Chapter 6
"I'll make my mother apologize to your face if that's what it takes. Just come back," Tristan said, his voice desperate.
I felt nothing but a dull sense of pity. "There's no point," I said. "I'm married."
The words hit him like a physical blow.
He froze, his expression shifting from desperation to pure shock. "You... what?"
"I said I'm married." I pulled my marriage license from my bag and held it against the glass. "See for yourself."
The color drained from his face.
"No way," he muttered. "That's impossible!"
His eyes flashed with a sudden, ugly aggression.
He lunged for the window. "You're lying! This is a fake! You're just trying to get back at me!"
I rolled the window up immediately.
His hand smacked against the glass with a heavy thud. "Eris! Open the door!
"You think you can fool me with some cheap forgery? Who else would ever take you?"
He was screaming now, his face contorted with rage.
The polished man I once knew was gone.
Just a guy losing it after his lies got busted.
I didn't waste another breath.
I picked up my phone and called property security. "There's a man harassing me at the front gate. Please send someone over right now."
I shifted the car into gear, ready to drive around him.
Tristan threw himself in front of the hood, arms spread wide. "You aren't going anywhere until we talk!"
He was really acting shameless now.
I frowned.
Two security guards appeared within seconds. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?
"Get out of the way!"
Tristan's bravado vanished the moment he saw them. "I-I'm just talking to my girlfriend," he stammered.
The guard looked at me. I lowered the window slightly. "I don't know him. He's blocking my way."
The guards didn't hesitate.
They grabbed Tristan by the arms and hauled him toward the sidewalk. "Sir, leave now or we're calling the police."
"Let go of me!" Tristan yelled, thrashing against their grip.
"Eris! You're going to regret this!" he shouted as they dragged him away.
I watched him disappear in the rearview mirror, feeling nothing but a profound sense of relief.
That ambush dinner with his mom? I was actually grateful for it.
I knew what kind of people his family really were.
Glad I managed to cut my losses before things got even messier.
Back in my apartment, my phone buzzed.
It was Jace.
In the background of the video call, I could hear seagulls and the ocean.
"Home safe?" he asked, his voice warm.
"Yeah," I breathed. "How was the flight?"
"Smooth. Just landed in Mialia. I picked up something for you; I'll have a colleague bring it over on his next trip."
I laughed softly. "Jace, stop. There's no more room for gifts."
"Then we'll just get a bigger house," he said easily. "By the way, I got a bank alert. The contact info for my secondary card was changed. Was that you?"
I froze for a moment, a bit stunned. "No, I haven't touched it."
Jace's supplementary card was set up so all the spending alerts went straight to his phone.
He said it was so he could always know how much I was spending.
It wasn't about keeping tabs on me.
He just wanted to make sure I wasn't shortchanging myself.
If I spent less than usual, he'd actually call me up to ask if something was wrong or if I was upset.
"That's strange," he said. "Maybe my parents were messing with the account.
"Don't worry about it, I'll look into it. Get some rest."
"Okay," I replied.
I felt a slight knot of unease.
The next morning, that intuition proved right.
I was at my desk when the receptionist called.