I was about to leave my brother's streetwear boutique on Rodeo Drive when the manager stopped me. "Ma'am, you haven't paid for that haute couture gown."

I looked at her unfamiliar face, assuming she was new and didn't recognize me. I explained politely, "Just put it on the owner's tab. Caleb knows."

The manager’s expression soured. "Ma'am, this is one of the most exclusive boutiques in Los Angeles. It's not a place for wannabes to play dress-up."

She handed me a printed bill.

I glanced at it. Seventy-five thousand dollars.

My own brother's store? Since when were the rules so ridiculous? The absurdity of it all made me let out a sharp laugh. "I'm Audrey Montgomery, the owner's sister. If there's a problem, he can take it up with me at home."

But she was relentless. "If you can't afford it, don't put on airs. And don't you dare pretend to know Mr. Caleb Montgomery."

I quickly sent a text to my assistant, Liam.

"Tell Caleb he either fires this manager, or I'm pulling my investment."

————————

1

"Ma'am, stop wasting everyone's time and pay up."

The manager's tone was sharp, as if she'd already judged me a thief.

Curious shoppers began to turn their heads, their gazes lingering on us.

I frowned, not wanting to waste another second on this farce. I took out my phone to call my brother, Caleb Montgomery.

The line was busy. I tried again, but it still wouldn't go through.

It was a weekday. What on earth was he so busy with?

I pocketed my phone and met her gaze. "Let me say this one more time," I said, my voice low and deliberate. "My name is Audrey Montgomery. I am Caleb's sister. If you don't believe me, check the company's shareholder records."

That, I thought, should settle this.

However, upon hearing my name, the manager didn't even bother to check. Instead, she burst into a loud, braying laugh, drawing even more attention.

She suddenly leaned in, lowering her voice so only we could hear. "Still playing make-believe? I've seen you lurking on my dear Caleb's social media. You're just some pathetic old hag clinging to my man! And you have the nerve to come here and try to put something on his tab? Have you no shame?"

I was momentarily stunned. I glanced at her name tag: Savannah Pierce. A wave of weary disbelief washed over me. So, this was Caleb's so-called mysterious girlfriend, the one he wouldn't even show me a picture of.

How could Caleb's taste be so abysmal?

Then it clicked. This outrageous seventy-five-thousand-dollar bill wasn't a misunderstanding. It was a setup, designed to humiliate me.

Before I could say another word, she lost her patience. "This woman is trying to leave without paying! Hold her until the police arrive!"

With a wave of her hand, two burly security guards who had been standing by descended on me.

One clamped a hand tightly over my mouth while the other twisted my arms behind my back.

I struggled, but against their combined strength, it was futile.

Ignoring my furious glare and the gasps of other customers, they hauled me toward the back of the shop. Then, they threw me into a storeroom cluttered with fabric and smelling of dust.

The door slammed shut with a bang, plunging me into darkness and silence.

In the darkness, Savannah said nothing. She simply lifted a stiletto-heeled Jimmy Choo and slammed it into my stomach.

The impact stole the air from my lungs. I collapsed to the floor, my stomach seizing.

"Spending my man's money, huh? Trying to seduce him?!" she shrieked, her voice dripping with jealousy and rage.

She loomed over me and commanded the two security guards, "Beat her. Don't hold back!"

The two guards were clearly her people. Without a moment's hesitation, they began to punch and kick me. I bit down hard, forcing back every cry and groan. Each blow rattled my bones and jarred my insides.

Savannah kept screaming, "Who do you think you are?! You're nothing but a parasite!"

"I told you, I'm his sister! If you don't believe me, ask Caleb yourself! Call him right now, I'll talk to him!" I choked out, but she completely ignored me. It wasn't until I was dizzy and on the verge of passing out that she raised a hand to stop the beating.

She dug the pointed heel of her shoe into my shoulder, smiling as she looked down at me. "You'd better pay the bill today, and then come up with another seventy-five thousand dollars. This is what you get for throwing yourself at my man and spending his money. I’m not afraid to make a scene. Caleb will clean up any mess for me."

Even doubled over in pain and struggling to breathe, I wheezed, "It's my own brand. I told you. You can ask him."

Her face darkened, and she kicked me again. The two guards immediately understood and started hitting me once more. By then, I knew that nothing I said would matter. If this continued, I might actually die here.

