Grace smiled without replying, but the young sales associate was already eagerly asking, "Ma'am, have you decided on this one?"

  "Yes."

  Grace nodded without hesitation. She hadn't even asked the price.

  The associate's eyes sparkled with delight. Although she hadn't been on the job long, this was the first time she'd encountered such a decisive customer.

  "Right this way, please. Let me get you a drink first, then I'll start processing the paperwork."

  As Grace followed the sales associate, Douglas naturally fell into step beside her, his tone familiar. "Hey Grace, Aethelburg's this big, and yet here we are, running into each other like this. Isn't that fate or what?"

  Grace's eyes crinkled with amusement as she watched him pull out his phone again. "Don't you think that deserves adding me on LetsChat?"

  Grace glanced toward the lounge area and said quietly, "Didn't I already tell you? I won't add you on any platform directly. You need to get it from Scarlett. She's right there in the lounge."

  At the mention of Scarlett, Douglas's face immediately soured. "Her? She's a swindler!"

  Grace blinked, confused. Douglas huffed indignantly, "I transferred her 20 Dollars for your LetsChat contact info. She took the money and ghosted me!"

  Grace couldn't help but laugh. "I knew about the first part. The second part is news to me."

  She hadn't realized Scarlett had actually accepted the payment without delivering. Apparently, she'd claimed she wouldn't give Douglas a chance, but her fingers had still clicked "accept."

  "See? I lost 20 Dollars because of you. Can't you just—"

  Douglas didn't get to finish. Grace cut him off. "You didn't lose it because of me. You lost it because you wanted my LetsChat info. At the end of the day, it was for yourself."

  "Now you're just splitting hairs." Douglas gave her a pitiful look. "Do you really have no conscience? You feel zero guilt watching me get scammed?"

  Grace shook her head, thoroughly amused. "Why would I feel guilty? I'm not the one who scammed you."

  Just then, the guy who'd arrived with Douglas walked over, phone in hand, completely oblivious to the conversation. "Douglas, Lucy said she's free tonight. Candice and Naomi can make it too. Jessica can bring two friends—she said they're in Aethelburg for the holiday."

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "So we should book a big VIP booth tonight, right? Yasmin also said—"

  Before he could spill any more names, Douglas reached up and clamped a hand over his mouth.

  Would you just shut up!

  Grace caught the green tinge creeping across Douglas's face and burst into silent laughter, her eyes curving into crescents. She followed the sales associate into the glass-enclosed lounge.

  "Dude, are you trying to sabotage me?"

  Douglas glared, teeth clenched in fury, looking like he wanted to knock his friend out.

  "What? What now?" Luke rubbed his arm where Douglas had smacked him, looking bewildered. "Weren't you the one who told me to round people up?"

  "Did you not see who I was talking to just now?"

  "Of course I saw her. A girl that pretty? How could I miss her?" Luke said, as if stating the obvious.

  "Then why were you running your mouth?! I spent 20 Dollars trying to get her LetsChat and still didn't get it. After that little performance, what chance do I have now?"

  It finally dawned on Luke. "Wait—didn't you just break up with that designer girl? You're already lining up the next one?"

  "We broke up last week," Douglas said.

  He might be a player, but he had his principles. One of them was never to juggle multiple women at once. His memory wasn't great, and he didn't want things getting messy.

  So even though he went through girlfriends quickly, it was always one at a time. One hole, one radish. Never two radishes in the same hole.

  Luke clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, buddy. I'll go get it for you." He started toward the lounge, but Douglas grabbed him by the collar and shoved him back. "Just go wait outside!"

  Then Douglas walked in alone.

  Grace was holding the chilled juice the sales associate had given her, watching Douglas pad in with his flip-flops slap-slapping on the floor. Her gaze drifted past him, and a smile tugged at her lips.

  Before Douglas could even open his mouth to explain, he was shoved hard from behind.

  The push was forceful, no restraint whatsoever. Douglas stumbled forward, nearly losing a flip-flop in the process.

  He steadied himself and whirled around furiously—only to see Scarlett standing there, wide-eyed, hands on her hips. "How did you even track her down here? Didn't I tell you to stay away from Grace?!"

  Recognizing his sister, Douglas's anger instantly deflated by half, though his tone remained sour. "I was here first, alright!"

  Scarlett gave her brother a look of pure disdain, then walked over to sit beside Grace. "He didn't try anything, did he?"

  "Excuse me, I'm not a creep!" Douglas said, exasperated.

  "But you are a womanizer!"

  Scarlett shot back immediately. "Let me make this crystal clear: you can give up right now. The guys who like Grace could circle our school track twice. Even if she dated a new one every day, it still wouldn't be your turn!"

  "So what!" Douglas yanked a chair over and sat down across from them, glaring at Scarlett. "Never mind that. Give me back my money!"

  "What money?" Scarlett asked innocently.

  "Don't play dumb. I transferred you 20 Dollars for Grace's LetsChat info. You took the money and never sent me her info!"

  Scarlett furrowed her brow. "Weren't those two separate things? I thought you were just being nice and sending me 20 Dollars because you felt bad I was broke!"

  "Do I love you that much?!" Douglas's voice cracked. "The transfer and the LetsChat request were the same thing. One transaction. A bribe. A purchase. A deal."

  "Well, sorry. Final interpretation rights belong to the seller." Scarlett folded her arms, clearly prepared to die on this hill.

  If he was going to covet Grace, he deserved to take a loss!

  Douglas sucked in a sharp breath, then turned to Grace. "Grace, look at her! Where am I supposed to seek justice? Isn't this just taking advantage of an honest man?"

  Grace watched the sibling squabble, fighting back laughter so hard she thought she'd pull a muscle. Douglas was actually kind of fun—even this furious, he hadn't lost his temper.

  "Who's taking advantage of you?" Scarlett said. "I won't give you her LetsChat, but I will gift you one opportunity to meet Grace in person."

  Douglas's face immediately brightened. "That works. How about tonight? I'll book a booth at 3CC!"

  An opportunity to meet—that meant infinite opportunities. He refused to believe he still wouldn't get Grace's LetsChat after that.

  Scarlett shook her head.

  "Tomorrow night, then?"

  Scarlett shook her head again.

  Douglas was losing patience. "Then when?!"

  Scarlett gave a tight, mirthless smile. "Right now. You've already met her. Isn't this an opportunity?"

  Douglas: ?

  Grace finally lost the battle and burst out laughing. Watching Douglas's face turn ashen after being played like that, she almost felt a twinge of sympathy.

  Douglas shot to his feet, seething. "Scarlett, I'm disowning you!"