Chapter 3
The woman replied, "I'm Judy Grant. I've been asked to witness Ms. Shaw's divorce and asset arrangements."
Peggy scoffed, "Assets? She has assets?"
Judy looked at her.
"Ms. Shaw doesn't have much in her own name. But the assets Mr. Longston transferred to Ms. Hayes during the marriage—those might not be guaranteed," she said.
The lawyer's expression shifted.
"Ms. Grant, you'd better be able to back that up," he said.
Judy opened the file and spread out the papers. "I'm absolutely sure. The apartment Ms. Hayes is living in was bought with money Mr. Longston earned after they got married.
"Her art exhibition was paid for with funds the Longston family funneled into Ms. Shaw's studio. And there's an appraisal record for that emerald bracelet, too."
Peggy straightened up.
"Evelyn, you really have the guts to dig into the Longston family?" she snapped.
I looked at her.
"Didn't you guys look into the place my father left me?" I shot back.
Peggy gritted her teeth.
"You really think just getting a lawyer is going to blow everything up?" she snapped.
Judy spoke calmly. "Whether things get shaken up or not all depends on if Mr. Longston is willing to put his accounts out in the open."
Julian showed up at the city hall just as the rain finally stopped.
His shoulder was still wrapped in bandages, and his expression was so grim it could scare anyone.
Clara was there, too.
She stood next to him in a pale dress, looking like a windblown flower.
Julian spoke to me first.
"Evelyn, did you really have to stir things up in front of my mom?" he said.
I looked at him.
"And when you released that statement, did you think it was any more meaningful?" I shot back.
He paused for a moment.
"That was just for PR," he said.
"So you want me to admit I was jealous, that I made up stories, and that I just watched when someone was in trouble—is that all for PR, too?" I shot back.
Julian dodged the question.
"Did you bring Ms. Grant here just to try and get a piece of the Longston family's money?" he asked.
Clara gently tugged at his sleeve.
"Julian, don't say that. Evelyn isn't greedy," she said.
Peggy snorted.
"Oh, really? Then why is she looking into the apartment and the art exhibition?" she sneered.
Clara immediately let go of Julian's sleeve, her face turning pale.
"Mrs. Longston, I can return those things. I never meant to take advantage of Evelyn," she said.
I fixed my gaze on Clara.
"And the bracelet?" I pressed.
Her tears started to fall.
"I swear, I lost it. Let me pay you back, please?" Clara pleaded.
"That belonged to my mother," I said.
"I know. But I didn't do it on purpose," Clara replied.
Julian frowned.
"It's just a emerald bracelet. What do you expect Clara to do?" he said.
Judy spoke up. "Mr. Longston, that bracelet showed up at the Suthaven City auction preview last month, with a starting bid of 200 thousand dollars."
Clara snapped her head toward Judy.
Julian froze, completely caught off guard.
"What did you just say?" he blurted out.
Judy handed over the photo.
"The serial number, the pattern, the engraving inside—everything matches," he said.
I looked at Clara.
"You said you lost it," I pressed, my eyes fixed on Clara.
Clara instinctively stepped back, her face pale and anxious.
"I-I really don't know. Maybe one of the servants took it and sold it," she stammered, sounding desperate.
Peggy jumped in right away. "Exactly. It must've been one of the servants with sticky fingers."
"You're the one who signed as the consignor for the auction," I said.
Clara's sobs suddenly ceased.
Everyone nearby turned to stare.
Julian held the photo, the IV tape still stuck to the back of his hand.
"Clara, what's going on?" he asked.
Clara looked at him, tears on her face, unable to say a single word.
Peggy glared at me.
"Do you really have to put her on the spot like this?" Peggy snapped.
"When she called me a liar in front of everyone, nobody thought she was putting me on the spot," I shot back.
Julian crumpled the photo in his hand.
"Evelyn, I'll pay you back for the bracelet. Just sign the papers today," he said.
I pulled out the agreement I'd prepared from my bag.
"Fine. Sign mine," I said.
He scanned a couple of lines, his face darkening.
"You want me to apologize in public?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied.
"And you want me to demand repayment for everything I spent on Clara?" Julian pressed.
"Yes," I replied.
Clara shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
"Julian, I can pay you back myself, but I really don't have the money right now," she sobbed.
Julian fixed his gaze on me, his voice barely audible.
"Are you really going to push her to the edge?" he asked.
I saw blood starting to seep through the bandage on his shoulder again.
"Julian, when you took a knife for her, did you ever stop to think that you've been pushing me to the edge for three years?" I said.
Someone caught the whole argument on camera right outside the city hall.
By noon, the Longston family's statement had totally backfired.
Someone released the uncut hallway video—Mandy's humiliation, Clara's tearful breakdown, and the studio's accounts Owen uncovered—everything was exposed, crystal clear for everyone to see.
Clara's fans started clapping back at Mandy online.
Mandy got suspended from her company, and that same afternoon, she stormed into my studio with her crew.
There were only me and my business partner, Lily Channing, in the studio.
Lily was fixing up an old screen. When she heard the door, she snatched up her measuring tape and jumped to her feet.
"Who the hell is it? Can't even bother to knock? What, you in a rush to be reborn or something?" she snapped.
Mandy took off her sunglasses.
"Evelyn, you posted that video, didn't you?" she accused.
Lily gave her a sharp look.
"Well, look who it is—the one who tried to play dirty and ended up blaming everyone else," Lily sneered.
Mandy's face went pale with rage.
"I'm not here to chat. Evelyn, thanks to you, Clara got dropped by the brand. Does that make you happy?" she snapped.
