"Everyone, the woman beside me is my fiancée. Don't get confused."

"As for this one?" Lucas's lip curled. "She's nothing but a dirty gold-digger and a thief."

"Security—restrain her."

Before Pat could react, guards seized her arms and wrenched them behind her back. She struggled, but their grip was iron. Her jaw tightened, fury blazing in her eyes.

Lucas released Daisy's hand and snatched Pat's clutch, rifling through it with theatrical slowness. When he withdrew his hand, a diamond ring glittered between his fingers—the stone as large as a pigeon's egg.

That ring. He'd asked her to bring it tonight. Said he was going to propose.

The trap snapped shut. She'd walked right into it.

"See?" Lucas held up the ring, playing to the crowd. "I'm not making accusations without proof. She actually stole the ring I was going to use to propose to my fiancée."

Daisy sauntered forward, her smile dripping with venom. Her palm connected with Pat's cheek—crack—the sound cutting through the murmurs.

"Pat Kaufman." Daisy leaned close, her voice a poisonous whisper. "You're the shameless gold-digger and thief here. How dare you accuse me of stealing your worthless jade bracelet back then?"

Another slap—the other cheek this time. Pat's head snapped to the side.

The whispers became a roar. Laughter. Mockery. Camera flashes. Each sound drove into her skull like a nail while Daisy's blows left her cheeks burning.

"Remember how you humiliated me?" Daisy's eyes glittered with malice. "Tonight, I'm paying you back a hundredfold. A thousandfold."

She tilted her head, mock-sympathetic. "Did you enjoy those gifts you received recently? The dress, the accessories?" A cruel laugh bubbled up. "Lucas arranged all of it. And your pretty little gown? It's hiding more surprises."

Daisy patted Pat's stinging cheek—slow, degrading taps.

Lucas crossed his arms, watching with cold amusement. "Why are you looking at me like that? We haven't framed you for anything."

"You were caught red-handed."

His gaze raked over her with contempt. "You also damaged my watch and scratched the ring. How do you plan to pay for that?"

Daisy grabbed a fistful of Pat's hair and yanked her head back. "Pay? With what?" She laughed, shrill and ugly. "The only skill she has is what she does in bed."

Pat's nails dug into her palms. Every instinct screamed at her to break free, to claw that smug expression off Daisy's face. But the guards held fast.

Then Lucas stepped forward.

His hands found the seam of her gown.

Riiiiip.

The fabric tore, exposing her legs to the crowd. Wolf-whistles erupted from the men. Pat's stomach turned to ice.

But Lucas wasn't done. From the ruined folds of her dress, he produced more items—an emerald ring, a necklace dripping with diamonds.

Pat stared. She'd never seen either piece in her life.

Only Lucas had been close enough to plant them. Only Lucas, whom she'd trusted completely.

"Whose necklace is this?" Lucas called out, holding it high. "And this ring?"

Two older men shoved through the crowd.

"The necklace is mine!"

"That emerald ring—I was going to give it to my wife!"

The first man snatched the ring and examined it, his face purpling. "There's a crack in it! You filthy little thief—you damaged my favorite emerald!"

"My necklace is broken too!" The second man's voice shook with rage.

Pat opened her mouth—I've never even seen those things—but before a single word escaped, both men struck her across the face.

One. Then the other.

Her cheeks blazed. The pain was nothing compared to the hollowing in her chest.

Twenty-three years. She had lived twenty-three years without suffering humiliation like this. No one had ever dared.

Now, in this unfamiliar city, the man she loved most had betrayed her. Had orchestrated her destruction piece by piece.

And she had let him.

What Lucas didn't know was that if our engagement had gone smoothly tonight, he would have gained wealth and power beyond his wildest dreams.

So the real loser here wasn't me—it was him. Because I was never some gold-digger clawing my way up.

If it weren't for him, I would never have stayed in this city for three years.

Lucas glanced at the disappointment and raw hurt in my eyes, then looked away with utter indifference.

"Why the tears? You should've thought about the consequences before you decided to steal."

"And now you've destroyed everyone's luxury items. Have you figured out how you're going to pay for all of it?"

"I didn't steal those things. You gave them to me."

I glared at him through gritted teeth, but no one believed me.

"Oh, that's rich!" someone laughed. "Do you have any idea who Lucas Henson is? And who are you?"

"Why would he give a watch worth tens of thousands of dollars to someone like you?"

"As if you're worth it."

I wrenched myself free from the hands holding me back, strode over to Lucas, and seized his wrist.

"Tell me," I demanded, my voice sharp as a blade. "Why are you doing this to me?"

His expression darkened instantly. "Who do you think you are? You're not even worth the effort of setting up."

"You thought being with me for a few years meant you could do whatever you pleased? You knew I cared about Daisy. You knew how much she meant to me. And yet you deliberately humiliated her."

I said nothing. I just stared at him coldly—at the hickey half-hidden beneath his collar.

We hadn't been intimate in a long time. So where did that come from?

My gaze shifted to Daisy. She smiled back at me, brazen and triumphant.

And just like that, it clicked.

Lucas had already moved on.

He wasn't worth loving anymore.

I released his wrist and stepped back, a cold smile curling my lips.

"You slept with her, didn't you?"

