediately grabbed the front door. “You thief! Give me back my coat right now!” Molly’s expression changed, but she still defiantly retorted, “I bought this coat myself. You wench, if you dare spout any more nonsense, I’ll tear your mouth to shreds.” Chapter 4 I no longer cared about keeping my composure anymore. “Pfft, you’re nothing but a thief. You have no shame! My mom brought this coat back from abroad. “You claim it’s yours, but do you have a receipt? If you’ve got the guts, come out here and face me!” The police officer standing nearby also tried to reason with her. “Ms. Clark, we’ve already opened a case. The amount involved is as high as 350,000 dollars. “I advise you to turn yourself in voluntarily. If the victim insists on pressing charges, you’ll definitely end up in jail.” Molly’s face blanched and flushed. She stared at me and said pointedly, “You’d actually dare to sue me? “Aren’t you afraid I might accidentally let something slip? You’re just a young girl; you won’t be able to handle the consequences.” I rolled my eyes in exasperation. Threatening me right in front of the police? She really was brainless. With a mighty shove, I finally pushed open the door that Molly had been holding shut with all her might. I reached out to grab her sleeve. The girl we had left standing aside a moment ago suddenly rushed forward and shoved me to the ground. “Mom, don’t worry. They don’t have a search warrant.” Upon hearing this, Molly grabbed a broom and started shooing us out. “These two cops must have taken your money. How dare they come extorting money right at my doorstep?! You’re such nasty people! Today, I’m going to beat you up for breaking into my home.” She was brutally strong. The police officers and I were literally knocked out of the courtyard. Even through the courtyard gate, I could still hear Molly’s curses. The police were furious, but with insufficient manpower, they could not enforce the order. The lead officer scratched his head in frustration and frowned. “You’d better file a lawsuit in court first. I’ll report the situation to my superiors and see if we can take enforcement action.” I sighed helplessly. When dealing with a scoundrel like Molly, that was the only option. After filing the case with my lawyer, Mr. Miller, I returned to university to wait patiently for updates from the police. However, before the court date even arrived, another incident happened on my end. Someone posted on the campus bulletin board claiming I was being kept as a mistress. The poster listed every luxury item I had ever worn or used in university. They even included photos of me entering and leaving hotels with various older men. The post quickly went viral. At the start of my freshman year, I first gave a speech as a freshman representative. Then, I closed the orientation with a ballet performance. So, quite a few people recognized me. Some people questioned whether the poster was spreading rumors, but they simply circled the address on my ID. Using the address listed there, they even went so far as to fabricate a whole series of sob stories about my supposed poverty. In short, they claimed I was a manipulative gold-digger. By the time I noticed the post, the comments section had already been flooded with hateful remarks. It was no wonder that whenever I walked around campus these past few days, I felt like people were looking at me strangely. Even in class, a large section of seats next to me would remain empty. Looking at the vulgar insults under the post, I actually felt calmer. After saving the evidence, I went straight to the campus network administrators. Faced with the dual threats of a cease-and-desist letter from my lawyer and a police report, they quickly sent me the poster’s information. It was a girl from our university named Emma Carter. The name was unfamiliar, but I already had my suspicions. At the police station, I saw Molly’s daughter. Her name was Emma Carter. I finally realized where that sense of familiarity I had felt the last time I saw her had come from.