I set the piece of wood down.
"She sold my bracelet. What does that have to do with me?" I shot back.
Mandy stormed over and swept all the tools off the table.
"Cut the act. You're just jealous of her. You're nothing but a furniture restorer. How could you ever be in her league?" she sneered.
Lily slammed her measuring tape down on the table.
"Touch anything else and see what happens," she warned.
The two guys Mandy brought started to surround us.
"Mandy says if you don't apologize today, this shop's finished," one of them threatened.
Lily snapped, "If you so much as touch a splinter, I'll make sure you're carried out flat."
Mandy laughed derisively.
"You? What can you do?" she sneered.
She reached for the wooden box on the shelf.
I caught her wrist.
"Don't touch that," I warned.
Mandy tried to yank her hand free, snapping, "Let go!"
"That box has a client's stuff in it. If you break it, you couldn't even pay for the damage," I said.
"Who are you trying to scare?" Mandy sneered.
She shoved me hard with her other hand.
The wooden box hit the floor with a bang, the lid popped open, and an old ivory pendent rolled out—its corner now marked with a glaring white scratch.
Lily's face went pale.
"We're screwed," she muttered.
Mandy was still laughing.
"It's just a worthless old ivory pendent. Why are you acting like it's some priceless treasure?" she sneered.
Right then, an old man's voice came from the doorway. "Who said this ivory pendent is worthless?"
An old man in a sharp suit stood in the doorway, two young men following close behind.
Mandy didn't recognize him and was still acting all high and mighty.
"And who are you supposed to be?" she snapped.
Lily whispered to me, "That's Michael West from the Suthaven Antique and Art Collectors Association. What's he doing here?"
Michael walked in, bent down to pick up the ivory pendent, and when he saw the crack, his face turned grim.
"This belonged to my father. I brought it here to fix the clasp, not to have it damaged," he said.
Mandy's smile froze on her face.
I took the ivory pendent and looked it over.
"The crack's right next to an old flaw. It can be repaired, but we'll have to replace the clasp," I said.
Michael looked at me.
"You know how to do that?" he asked.
Before I could answer, Mandy cut in, "Mr. West, don't trust her. She's just a has-been who only survived thanks to the Longston family. What does she know about anything?"
Michael turned to me.
"Your last name is Shaw?" he asked.
"Evelyn Shaw," I replied.
He stared at me for a few seconds, and then his tone suddenly shifted.
"Is your father Marcus Shaw?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied.
Michael's hand shook a little as he held the ivory pendent.
"No wonder," he murmured.
Michael's words made the whole room go quiet.
Mandy frowned.
"No wonder what, exactly?" she went on.
Michael ignored her and turned to me. "Your father once restored a rose-patterned box. His craftsmanship was rare in Suthaven. Did you learn from him?"
"I learned a bit from him," I replied.
Lily rolled her eyes.
"You call that 'a bit'? Please, I'm the one learned a bit," she teased.
Michael handed me the ivory pendent.
"I'll give you three days. How much can you fix it?" he asked.
Mandy jumped in right away. "Mr. West, she's already knee-deep in drama. Don't let her have your ivory pendent—what if she uses it to make a fuss online and then pins everything on Clara?"
Michael finally turned to look at her.
"You broke my stuff, and now you're telling me what to do with it?" he snapped.
Mandy's face flushed red.
"I can compensate you," she said.
"Some things can't be fixed with money," Michael said.
His words landed like a slap across Mandy's face.
Lily seized the moment and slapped the bill right in front of her.
"Broken tools, scratched table, cracked ivory pendent, lost wages, pain and suffering. Sign it," she demanded.
Mandy shot her a glare.
"What, you trying to shake me down?" she snapped.
Lily gave a sharp smile.
"You don't have to sign. Mr. West is here, and there's security footage at the door. We can just take this to the police station and settle it," Lily said.
The guys Mandy brought took a step back.
Mandy shot me a glare, her jaw clenched.
"Evelyn, just you wait," she snapped.
I kept my head down, gathering up my tools.
"Take a number—there's already a crowd waiting for you," I shot back.
Then, Mandy stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Michael sat down, running his fingers along the edge of the ivory pendent.
"I've heard some things about the Longston family. Your father was a good man—how did you end up tangled with people like them?" he asked.
I picked up a soft cloth and started wiping the ivory pendent.
"I was blind back then," I said.
Lily jumped in right away.
"Guess you finally got your vision back," she teased.
Michael gave a brief smile, but it faded quickly.
"Tomorrow's the Suthaven Antique Restoration Fair. There's a live restoration segment. Be there," he said.
I froze.
"Mr. West, it's not a good time for me," I said.
"Are you afraid of the Longston family?"
"I just don't want any trouble."
Michael fixed his gaze on me.
"Did your father teach you his craft just so you could hide from trouble?" he asked.
I didn't say a word.
Lily lowered her voice.
"Go for it. The Longston family's been blocking our work, and Mr. West is handing us a lifeline," she whispered.
At that moment, a car pulled up outside.
Owen walked in, holding a box.
"Mrs. Longston, Mr. Longston asked me to bring this to you," he said.
I looked at the box.
"What is it?" I asked.
"The bracelet," Owen replied.
I opened it.
Inside was an emerald bracelet.
It was beautiful. But it wasn't mine.
Owen said quietly, "Mr. Longston said the original bracelet can't be found, but this one is even more valuable."
I closed the box and pushed it back to him.
"Tell him I want the one that belonged to my mother," I said.
Owen looked troubled.