Chapter 3
"W-What?" Tiana stammered, her voice trembling.
The three Smiths were completely dumbfounded.
"No way, this is a scam. It has to be a scam!" Demi shouted, her voice rising in panic.
She was about to call the police, but then she realized the cops were already there.
Demi yelled, "Officer, there's no way this car is worth 3 million. They're just making stuff up."
The two appraisers handed over the paperwork proving the car's value and history to the police.
Tiana crowded in to see for herself, quickly searching on her phone.
Even in the freezing winter, sweat started to bead on her forehead.
Tiana muttered, "It's true. This car really is worth that much."
She quietly handed her phone to Peter.
On the screen was a photo from a collector's car exhibition. Someone had snapped a shot of my car, and even the license plate matched perfectly.
"No way, it has to be a swapped plate. We're being set up," Peter blurted out, his voice trembling.
He rushed off to the side to make a call.
Tiana snapped, "Yeah, we're definitely being set up. Just wait till my sister and her husband get here. You'll regret this."
The officer said to me, "Ms. Jennings, we're done here. I suggest you leave for now.
"These people are crazy. Who knows what they'll do next?"
I nodded and was about to grab a cab and leave.
But Demi spotted me right away and rushed over, grabbing my arm. She called out, "Tiana, this bitch is trying to run. Hurry up and help me catch her."
"Let go of me!" I snapped, trying to pull away.
"In your dreams! Are you scared now? Too late," Demi snapped.
Just then, a Rolls-Royce pulled up not far from us.
The passenger door swung open, and out stepped a gorgeous bare leg, impossibly eye-catching in the freezing cold.
Then came a round, pregnant belly.
The woman was fair-skinned and delicate, her pregnancy making her look even more vulnerable and in need of care.
The man in the driver's seat hurried around to her side, carefully helping her out of the car.
The woman said to Peter, "Dad, good thing we were nearby. What happened?"
Peter said, "Rose, we've been set up. Some woman is trying to make us pay for her car, and she's asking for 3 million."
The man who supported Rose sneered, "Someone dares to mess with me? Let's see who's got the guts."
He handed Rose over to Peter, then shouldered his way through the crowd.
"We caught her," Tiana called out, desperate to take credit for it.
With a loud rip, Tiana yanked my coat, revealing my shirt underneath.
I turned my head and locked eyes with Nathan.
Nathan stammered, "H-Honey?"
He shouted at Demi and Tiana, "Let her go."
Nathan strode over and quickly pushed Demi and Tiana aside.
He tried to pull me into his arms, but I dodged him.
"Katherine, when did you get here? Were you in a car accident? Are you hurt?" Nathan asked, his voice full of worry.
Peter hurried over and said, "Nathan, how could she be your wife? You..."
But before he could finish, Nathan cut him off.
Nathan said, "Sir, watch your mouth."
He shot a glare at the Smith family. Peter and Demi might be slow, but they finally got the message and clammed up.
Only Tiana, trying to sound smart, chimed in, "I get it. She's your ex-wife.
"Nathan, even if you two used to share a bed, now you're with Rose..."
Before she could finish, a loud slap landed on her face.
Demi looked like she was about to charge forward in anger, but Peter firmly held her back.
Tiana had never seen Nathan this furious before. She clutched her face, staring at him in utter disbelief.
Tiana stammered, "N-Nathan, you hit me?"
Nathan snapped, "Say something like that again and see what happens!"
"Nathan, she claimed you are her brother-in-law. Care to explain yourself?" I said, my voice calm but icy.
I gave Nathan a calm, indifferent look.
Before Nathan could say anything, Rose walked over, clutching her belly, looking meek and pitiful.
She said, "Ms. Jennings, I'm so sorry. This is all just a misunderstanding.
"I'm just Mr. Goodman's secretary, really. We work together a lot, that's all—my family just jumped to the wrong conclusion."
She insisted again, "I swear, it's just work. Nothing more."
I shot Nathan a cold look and said, "A misunderstanding? Your family's been name-dropping him everywhere. Don't tell me you only figured it out today. You have a mouth, don't you? Why didn't you set the record straight?"