Chapter 8 Prove the Money Is Yours

The police officer asked skeptically, "If you're together, then why did this happen in the first place?" Noticing that Crystal was cooperating, Jessie sighed in relief. She quickly swapped seats with Blaine to some distance between him and Evelyn. "This young lady has never traveled far from home, so she's quite nervous. They both fell asleep, and he accidentally bumped into her. Being away from home isn't easy. It's only natural for a pretty young lady to be a little anxious." Jessie was clearly a seasoned pro. She effortlessly cleared Blaine of any suspicion with just a few words. The crowd of onlookers started murmuring, "So it turns out they're all together!" "That lady's right. It's inevitable that you bump into people on a crowded train. Pretty girls shouldn't go around falsely accusing others," another voice chimed in. Blaine had just been slapped twice and humiliated. Noticing the situation turning in his favor, he quickly began to play the victim. He dramatically covered his face. "Oh, woe is me! I'm completely wronged! It's still bright outside, and there are so many people watching. Even if I was really up to something, I wouldn't have chosen to act at this time!" The crowd nodded in agreement and turned their disapproval toward Evelyn. One woman, who seemed to be quite well-off with a gold watch on her wrist, sneered under her breath, "A young thing looking all seductive. Who else would he bother if not you?" Her comment, though whispered, was loud enough for everyone to hear. A few people began to laugh. Evelyn glanced over at the woman but remained calm. No one could know the hurt until it happened to them. She then caught a glimpse of Crystal out of the corner of her eye, just in time to see the unmasked smirk and satisfaction on her face. "Alright, alright!" The police officer looked at Evelyn with a hint of disapproval. "Since everything is clear now, I'll let this slide. Be understanding while you're out." Jessie and Blaine nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, we got it. Thank you, officer!" The police officer nodded and turned to leave. "Officer, wait!" Evelyn suddenly called out, stopping him. The officer froze and turned back with an impatient frown on his face. "What now?" Unexpectedly, Evelyn suddenly changed the topic and reached out her hand toward Jessie, saying, "Ms. Wilkinson, since you're not going to help me, give me back my money." Evelyn huffed, her face full of hurt. Jessie instinctively shrank back. She covered the coat pocket where the envelope was hidden and feigned confusion. "What money? I don't know what you're talking about." Evelyn pointed directly at Jessie's coat pocket. "Before we got on the train, you asked me for a protection fee. The envelope with 200 dollars is in that pocket." The surrounding crowd immediately fell silent. In a time when workers barely earned 30 to 50 bucks a month, 200 dollars was a significant amount of money. "Seriously?" "If she really paid her before getting on, then everything that just happened doesn't really add up." "She paid to be protected and still got treated like this? If it were me, I'd want my money back too." Jessie could hear the gossiping clearly, and it made her blood boil. She felt as if her head was about to explode from anger. "You little bitch! I thought you were just a quiet one, but now, you're pulling tricks like this!" As the focus shifted to her, Jessie could no longer keep up the act. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to grab Evelyn by the hair. But before she could make a move, the police officer intervened, holding her back. "What are you doing? Did you really charge protection fees for a train ride?" Jessie's panic was evident. She shook her head violently and denied it, "Officer, don't listen to her lies. There's no such thing!" Evelyn sneered and firmly said, "Then go ahead and check your pockets." In an instant, every eye in the carriage turned toward Jessie's coat pocket. The money envelope couldn't be openly discussed. Susan might not know about this, but the police officer on the train had seen all sorts of things before. Jessie nervously swallowed, her lips drying up. "Even if there's a money envelope, how can you prove it's yours?" Blaine, hearing this, couldn't keep up the victim act any longer. He jumped in to back her up. "Exactly! Even if there's 200 dollars in that envelope, how can you prove it's yours? Did the money come with your name on it?"