Chapter 3

Chloe grabbed a corkscrew and roughly drove it into the cork.

“Drink as much as you want today! It’s on me!”

She was about to pour the wine into a nearby glass.

Ryan Miller, standing beside her, suddenly cried out.

“Oh, damn! That bottle’s slippery!”

Ryan was notoriously clumsy. As he turned, his elbow slammed into Chloe’s arm.

Crash!

The six-million-dollar bottle hit the floor and shattered.

Dark red wine splashed everywhere.

Worse, the bottle struck and broke a nearby display stand.

The blue-and-white porcelain vase on top fell and smashed as well.

The room went completely silent.

Ryan turned pale and stumbled backward.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Chloe! I didn’t mean to!”

“The wine was eighty thousand, right? Can… can I pay you back in installments?”

Chloe stared at the mess, her eye twitching wildly.

But to keep up her rich-girl act, she had no choice but to swallow the loss.

She waved a hand with exaggerated generosity.

“Oh, please. It’s nothing.”

“It’s just a bottle of wine. Accidents happen.”

“That ugly vase was just a decoration too. A few hundred dollars at most. You don’t have to pay me back.”

The moment she finished, I stood up.

I walked over to the broken pieces and looked coldly at Ryan.

“Who told you that vase was worth a few hundred dollars?”

Everyone froze.

I pulled out my phone and opened an auction house’s appraisal certificate.

The previous owner had left the vase as one of the artworks included with the house. I had specifically had it appraised.

“A blue-and-white porcelain vase from the Kangxi imperial kilns, decorated with flowering and fruiting branches.”

“It sold at last month’s Sotheby’s fall auction for two point eight million dollars.”

“Add the six-million-dollar collector’s bottle of Romanée-Conti.”

“That little collision just cost eight point eight million dollars.”

The air seemed to freeze.

Ryan’s knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the floor.

“E-eight point eight million?!”

He turned to Chloe in terror.

“Chloe! You just said it was only a few hundred dollars!”

Chloe completely panicked, her voice rising to a shriek.

“That’s bullshit, Sophie! You think slapping a fake certificate on some junk vase lets you extort us?”

“This is my house! If I say it’s worth a few hundred, that’s what it’s worth!”

“Keep talking nonsense, and I’ll have security throw you out!”

I didn’t even look at her. I pressed the video intercom on the coffee table, which connected directly to the property management lobby.

“Mr. Lewis, bring your team over.”

Less than a minute later, someone pushed open the front door.

The Crestview Hills property manager hurried inside with four burly security guards.

Chloe lunged toward him as if he were her savior.

“Mr. Lewis! Perfect timing!”

“This woman, Sophie Reed, is insane! She snuck into my house, and now she’s using fake junk to extort money from me!”

“Grab her and take her to the police!”

Mr. Lewis pushed Chloe aside.

Ignoring her completely, he walked straight over to me.

Then he bowed deeply.

“Ms. Reed, I’m terribly sorry. Our security has failed you.”

“We allowed these unauthorized people into your private residence. We take full responsibility.”