Chapter 3

Before the police arrived, Jocelyn resumed pressuring me to pay.

She spread the bill out again and tapped the total amount at the bottom. "Mr. Johnson, would you prefer card or mobile payment?"

I sat back down, suddenly feeling calm and collected.

Moments like this were exactly when panic became dangerous. They wanted me flustered, embarrassed, desperate enough to make mistakes in front of everyone watching.

I refused to give them that satisfaction.

I said, "I want to see the purchase records."

Jocelyn's expression remained icy. "The bill is right here."

"I want to see the security footage."

"Too bad. Our cameras happen to be under maintenance today."

Hazel laughed. "Broken again?"

Jocelyn shot her a look. "What do you mean by again?"

Hazel replied coolly, "That's how it always goes in movies."

I almost burst out laughing at that.

Jocelyn's face darkened more. "Ma'am, I'd advise you not to involve yourself in other people's family matters."

Hazel set her phone down on the table, the recording screen glowing. "I was set up on this date, too. If he truly has a wife, then I'm a victim in this situation. So yeah, this absolutely concerns me.

"Either provide actual evidence, or wait for the police to arrive."

Jocelyn stiffened. She turned around and told one of her assistants, "Bring over the signed form."

After searching for a bit, the girl, Felicity, produced a service confirmation slip.

I took it and looked it over. It read: [Client: Diana Johnson.]

The signature at the bottom was barely legible. The treatment details section, however, was blank. No staff signature. No procedure time. No equipment identification number.

I asked, "Is this all you've got?"

Jocelyn said, "The client signed it."

"She signed for herself. What does that have to do with me?"

"She's your wife."

"Show me the proof of our marriage."

Jocelyn gritted her teeth. "Mr. Johnson, you're being unreasonable."

"You don't have any proof, right?" I shot back.

People nearby were already whispering among themselves.

"He doesn't seem guilty at all."

"What if his wife really did spend the money?"

"100 thousand dollars at a med spa? That's crazy."

"There are scams everywhere now. Hard to tell."

Jocelyn heard the whispers and immediately raised her voice. "Everyone, did you hear that? A woman came to our place for treatments, left her husband's phone number, and told us her husband would handle the payment.

"Now the husband is here on a blind date with another woman, insisting he isn't married. Does that make any sense?"

After she finished, she raised her phone, aiming it at me. "Mr. Johnson, this is your last chance. If you still refuse to pay, I'll send this footage to your company."

I looked straight into the camera. "Do you know where my company is?"

Jocelyn blurted out, "Harrington Center on Oak Avenue, 18th floor, Johnson Advisory."

Then she froze for a moment, surprised by what she'd said.

My heart sank.

Hazel shot me a look.

My office address wasn't private or anything, but there was no way a random spa manager should know it that easily.

I asked, "Who told you that?"

Jocelyn snapped, "Your wife."

"What else did she tell you?"

"You live at Lakecrest Residences, Building 3, Room 2."

After saying it, she fixed her eyes on me, as though these details alone were enough to prove she had the right man.

However, all I felt was a sudden chill crawl down my spine.

My home address had been leaked, too.

Only a handful of people knew where I lived. My company, the property management office, a few longtime clients, and the woman who set up this blind date.

A while back, my mom sent my personal profile to a matchmaker called Ashley to help arrange blind dates for me.

Back then, I thought she was giving away too much.

She said, "The girl wants to know your background. I can't set you up without giving them any information."

I didn't think much of it at the time, but now, I couldn't help but feel that maybe that was where things went wrong.

Jocelyn saw me go quiet and assumed I was nervous. She jumped in right away, "Mr. Johnson, see? We've matched all your info. How are you going to deny it now?"

I looked up. "Just because you know where I live doesn't mean you actually know me."

Jocelyn sneered. "Then I'll call your wife."

"Go ahead," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Put it on speaker."

Jocelyn hadn't expected me to be so straightforward.

She hesitated for a moment, then scrolled through her contacts and found a number.

I looked over. I didn't recognize it, but it was a local number.

The phone rang about eight times before someone answered. A woman's voice came through the speaker. "Hello?"

Jocelyn immediately softened her tone. "Hello, Mrs. Johnson, this is Jocelyn from Flora Med Spa. You completed your treatments with us this afternoon, and the bill is currently with your husband.

"However, Mr. Johnson says he doesn't have a wife, so we wanted to check with you."

There was a brief silence on the phone. Then the woman said, "Eric said that again?"

As soon as she said that, all eyes in the restaurant were suddenly on me.

Jocelyn seized the opportunity. "Yes, Mrs. Johnson. Mr. Johnson is right here, having dinner with a lady."

The woman on the other end immediately raised her voice. "Eric, are you out on another blind date? When are you going to stop this?

"I didn't get those treatments merely for me. I was trying to please you, and now you won't cover the bill, huh?"

Her voice was shrill, and the way she talked sounded incredibly natural, like this was a real married couple arguing. Anybody listening probably would have believed her.

However, I knew with absolute certainty that I had never met this woman in my life.

Staring at the phone, I asked, "Diana Manson, right?"

Diana let out a cold snort. "Why are you calling me by my full name?"

"You're saying you're my wife, right?"

"Eric, what's this about? What's wrong with you?"

I chuckled. "Alright, then tell me, when exactly did we get married?"

There was a brief pause on the phone. "Are you pretending you don't know?"

"Give me the date."

"Don't you remember such an important day?"

"Tell me the date we registered our marriage."

Diana went quiet.

Jocelyn butted in, "Mr. Johnson, couples forget dates all the time."

I shot her a look. "Shut up."

Jocelyn's face darkened.

I continued speaking to Diana. "When is my birthday?"

She answered right away, "June 16th."

I squinted.

She got it right. My birthday had been included in my personal profile.

I asked again, "What's my father's name?"

She hesitated.

"Can't remember?" I said. "You claim to be my wife, but you don't know my father's name."