Fluffy Mates Chase Their Boss on Survival Show novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161 Who Really Took the Jerky

He had gulped it down in a rush, and now his insides burned with raw, searing pain.

“You’re finally awake.” Blaze dragged Caleb onto a stool. “We were just discussing exactly how much jerky you stole frotn Layla’s place. Go on, tell us. How much was it?”

Caleb had been beaten, then scalded. His face was swollen, bruised, and now blistered red, unrecognizable from before.

He’d never been good-looking, but now he barely looked human at all.

Too scared to fight back and in too much pain to even move his tongue without wincing, he still managed a tearful response to Blaze’s question. “I stole a bag and a half of jerky, plus a set of gear. I couldn’t figure ou how the gear worked. It’s broken now.”

Hanna hadn’t expected him to actually confess to a full bag and a half. She blinked, turning to face him. “Wasn’t it only half a bag? That’s all I saw at home.”

Before Caleb could answer, Stella jumped in. “Maybe he ate it. Males have big appetites anyway. One bag of jerky isn’t that much; someone with a big appetite could finish it in two meals.”

Layla shot Stella a surprised look.

Ever since Hanna mentioned only finding half a bag at home, Layla had been wondering where the other bag had gone.

Now that Stella spoke up, Layla figured she’d just found her answer.

“Is that true?” Hanna turned to question Caleb.

Caleb was staring at Stella in disbelief. “What did you say?”

“I… I…” Stella’s composure slipped. “I said… you ate it…”

Caleb’s eyes bulged. “Say that again!”

Stella’s eyes went wide. “You ate it! Isn’t that right? You’re not seriously trying to pin this on me, are you?”

“You bitch! Say that one more time. Where’s the jerky really? When you needed me, it was ‘Cal this’ and ‘Cal that. Now you want to throw me under the bus? No way! That’s not how this works!”

Caleb jabbed a finger back at Stella. “I gave that bag of jerky to her!”

“To me?” Stella’s stomach dropped.

Every gaze in the room locked onto Stella. She thought fast.

Caleb had given her the jerky, but he’d done it willingly. She hadn’t asked for it.

But now everyone would assume she had demanded it.

She could not let them think that. She’d be finished.

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16:02 Wed, Jun 3 M

Chapter 161 Who Really Took the Jerky

With a flick of her eyes. Stella arranged her face into a mask of shock. “Are you saying… that bag of jerky you gave me… you stole it from Layla?”

“That’s the one! So you admit it now, the jerky went to you!” Caleb pointed at Stella and shouted foward, Layla. “She admitted it! Go after her for it! Go ask her, not me! She’s got your stuff!”

“You bastard!” Stella’s eyes instantly reddened, the picture of grievous injury.

“How could you steal from Layla and then give it to me? Didn’t you say you gave me things because you liked me? You gave me stolen goods. How am I supposed to face anyone now? How am I supposed to face Layla?”

She shouted her accusations, tears streaming down her cheeks.

[She’s putting on quite a show. No way I believe she didn’t know.]

[If nobody proves she knew, then she didn’t know. Only she knows the truth, right? If she swears blind she didn’t know, what can anyone do? Hook her up to a lie detector?]

[What does it matter what we believe? Ciara trusts her. The hot topic about Stella stealing got yanked down immediately. Now the narrative is “Stella’s Irresistible Charm.”]

[Irresistible charm? So charming it drives men to steal for her? I’m speechless. These public accounts will say anything for money!]

Stella rushed to Layla’s side, clutching her arm and sobbing. “You have to believe me. I had no idea that the jerky he gave me was stolen from you. I’ll go get it right now and give it back. Please, believe me!”

Caleb wasn’t exactly sharp. It didn’t register that Stella had just dumped all the blame on him, making herself the innocent victim.

But everyone else wasn’t stupid.

Yates glared at Stella, furious. “When someone gives you a gift, don’t you ever ask where it came from? Is it clean?”

[Yates is really asking the hard questions. Yates, sweetie, tone it down. Our fanbase can’t compete with theirs. We can’t out-shout the Stellights!]

[Yates is young and doesn’t know better. Please excuse him.]

[Whether we can win the fight is one thing. Do they have eight hundred marketing accounts? Why are so many public accounts scrubbing this for her?]

[Ciara favors her, that’s why. God, I just can’t understand someone who neglects their own biological daughter to dote on an adopted one. Even if you love the adopted daughter, should you really be so harsh on your real child?]

[When Layla was getting trashed, did you see any response from the Grant family? But the moment Stella faces a whiff of backlash, the Grant family sprang into action.]

[Stella genuinely didn’t know Caleb stole that jerky! What does Caleb’s theft have to do with her? To everyone hating on Stella, next time you get a gift, you’d better make sure the giver didn’t steal it first.]

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Fluffy Mates Chase Their Boss on Survival Show