After spitting out a mouthful of blood, I used the last of my strength to fumble for my phone.

"Stop... I'll... I'll pay."

A smug smile spread across her face at my surrender, and she motioned for the guards to stop. She squatted down and patted my swollen cheek. "See? Isn't this easier? You could have just done it my way, but you had to learn the hard way. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Not a penny less."

Lying on the cold floor, I gasped for air, my lungs on fire.

I ignored her and called my best friend, Maya Chen. She answered immediately. "Maya, bring a cashier's check for two hundred thousand dollars to Caleb's store. I need it now."

Maya was silent for a second, instantly sensing something was wrong. "Audrey? What's going on? Your voice sounds..."

"Don't ask questions, just hurry," I cut her off and ended the call.

When Savannah Pierce heard "two hundred thousand," her eyes lit up, a flash of greed crossing her face.

She probably thought I'd been beaten into submission and was offering extra money to beg for mercy.

She could no longer hide her smug satisfaction.

"Finally learned your lesson."

Maya was astonishingly fast. Moments later, the storeroom door was yanked open from the outside.

Maya strode in with two of her bodyguards. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw the blood at the corner of my mouth, my torn Chanel jacket, and my crumpled form on the floor.

She rushed over to help me up.

I shook my head, signaling her not to say anything. Then I took the cashier's check from her hand and thrust it at Savannah.

She snatched the check from my fingers, her eyes glinting. "If this check bounces, I have my ways of finding you. Now get out."

Enduring the searing pain that shot through my body, I limped out of that filthy storeroom with Maya's support.

At the door, I thanked her. "Thank you, Maya. I'll pay you back as soon as this is over."

She just looked at me with worry. "The money is nothing, don't worry about it. But what on earth happened to you?"

I managed a weak smile. "My brother really found himself a keeper. I need to have a little 'chat' with him."

I took out my phone and found the number for the brand's Director of Operations, Mr. Davies. I had hired him personally, and he was completely loyal to me.

The moment the call connected, I got straight to the point, my voice cold and devoid of emotion.

"You have ten minutes to fire the manager named Savannah Pierce. If you can't do it, the Montgomery family will pull all of its investments from the brand, down to the last cent."

The director on the other end sounded like he was having a coronary. Hearing the raw pain beneath my tone, he didn't dare question me and simply agreed.

I hung up and, without a moment's pause, had Maya's driver take me to the Los Angeles Police Department. I explained everything to the officer at the front desk in the clearest, calmest manner I could.

After giving a detailed statement, I went to a private clinic in Beverly Hills for a full physical examination.

Holding the thin report in my hands, the anger and betrayal inside me coalesced into a cold, hard rage.

I needed an explanation.

I needed Caleb to look me in the eye and give me one himself.

My assistant tracked Caleb down to his own mansion. I went straight to the Malibu mansion I had gifted him, with my driver and bodyguards in tow.

But when I arrived, I was greeted by deafening electronic music and the sounds of men and women laughing and shouting from inside.

He was throwing a party... no wonder he hadn't answered my call earlier.

The front door was ajar. For some reason, I didn't push it open right away.

Soon, I heard the sobbing of a familiar woman.

It was Savannah Pierce.

She was inside, crying to everyone, painting herself as a poor victim who had fought back after being bullied by some arrogant, crazy woman.

"I just asked her to pay, and she threw a two-hundred-thousand-dollar check in my face and got me fired... Caleb, she went too far. She has no respect for you! She just wanted to humiliate me and tear us apart!"

Inside, Caleb's entourage of hangers-on all chimed in, defending her.

Caleb held Savannah, comforting her in a tone full of concern and love. "Don't worry, Savannah. I won't let her get away with this."

To prove himself, he boasted to everyone present. "As soon as I find that crazy woman, I'll make her get on her knees and apologize to you!"

The group of rich kids immediately roared in agreement, each one louder than the last.

"Yeah! Put her in her place!"

I couldn't listen anymore. I gave a sharp nod, and my bodyguard kicked the main door open.

The music screeched to a halt, and all the laughter and noise died in an instant.

Dozens of stunned faces turned toward the entrance at once.

"No need to go to all that trouble. I'm right here. So, who's going to teach me a lesson?"