Her flattery hit its mark, and Collin s ego swelled. It wasn t often that Linsey asked him for money outright, so he had no intention of denying her.

With a casual flick of his wrist, Collin signaled his bodyguard to fetch some cash.

The bodyguard, swift and efficient, returned in moments, presenting Collin with a tidy stack of coins.

Mr. Riley, we don t have any 50-cent coins only one-dollar ones. Will that do? the bodyguard asked.

Collin arched a brow, then tossed a single dollar coin to Linsey with a flourish, radiating dominance. You can go twice.

Linsey took the coin, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment. Thank you.

You re welcome, Collin replied with a playful smirk. Need more? I can give you the whole stack.

No, this is enough! Linsey s face burned as she spun around and hurried off.

Collin watched her retreat toward the restroom, a grin playing on his lips. But as she vanished from view, his expression hardened into a scowl.

Find out who s messing with Linsey, he commanded sharply. Charging for restroom access at an elite gala was far from standard.

The bodyguard behind him gave a curt nod. Yes, sir.

Inside the restroom, Linsey slipped into a stall. Just as she shut the door, Kylee appeared, clutching her bag and stepping up to the mirror to refresh her makeup.

Kylee! Cynthia called out warmly, spotting her while touching up her own makeup.

Kylee offered a polite smile and a nod in return.

The two stood side by side at the mirrors, and Cynthia seized the chance to strike up a conversation.

Before diving in, she gushed, Kylee, you ve got such a generous spirit.

Kylee raised a brow, curious. What makes you say that out of nowhere? Fresh chapters posted on find~novel~net

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It s about Linsey, Cynthia replied, her tone laced with indignation. She showed up in a dress identical to yours, didn t she? It s obvious she was trying to outshine you. Yet you didn t badmouth her instead, you even complimented her taste.

Kylee let out a soft laugh. You think I didn t want to call her out? But with all those guests around and Collin nearby, making a fuss would have just made people whisper that I m small-minded. That s when she would truly steal the spotlight.

Oh, I get it now, Cynthia said, nodding with admiration and giving a thumbs-up. Kylee, you re so clever. I would have fallen right into her trap!

Kylee s lips curved into a self-satisfied smirk. I ve dealt with plenty of conniving women like her.

With no one else around, they continued primping, openly ridiculing Linsey without restraint.

Unbeknownst to them, Linsey was still in the stall, overhearing every cutting word.

Cynthia, oblivious, kept piling on. You probably haven t heard, Kylee, but that woman threw herself at Mr. Wells at our company to snag the design director role. And now she s wormed her way into Mr. Riley s life as his wife. Utterly shameless

Her words were cut short as a stall door flew open with a loud bang.

Kylee and Cynthia jumped, exchanging a quick glance before turning toward the stall.

To their surprise, it was Linsey who stepped out.

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