Chapter 3

Right at the main entrance, Chloe's shrill voice quickly drew a crowd of wealthy patrons from the lounge.

They gathered around, shooting open glances of disgust straight at me.

From the looks on their faces, you would have thought I was a shameless bum trying to skip out on a tab.

"Someone actually dared to dine-and-dash at Oceanic? Must have a death wish."

"Tsk, look at him. Dressed so sharply, but doing something so pathetic..."

"If you can't afford high-end services, don't come to Oceanic. How humiliating."

Hearing them point fingers and mock me in public made the blood rush straight to my head.

Beside Chloe, Kevin's face turned ash-white, cold sweat beading across his forehead.

"Chloe... maybe let's just drop it..."

He tugged at her sleeve, his voice shaking. He seemed desperate to stop her before she crossed the point of no return.

Chloe rounded on him, her eyes bulging as she snapped, "Kevin! Can you grow a spine for once? The cash is practically in our hands and you want to push it away? If you don't squeeze broke relatives like him dry in one go, are you saving him for Christmas?"

Kevin flinched violently. He swallowed his words, hunching his shoulders and not daring to utter another peep.

Watching him act like such a spineless coward only fueled the fire in my chest. I was completely, utterly done with him.

With a cold face, I pulled out my phone and dialed my executive assistant.

"Leo, grab five hundred thousand in cash from the Maybach's trunk and bring it to the main entrance immediately."

Moments later, Leo marched over, carrying a heavy, brushed-silver briefcase.

I gestured for him to open it.

"Click."

The latches popped open, revealing neatly stacked, pristine bundles of hundred-dollar bills. The sheer visual impact of half a million dollars hit the crowd like a shockwave.

A collective gasp rippled through the lobby. All the mocking chatter died instantly.

Chloe's eyes practically popped out of her skull.

She clearly hadn't expected the "broke relative" she had been mocking to casually drop half a million dollars in hard cash.

"Damn it... I should have billed him a million!" she muttered under her breath, her eyes darting greedily as if she had just lost out on a fortune.

Staring at the stacks of green, Chloe swallowed hard, her breathing turning shallow and fast.

She immediately reached out to snap the briefcase shut.

"Smart move," she sneered, masking her greed with arrogance. "Two hundred and eighty grand covers your service fees. The remaining two hundred and twenty thousand will serve as compensation for the severe emotional distress and reputational damage you caused our club!"

"Wait."

I placed my hand firmly over the lid, stopping her dead.

Chloe instantly bristled with suspicion. "What? Trying to back out now?"

"You can take the money," I said, locking my gaze onto hers with razor-sharp intensity. "But you must sign a formal payment receipt. Black and white. Every detail spelled out."

Beside her, Kevin jolted violently. He finally realized that this whole situation had spiraled completely out of his control.

He lunged forward, grabbing Chloe's arm, his voice trembling with desperation. "Chloe, don't sign it! We can't take this money! Give it back to Marcus right now!"

"Get off me, you useless piece of trash!" Chloe shoved him away, glaring at him with pure disgust. "Why would I return money that's already in our hands? He owes this to us! I'll sign it. Once it's in writing, neither of us can deny it. Paid in full—clean and simple!"

Her brain had been completely blinded by greed. Reason couldn't penetrate her skull.

She snatched a pen and a form from a nearby clerk, scribbling her full name, "Chloe Clark", with an exaggerated flourish, even stamping her ink-stained thumbprint onto the paper.

"Here!" She tossed the receipt into my chest, eagerly slamming the briefcase shut and clutching it tightly against her ribs.

"Babe, did you see that?" she cooed, wrapping her arm around Kevin's, her voice sickeningly sweet. "See how capable I am? Half a million dollars! This is going straight into my personal shopping fund. I've been eyeing that limited-edition Birkin forever and couldn't bear to drop the cash—now it's finally mine!"

She was completely drunk on the euphoria of unearned wealth, floating in fantasies of designer boutiques, a smug, radiant smile plastered across her face.

Just as Chloe turned to drag Kevin away, the sharp screech of tires echoed from the driveway outside.

Three sleek, jet-black SUVs bearing the crest of Oceanic Corporation pulled up in front of the glass doors.