Chapter 4

Collin's voice was steady. "Miss Gallagher, this is Yasmin's graduation project—there's only one like it in the world. And you say you broke it by accident?"

I walked into the living room and saw the ceramic sculpture shattered on the floor. It was my favorite piece from college, and I'd always kept it in the display cabinet.

When Amelie saw me, she started crying even harder. "Yasmin, I'm so sorry. I just wanted to wipe off the dust, but my hand slipped..."

Marvin came back just then and stood protectively in front of Amelie. "It's just a decoration, right? If it's broken, we'll just buy another one. Is it really worth making Amelie this upset?"

Collin let out a cold laugh. "Mr. Garza, that's awfully generous of you. But Yasmin spent half a year making this herself. Its sentimental value can't just be replaced."

I crouched down and carefully picked up the pieces, my voice calm. "It's fine."

Everyone froze, even Amelie.

I looked up at her and smiled. "But Amelie, this piece was on loan from my alma mater for an exhibition. It's worth 250 thousand dollars. Since you broke it, my lawyer will be in touch with you regarding compensation."

Amelie's face went ghostly pale. "250 thousand dollars?"

Marvin was stunned too. "Yasmin, are you serious? How could a college project possibly be worth that much..."

I pulled up the loan agreement on my phone and showed it to them. "It's all right here in black and white. Or do you want to take this to court?"

Amelie grabbed Marvin's arm in a panic. "Marvin, I didn't mean to..."

Marvin stared at the contract, his face turning grim.

Collin chimed in, "Mr. Garza, why not just pay from your own account? Miss Gallagher doesn't have any income right now, so it looks like you'll be covering the debt anyway."

Marvin took a deep breath, gave me a death stare, and dragged Amelie, who was crying her eyes out, upstairs.

Collin helped me pick up the shards and asked quietly, "Yasmin, are you really going to take this to court?"

I dropped the last piece into the box and chuckled. "It's all fake. I just put that contract together in the car earlier."

Collin's eyes widened, then he laughed out loud. "That's brilliant."

I glanced up at the second floor, narrowing my eyes. "This is just the opening act. Just wait, the real drama's about to start."

Honestly, Amelie was still a rookie at trying to outsmart a woman who owned her own law firm.

Amelie kept her head down for a couple of days.

I figured that 250 thousand dollars "compensation" must've really hurt, even if Marvin was the one who paid up. Word was, the two of them had a blowout fight over it.

Marvin might be worth millions now, but money was always his soft spot. Deep down, he was still that broke kid who'd argue with a street vendor over pocket change.

That afternoon, I was in my study, catching up on work emails, while Collin sat beside me, buried in a textbook, one of those medical school tomes so thick it could knock someone out.

"Yasmin," he suddenly looked up, "Amelie is snooping around in your walk-in closet."

I raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

He waved his phone. "I set up a security camera in the hallway, just in case."

I leaned over to look at the screen. There was Amelie, sneaking into my walk-in closet like she was up to no good.

A few minutes later, she came out wearing the custom-made dress I'd just gotten from abroad last month, posing in front of the mirror like she owned the place.

"Not bad taste," I commented. "That dress is worth 70 thousand dollars."

Collin whistled. "Want me to catch her in the act?"

I shook my head. "Let her have her fun."

Half an hour later, Amelie came out again. This time decked out in a set of jewelry, my grandmother's emerald collection, priceless and irreplaceable.

Collin sat up straight. "Yasmin, isn't this crossing the line?"

I kept my cool. "Let's just watch a bit longer."

Sure enough, Amelie snapped a few selfies in front of the mirror, carefully put everything back in place, and slipped back to her room.

"That's it?" Collin sounded let down.

I grinned. "Just wait, the real drama's coming."

At dinner, Amelie came downstairs wearing a new dress. The style and color were almost a dead ringer for the designer one I had custom-made, but the material and stitching were nowhere near as nice.

"Marvin," she called out in her syrupy voice, "how do you like my new dress?"

Marvin nodded. "Looks good on you."

Amelie spun around, pretending to be casual. "I went shopping today and saw this dress—made me think of the one Yasmin owns, but honestly, I think this color suits me way more."

I took my time cutting into my steak. "Well, replicas always do have flashier colors."

Amelie's face froze. "Yasmin, what are you saying? I bought this at the IFC Mall..."

"The IFC Mall sells counterfeits?" I looked up. "Guess I'll have to report them tomorrow."

Marvin jumped in to smooth things over. "Come on, it's just a dress. As long as Amelie likes it, that's all that matters."