“Mrs. Langford, about the money… could you give me a few more days?” he asked hesitantly.
She knew it was a long shot.
Celeste was only offering the place at cost because of Audrey. But what harm was there in pushing her luck? The real issue was she didn’t have a dime to spare right now.
‘Even if Celeste isn’t keen, with Yann as my stepson, she couldn’t just say no, could she?‘ Lucia thought.
Lucia held her breath, waiting for an answer.
Celeste rolled her eyes. She thought, ‘Audrey really had Lucia figured out. She predicted this exact request.
If Celeste actually owned the apartment and Lucia wanted to pull a “no–money–down” deal, she’d be in a tough spot.
‘But unfortunately for Lucia, that isn’t the case,‘ Celeste thought.
Celeste said, “Mrs. Winifred, it’s not that I’m being difficult. Like I told you before, this property is in someone else’s name. We’re business partners.
“If I give you the place without getting paid, they’ll think I’m pocketing the profits. How am I supposed to work with them after that?
“Here’s an idea–put down a 300–thousand–dollar deposit. I’ll pay my partner, and you can settle the rest when you’ve got the money. If you’re short on cash, you can put up some jewelry or antiques as collateral. You can get them back once you pay in full.”
Lucia was left with no room to argue. In frustration, she picked at the piece of paper on the table until it had a huge hole in the middle.
“Just hold the unit for me. I’ll find a way to get the money,” she said.
After hanging up, Lucia sat deep in thought. ‘If Westmoor Heights properties are this in demand, why waste one on Clayton? I can buy it and flip it for a profit–way more lucrative than selling Audrey’s old bags.’
‘I can make at least 100 thousand dollars. Then I can just rent a small place to fob Clayton off with.‘
Just as she was lost in her fantasies, her phone rang.
Kyle: [Meet me tomorrow. It’s urgent.]
Kyle was smart enough to know not to push Lucia too hard and risk losing his cash cow. He took a slow–and–steady approach, asking for money here and there, tens of thousands of dollars at a time.
It was enough to keep him satisfied without straining Lucia’s finances.
He’d just received 30 thousand dollars and wouldn’t have reached out so soon, but he’d made a discovery–the sickly tenant renting his place had suddenly started living large.
Clayton had been getting chummy with the community clerk. The moment he left, Kyle approached her and asked, “Betty, did he suddenly come into money?”
“Clayton said he has inside contacts,” Betty replied. “He’s investing in futures and making a fortune.”
She then relayed the story Clayton told her. A friend handled legal cases for rich clients and earned their trust, sc
invited him to invest.
Clayton put in 15 thousand dollars, and in just one week, his money doubled.
Betty was considering joining in, but Clayton warned her about investment risks, so she was still undecided.
1/3
Chapter 370
Kyle, who had 30 thousand dollars at hand, gave Betty 7,000 dollars to Invest with Clayton under her name. He promised to give her a fonus if they? a profit.
The next day, Betty said she’d already earned 2,500 dollars.
That was all it took to convince Kyle. He immediately called Lucia, asking her to lend him more money. He promised he’d pay back the principal orce he made a profit.
Lucia had no idea that both she and Kyle were part of Clayton’s scheme. The three of them were now bound together, unable to break free.
That night, Logan didn’t return home again. Lucia didn’t have the energy to wonder where he was or who he was with.
She walked around the villa and finally picked out a Fabergé egg. A friend gave it to Logan on his birthday, and it was said to be worth 300 thousand dollars.
Instead of letting it sit in storage and gather dust, she decided to use it as collateral for the apartment and get it back once she made some money.
Just as she finished packing the egg, Logan came home, beaming from ear to ear. He didn’t even try to hide his smite.
“What’s got you so excited?” Lucia signaled to Jenna to quietly take the Fabergé egg outside, then went to help Logan with his wheelchair.
She noticed he was wearing different clothes from what he’d left in as if they were brand new. Logan took a sip of the hot coffee she handed him.
Then he said, “Remember you said Audrey’s bags were no longer suitable for her? I told Amelia, and she’s sexding over a bunch of the latest designs for her to pick from.
“You pay attention to details, so let me know if there’s anything else Audrey needs. Just don’t go overboard and cause problems.”
Lucia’s hand froze as she reached for the cup, her mind going completely blank for a split second.
She thought, ‘So, my plan to resell Audrey’s bags actually gave Logan the perfect excuse to get in Amelia’s good graces? In the end, I ended up with nothing, while Audrey scored a whole collection of new bags?‘
“Those clothes you’re wearing…” Lucia’s head was pounding.
Logan looked down at his outfit and just smirked, saying nothing.
These clothes were a gift from Amelia, a reward for looking out for Audrey. She’d told him to keep it up. As long as he was nice to Audrey and her babies, Amelia would keep throwing him bones.
No wonder he was so happy.
Amelia was the one footing the bill for Audrey’s bags, and all he had to do was tell her Audrey’s needs to win back her approval.
“You’re going out?” Logan finally noticed Lucia, all dressed and ready to leave.
“Uh… I’m going to see Audrey,” Lucia replied.
“Sure. Go ahead.” As Logan wheeled himself towards the small elevator, he turned back and said, “When you get there, less talking, more doing.”
Lucia didn’t realize what he meant until she arrived at Hillcrest Gardens.
Amelia was already there, along with her whole team, putting on a mini fashion show right in the villa. Any bag
consideration.
t caught Audrey’s eye was set aside for
When Lucia walked in, no one even bothered to greet her. She made her way to the living room and stopped in her tracks.
Chapter 370
Amelia was going all out.
The small hall by the entrance was overflowing with bags and cardboard boxes.
A staff member was removing the stuffing from a showcased bag and using it to shape another bag for the model to display.
Others were neatly packing away the bags Audrey didn’t like, wrapping them in dust covers, boxing them up, and making detailed investing
‘This is more like a full–blown sales event than a bag delivery!‘ Lucia thought.
Lucia saw a bag she loved just as a staff member was about to pack it away. “Hold on a second. Don’t pack that yet,” she called out.
She planned to pick a few for herself while she had the chance.
The staff member glanced at her, clearly not recognizing her, and went right back to work.
Lucia gritted her teeth.
She rushed into the living room, plastering a big smile on her face. “Audrey, I have to give you a piece of my mind,” she said brightly. “If you need bags, r take you shopping. Don’t make Amelia go through all this trouble.”
Turning to Amelia, she added, “You can’t spoil her too much. If you do, she’ll get ideas, First, it’s bags, next, it’ll be a house?
Amelia was in the middle of explaining the pros and cons of a bag, which a model was displaying, to Audrey when she gave Lucia a sharp look.
Audrey, still focused on the bag, said casually, “I was worried you’d get mad if I picked too many. Since you’re being so insistent, I’ll send you the bill once I’m done choosing.”
Lucia stared, stunned.
She thought, ‘Isn’t Amelia giving these bags to Audrey? Why is Audrey sending me the bill?‘
Amelia finally gave Lucia her a look. “Logan said you had a problem with Audrey. If I hadn’t seen how ‘caring‘ you are with my own eyes, I might have believed him.”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
