Chapter 4

"Congratulations, babe! You and Ethan are literally a match made in heaven!"

Chloe leaned into Ethan's embrace, looking radiant with smug satisfaction.

Ethan cast a condescending glance toward me, raising his voice so the whole boutique could hear.

"Pick whatever you want today, ladies! As long as you can carry it, it's on me!"

I was utterly exhausted and had no desire to engage with their circus. I turned on my heel to leave.

Half an hour later, however, Ethan and his entourage cornered me near the valet station.

"The boutique won't let me put it on store credit," Ethan said, blocking my path with an outstretched hand. "Pay for these bags. My platinum card hit its daily limit."

[Daily limit my ass! The card is completely maxed out and frozen!]

[You switched the woman on your arm, idiot! The boutique managers aren't blind—why the hell would they let you charge luxury goods to Nora's VIP account without her permission?!]

Chloe's expression faltered. The last thing she wanted was to lose face in front of her clique.

Seeing me refuse to pull out my wallet, Ethan grew impatient. "Hurry up! I'm heading over to the Sinclair estate in an hour to be formally recognized as the heir! I'll wire you the money with interest before the afternoon is over!"

I let out a cold, sharp laugh. "We're broken up, Ethan."

The boutique director, who had followed them out with security, smoothly thrust the itemized invoice in front of Ethan. "Sir, the total comes to nine million two hundred thousand dollars. How will you be settling the balance?"

Chloe's friends had clearly shown up with the sole intention of milking the golden goose, grabbing the most expensive limited-edition pieces in the store.

"Chloe, you're the one who called us and told us to shop," one of the girls murmured, clutching two crocodile-skin Birkins. "You know we're on corporate salaries; we can't afford this. If you guys can't cover it, should we just put them back?"

Though she offered to return them, none of the girls loosened their grip on the shopping bags.

Chloe was backed into a corner, sweating under her foundation. "Ethan... do something! Fix this!"

Ethan gritted his teeth, puffing out his chest. "I am about to be officially inducted as the Sinclair heir! Put the entire balance under the Sinclair corporate account!"

With that, he grabbed Chloe's hand and made a break for the exit.

The director signaled, and four towering security guards immediately blocked their path. "You? The Sinclair heir? If you're a Sinclair, then I'm Alexander the Great! Either pay the bill right now, or hand over the merchandise!"

Chloe shrieked, cowering behind Ethan.

Humiliated, Ethan whipped out a pristine envelope from his jacket. "Open your eyes and look! The Sinclair patriarch signed this himself!"

The director didn't budge an inch. In high-end retail, he had seen every scam in the book.

Flustered, Ethan barked, "Fine! I'm heading to the Sinclair manor right now for the official homecoming! Pack the bags and ride with us. When we get there, I'll tip you a hundred grand just for the trouble!"

The director had no interest in playing along with a pair of obvious grifters and raised a hand to confiscate the goods.

I caught the director's eye and gave him a subtle, imperceptible nod.

Recognizing me, the director smoothly shifted gears and agreed to follow them.

Ethan, entirely oblivious, assumed his sheer charisma had prevailed. He tilted his chin up at me, practically glowing with arrogance. "Why don't you tag along too, you broke loser? It's time you saw how real old money lives!"

As we stepped through the mall's glass doors, several burly men in dark suits and aviator sunglasses stepped out from a black SUV, instantly surrounding Ethan.

[Hahaha! Last night when he was wasted at the club, he borrowed millions from an underground loan shark to put a down payment on that luxury villa! He signed the high-interest promissory note while blacked out! Oh, the circus is in town!]

Ethan, however, didn't flinch. He waved a dismissive hand at the loan sharks. "Follow me to the Sinclair estate! I'm inheriting tens of billions today! A petty couple million from your little club is pocket change to me!"

Carrying over twenty million dollars in crushing debt, flanked by loan sharks, boutique managers, security guards, and Chloe's greedy friends—a crowd of over twenty people—Ethan marched triumphantly up to the wrought-iron gates of the Sinclair estate.

He stood front and center, pulling out his phone to display the digital copy of the DNA test. "I am your master's long-lost son, returned to take over the family enterprise. Open the gates."

Chloe stood beside him, clutching her stomach like a regal matriarch. "And I am carrying the next heir of the Sinclair bloodline."

The elderly butler stepped forward, surveying the spectacle with a cool, impassive gaze. "Our young master returned from our European headquarters two days ago. He has already assumed management of the conglomerate."

"Where on earth did you impudent frauds crawl out from? Get off the property immediately, or I will have security remove you by force."