Bruce was shocked and in disbelief at the same time. "What are you talking about? I didn't take any ring! I don't even know what you're talking about!"
Vincent crossed his arms across his chest with a smug grin on his face. "You know, Bruce, I was wondering who might stoop so low as to swap out a $100,000 silver ring meant for the proposal tonight for a cheap fake ring not even worth $50. But every piece of evidence points back to you."
Tessa scowled. "You're telling us you had nothing to do with it?"
"Really?"
The crowd murmured in outrage.
"Lie tale-teller!"
Lila muttered to Meghan. "He can't even admit it."
Kyle shrugged with mock innocence, looking around at Bruce and then the crowd. "Then you wouldn't mind us searching you in front of all these people, would you?"
"Fine. I have nothing to hide," Bruce said, standing on his words because he hadn't swapped any ring.
Kyle smirked, then signaled his friends to search Bruce thoroughly.
Bruce struggled as they grabbed him, yanking off the outfit he was wearing down to his shirt and trousers, pulling at every pocket and seam.
Despite his claims and pleading, they didn't stop, forcing him down to his underwear.
The crowd watched, some laughing, as Bruce stood there half-naked.
Then, suddenly Jack shouted, "I found it!"
"What?!" Vincent, Sadie, and all the others exclaimed in shock.
Everyone crowded around to see a silver ring in Jack's hand, the same ring worth $100,000, which was supposed to be used to propose to Sadie. But to Bruce's horror, everyone was claiming it was the one he'd swapped for a fake ring worth barely $50.
"Man, I was starting to believe he might be innocent," Tom, the other of Kyle's friends, sneered.
"What a trickster and thief," Meghan said with disgust.
Lila, standing with Tessa, shook her head and added, "I always knew there was something shady about him."
Tessa folded her arms, smirking. "Guess he showed his true colors after all."
"Please, you have to believe me! I would never switch the ring. I didn't do anything wrong!" Bruce pleaded.
Vincent stepped forward, giving him a cold look. "It's all right there, Bruce. The proof speaks for itself."
Bruce felt his heart sink and it dawned on him that he had been set up perfectly. Earlier, when Kyle and his friends had cornered him, he hadn't thought much of it, but now he realized that was when they'd likely swapped the ring. They'd planned everything carefully, to paint him as guilty.
The guest had begun throwing insults at Bruce.
"The evidence speaks for itself," Vincent smirked, crossing his arms as he stared at Bruce. "I think it's time we called the authorities on you. We can't keep allowing this terrible behavior. Just because you're broke doesn't give you the right to steal from others."
"You can arrest him on your own time," Kyle added, smashing his fist into his palm. "But my friends and I would like to give him the beating of his life."
Without a word, Kyle together with his bully friends, Jack and Tom surrounded Bruce and began attacking him, punching and kicking him mercilessly.
Just as they were beating Bruce, the mayor and local vigilantes arrived at the scene, drawing the attention of the crowd.
Fighting in public wasn't tolerated, so most people scattered to avoid any trouble, leaving only Bruce, Sadie, Kyle, Vincent, and Tessa behind.
Mayor Henderson didn't waste time with pleasantries. He looked at all of them sharply. "Enough of this drama," he said, glancing from Vincent and his peers to Bruce, who stood off to the side.
"What's going on here?" the mayor asked, raising an eyebrow.
Vincent took the opportunity to step forward and introduce himself with a confident smile. "I'm Vincent Richardson," he said proudly. "My father is Howard Richardson."
The mayor's expression changed instantly. "Ah, the Richardson family," he nodded with respect, eyeing Vincent and his friends. "I didn't realize I was dealing with people of such importance."
Sadie joined in, placing a hand on Vincent's arm and speaking up, "We were celebrating a special moment tonight. Vincent proposed to me."
The mayor's eyebrows lifted slightly. "An engagement, is it? Well, congratulations to you both." He gave Sadie a respectful nod and a polite smile.
Kyle smirked and added, "Until this dumbass ruined everything," jerking his thumb toward Bruce. "We caught him trying to steal from us."
Tessa, with a cold smile, chimed in, "Imagine that he stole the engagement ring. Disgraceful."
Bruce's face flushed as he stepped forward, opening his mouth to defend himself, "That's not true! I would never, "
The mayor shot him a hard glare. "Enough! No one asked you to speak," he barked.
Bruce took a deep breath and tried again. "But I didn't take anything. This is all a setup!"
Mayor Henderson turned to Vincent and his friends, clearly not interested in hearing Bruce's side of the story. "Do any of you know this man?"
Vincent gave Bruce a dismissive glance. "Not really. He's just… a nobody."
Bruce grasped his fists so hard that he could feel his knuckles crack. "I'm not a nobody. I don't deserve to be treated like this. They set me up!"
The mayor seemed to nod and engage whenever Kyle spoke, but when it was Bruce's turn, his words felt like they were hitting a wall.
"Enough!" Mayor Henderson's voice cut through the air. "I don't know who you are, but I know who these people are," he said, looking respectfully toward Vincent and his peers. "And I trust their word."
Vincent and the others smirked, watching as Bruce's shoulders dropped, realizing he was helpless against their influence.
Finally, the mayor turned to Bruce with a cold tone. "For the good of this town, there are consequences to actions like stealing. You're left with two choices: pay the fine of one million dollars or take a ten-year prison sentence."
Those words from Mayor Henderson struck Bruce like an atomic bomb!