Chapter 3

Elizabeth's fingers paused over the screen for a few seconds. I saw her type something, then delete it.

She kept doing this, then finally took a deep breath and hit send.

The group chat went dead silent. Then, a rain of replies started lighting up the chat. Elizabeth started firing off texts, one after another, ten in a row, listing out all the ways she'd supported me financially.

Grace's message got buried under the flood of replies. [Wait, what's Ms. Vaughn doing?]

Elizabeth sent another message: [I'm happy to take care of him. What's it to you? If you've got a problem with it, leave the group right now. If you don't, just shut up.]

I looked at the screen and almost burst out laughing. Damn, she protected her people like a lioness.

Everyone in the group chat went wild. People were spamming the chat.

[That's amazing, Ms. Vaughn.]

[Ms. Vaughn, you're so generous.]

[Ms. Vaughn, you're so cool.]

Grace kept trying to post, but her messages got completely drowned out by the flood of replies.

Elizabeth tossed her phone onto the coffee table and knocked back her wine in one go.

"That hit the spot?" I asked.

She turned to me, her eyes shining. "Yep."

Maybe it was the booze, but her cheeks were rosy, and she didn't seem nearly as frosty as before.

"Why are they calling you a scammer?" Elizabeth muttered, sounding tipsy. "You cook way too well for that."

I chuckled. "So being a good cook means I'm not shady?"

"Exactly," she said and nodded, dead serious. "If someone can make food taste that amazing, there's no way they're a bad guy."

"That's some pretty crazy logic," I teased.

"If I say so, then that's how it is," she snorted, pouring herself another glass of wine with a little attitude.

I took the bottle away. "Stop. You're definitely drunk."

"I'm not drunk," Elizabeth insisted, reaching out for the bottle. "I've got a great tolerance, you know."

But before she could even finish, she slumped sideways onto the couch, out cold.

I sighed and got up to fetch a blanket. Just as I draped the blanket over her, the doorbell rang.

Who'd show up at this hour? I walked over to the door and checked the peephole. There were three people standing outside.

There was a middle-aged woman decked out in jewels. It must be Grace.

Two uniformed security guards stood beside her.

I opened the door.

Grace took one look at me, her gaze dripping with disdain. "So you're the one?"

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Hmph," she said, crossing her arms. "I just want to see what kind of guy could make Ms. Vaughn stand up for you."

I leaned against the doorframe. "So what now?"

"Let me in," Grace said, craning her neck to look past me. "I need to make sure Ms. Vaughn is safe."

"She's asleep," I replied.

"That's all the more reason I need to check," Grace screeched. "What if you tried something while she was out?"

I snorted. "And you are?"

"I'm the vice chair of the homeowners' association," Grace said with authority. "It's my right and duty to keep this place safe."

"Hey, security guys," she turned to the guards, "I think this guy's up to no good. You need to go in and check."

The two guards exchanged uneasy glances.

One of them whispered, "Mrs. Holloway, maybe this isn't such a good idea."

"Why not?" Grace shot them a glare. "If something happens, are you ready to take the blame?"

Just as I was about to say something, Elizabeth's voice came from behind me. "What happened?"

She walked over to the door, her cheeks still a little flushed, but her eyes were clear and sharp.

"Ms. Vaughn." Grace immediately plastered on a fake smile. "Are you alright? I saw the messages in the group chat and got concerned—"

"I'm fine," Elizabeth cut her off. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just worried about you," Grace said, her eyes flicking over me. "And you actually know him?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth replied.

"So he?" Grace started, then caught herself and waved it off. "Whatever, as long as you're happy."

She was being totally fake, obviously not wishing us well.

Elizabeth's expression turned cold. "Anything else?"

"No, nothing," Grace said, forcing a smile. "I'll get out of your hair then."

She turned to leave, but then caught sight of something on the coffee table in the living room.

It was some random glass Leo had been messing with earlier.

But really, it was a chunk of emerald I'd given him. I just roughly polished it up as a toy.

Grace's eyes lit up, and she rushed right in.

"Hey, what's this?" Grace picked up the emerald. "Is this a toy for him?"

I frowned.

Elizabeth noticed, too. "Put it down."

"Relax. I'm just checking it out," Grace said, holding the emerald up to the light. "Looks pretty legit."

Before she could finish, the emerald slipped from her hand.

The chunk of emerald hit the floor and broke clean in two.

The living room went dead silent.

Grace froze for a second, then quickly forced a smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. It's just a toy, right? I can get you another one, no big deal."

But she stopped mid-sentence. Because when it broke open, the inside was a deep, rich green. Under the light, it was practically radiating, almost spilling out brilliance.

Grace's face went very pale. Her voice trembled. "W-Well..."

"It's a fine emerald," I said coolly. "Market price? Around 15 million, give or take."

"But you're right, it's just a toy," I said with a smirk. "Not worth a dime."

Grace's eyes rolled back, and she almost passed out right then and there.