Chapter 5

Collin suddenly spoke up, "Miss Gallagher, did you go out today? When was that? I was in the living room the whole time and never saw you leave."

Amelie stammered, "I... I went out this afternoon..."

"I was reading in the living room all afternoon and didn't see you leave through the front door," Collin said, tilting his head. "Or do you have some kind of wall-phasing ability?"

Amelie's face fell even further.

I set down my fork and knife, grinning. "Maybe Amelie's got an Anywhere Door, straight from her room to the shopping mall?"

Marvin shot Amelie a puzzled look. "You didn't go out today? So where'd that dress come from?"

Amelie was so flustered that she was about to cry. "I... I bought it online..."

Collin and I chimed in together, dragging out the word.

After dinner, Marvin got a call and headed off to the study for a video conference.

Amelie came straight over, her voice tense. "Yasmin, I know you don't like me, but did you really have to embarrass me in front of Marvin?"

I was making coffee, not even looking up. "What did I say that humiliated you?"

"You said I was wearing a knockoff!" Amelie shot back.

"Isn't it?" I set the coffee pot down. "Or do you want me to bring out the authentic one and compare?"

Amelie was speechless for a moment, then quickly switched gears. "Yasmin, I know you look down on me, but I really do love Marvin. Now that I'm pregnant with his baby, when the baby's born, it deserves a proper place in the family..."

"So what exactly do you want?" I asked.

Her eyes lit up. "At the very least... we should get married, right? Otherwise, the baby would be born a bastard..."

I laughed. "Bigamy's a crime. You want Marvin to end up in jail?"

She froze. "That's not what I meant..."

"Then what do you mean?" Collin suddenly appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame. "You want Mr. Garza to divorce his wife and marry you?

Miss Gallagher, you've got some real nerve, trying to break up someone's marriage and acting like it's no big deal. Shameless, really."

Amelie's face flushed with anger. "Who do you think you are? Just a freeloading pretty boy!"

Collin just laughed. "At least I'm honest about it. Unlike some people, sneaking around in someone else's clothes and then lying about where they got them."

Amelie was so furious she was practically choking on her words, and spun around to leave.

"Wait," I called out, retrieving an envelope from under the coffee table. "This is for you."

She gave me a wary look. "What is it?"

"Just open it," I said.

She hesitated, then took the envelope and pulled out the photos inside. Her face went pale. They were shots of her, dressed in my clothes and jewelry, snapping selfies in my closet.

"You... you were watching me?" Amelie stammered, her voice trembling.

I took a sip of my coffee. "It's my closet. Isn't it normal to have a security camera in there? After all, any piece of jewelry in there could be worth 330 thousand dollars. What if something goes missing?"

Collin chimed in, "And Miss Gallagher, you've got some real selfie skills. Those shots with the jade jewelry are especially good. Want me to send them to you as a keepsake?"

Amelie's hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold onto the photos.

I set my teacup down, keeping my voice steady. "Consider this your warning. Next time you mess with my things, these photos are going straight to Marvin's inbox. Just imagine how he'll react when he finds out you've been secretly trying on the heirlooms his grandmother left me."

Amelie fled the room in a panic.

Collin looked at me with admiration. "Yasmin, when did you set up the security camera?"

I let out a soft laugh. "Totally made that up. There's no camera. Our housekeeper just happened to snap those pics while cleaning today."

Collin was stunned for a second, then cracked up. "Genius, pure genius!"

The next day, Amelie was on her best behavior. She even took the initiative to help me set the table.

Marvin was clearly pleased with the "harmonious" vibe and ended up chatting a lot more at dinner.

"Amelie, your prenatal checkup is next Wednesday. I'll go with you," he said, then suddenly turned to me. "Yasmin, is my black card with you? I can't find it."

I nodded. "Yeah, it's with me. What's up?"

"I've got an important client to entertain tomorrow, and I need that card," Marvin said. "Bring it to me in a bit."

After dinner, I headed to the study to grab the card, only to find the safe wide open, and the black card had vanished.

I stared at the empty safe for a few seconds, then, without missing a beat, shut the door.

"Did you find it?" Marvin asked as he walked in.

I turned around, a smile still on my face. "Marvin, looks like someone's swiped your black card."

"What?" Marvin's face went pale. "No way. Did someone break in?"

"Worse than a break-in," I lowered my voice. "I think it was an inside job."

Marvin froze. "What do you mean?"