Lucas stood there, expression blank, and didn't bother to answer. But the look he exchanged with Daisy—lingering, intimate—told me everything I needed to know.

My hands clenched into fists. I closed my eyes slowly.

No wonder Grandfather told me not to rush bringing him home. No wonder he insisted I date Lucas for three years first—to test whether his feelings were real.

I never expected to discover the truth right at the end of that three-year deadline.

"Hey! Gold-digger!"

"You wrecked our stuff. You owe us money!"

"Stop standing there feeling sorry for yourself."

"Yeah—if you can't pay us back, you're finished."

At that, I turned slowly to face the crowd.

These so-called luxury items? I could afford to replace them ten times over. But the thought of compensating them for things I never stole—things that had been planted on me—made my stomach turn.

No one would believe me. I had no way to defend myself.

Was I supposed to just accept being branded a thief?

I pulled out my phone to call the police. Let the law sort this out.

But before I could dial, Daisy kicked the phone right out of my hand.

"Calling the cops?" She sneered. "Let me tell you something—even if they show up, they can't help you. Everyone here knows who's really in charge. They know which side to take."

"And if anyone's filing a report, it'll be us. Because you're the thief. The moment they arrive, you're the one getting arrested."

The others looked at me with undisguised contempt, as if I were some clueless hick who didn't understand how the world worked.

But their disdain didn't touch me.

What did was watching Daisy smash my phone against the floor.

"What a piece of junk," she muttered, grinding her heel into it. "It won't even break properly. Someone get me a hammer."

I tried to stop her, but it was too late.

The phone shattered into pieces.

That wasn't just any phone. The components inside—the custom chips and circuitry—had taken our engineers years to develop.

Money alone wouldn't fix this. I picked up my phone and confirmed what I already knew—completely shattered.

"I can pay you back for your losses," I said, keeping my voice steady. "But you smashed my phone. You owe me for that too."

Laughter erupted around me.

"That piece of junk?" one of them sneered. "What's it worth, a thousand bucks? I could toss you that much like I'm throwing scraps to a beggar."

"But what you owe us?" He leaned in, grinning. "That's not a thousand. That's ten million."

The crowd roared with amusement. In their eyes, I was broke and stupid.

"You're wrong," I said calmly. "My phone isn't worth ten million. It's priceless. Money can't buy what was on it."

That set them off again.

"Did you hear that? This gold-digger thinks her crappy phone is priceless!"

"She's completely lost it."

Lucas looked at me like I was something foul stuck to his shoe—like every moment he'd ever spent with me now made his skin crawl.

The two older men had lost patience. They closed in, backing me toward the wall.

"Cut the act, you little leech. Pay up."

"And if you can't?" One of them smiled, cold and thin. "I'll have someone take a knife to your fingers. A few less digits ought to teach you a lesson."

Daisy's eyes lit up at that. She let out a delighted laugh.

"Just fingers? That's boring." She tilted her head, savoring the moment. "I say we strip her naked, put a dog collar around her neck, and parade her through the streets on a leash. Like the bitch she is."

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

"Now that's a punishment! Hit her where it hurts—that'll make any future thieves think twice."

"Brilliant, Ms. Finch. Absolutely brilliant."

My vision went red. I fixed my gaze on Daisy, hands trembling with barely contained rage. She didn't flinch. Instead, she pulled out a slim cigarette, placed it between her lips, and lit it with practiced ease. Then she blew a stream of smoke directly into my face.

"What's the matter?" she purred. "Don't like looking at me?"

She took another drag, exhaling slowly.

"Then choke on it."

Her laughter rang out, sharp and cruel.

Fury unlike anything I'd ever felt surged through me. But I couldn't touch her. Not yet. She'd made it clear—even if I called the police, the law here wouldn't take my side.

First things first. Pay them off. Then settle the score.

"Fine," I said, forcing my voice level. "We'll settle all debts at once. I'll compensate them for their losses. But you smashed my phone. You pay for that too."

Daisy narrowed her eyes, studying me like I was an insect that had somehow learned to speak.

"Fine. I'll pay."

She reached into her pocket, pulled out a wad of cash—maybe a thousand dollars—and hurled it at my face. Bills scattered across my chest and fluttered to the floor.

"There. Is that enough for your precious little phone?"

I didn't bend to pick them up. I smiled instead—cold, thin, dangerous.

"Not even close."

"I told you. Its value—"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Daisy's composure cracked. She ripped the cigarette from her lips and threw it to the ground. "You ungrateful little—"

She snapped her fingers at the security guards. "Grab her. She's stalling. She doesn't have a cent to her name."

I stood my ground as they approached, meeting their eyes without flinching. "Who says I can't pay? The only one who won't be able to afford their debt is you."

"Me? Can't afford to pay you?" Daisy laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. "That's the funniest thing I've heard all year."

She straightened, wiping her eyes. "Tell you what. If you can prove your phone is actually worth something—anything close to what you're claiming—I'll drink my own piss. Right here, in front of everyone."

Her smile turned sharp. "But first? You pay what you owe us."

The guards drew their knives.

I didn't blink. Threats meant nothing to me.

But my phone was destroyed. I couldn't make a call.

I turned to the crowd, looking for anyone who might lend me theirs. Every person I approached recoiled like I carried a disease.