"Did you hear, Amy? Alexander feels so guilty about earlier that he's taking me jewelry shopping to make it up to me," Victoria announced, her lips curling into a smug smile.

She twirled a strand of her perfectly styled hair between her fingers. "He told me I could pick anything I want—whatever makes me happy."

Then, with a mocking tilt of her head, she added, "Oh, right. You and Alexander are married, aren't you? Yet you don’t even have a wedding ring. How… tragic."

Her laughter was light, but her eyes gleamed with malice.

"But don’t worry, darling. I’ll make sure to convince Alexander to let you pick something too. Wouldn’t want you to feel left out."

With a final, triumphant flick of her hair, she sauntered away, leaving behind the scent of expensive perfume and spite.

Theodore Whitmore’s mustache twitched in irritation as he glared after her. "That Victoria—what a venomous little creature. Does she always behave like this around you?"

Amy sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. She’s never been subtle."

He huffed. "Why don’t you just slap her? Might knock some sense into her."

Amy chuckled. "Slapping her would be too easy."

Theodore’s eyes gleamed with interest. "Oh? Got something more entertaining planned?"

Glancing down at her phone, Amy noticed an unexpected notification—her bank account now displayed a staggering number of zeros. A slow, knowing smile curved her lips.

"You know what? I think I’m in the mood for some jewelry shopping myself."

Theodore grinned. "Then what are you waiting for? Go make sure they don’t get too comfortable."

At Windsor Jewelers, Victoria was admiring a jade bangle, turning her wrist to catch the light.

Alexander, as usual, was absent—too busy with Blackwood Enterprises to waste time indulging her. Instead, he’d sent Nathan Prescott to keep her company.

Nathan, aware of Victoria’s lingering humiliation from earlier, had spent the entire outing trying to lift her spirits. Yet, her mood remained stubbornly sour.

"That bangle looks exquisite on you," Nathan offered, forcing a smile. "Go ahead—I’ll buy it for you."

The bangle was priced at nearly half a million, but Victoria barely glanced at it before slipping it off with a sigh.

Not long ago, Liam Blackwood had reclaimed the Blackwood family’s heirloom jade bracelet from her and given it to his daughter-in-law. The memory still stung.

This mass-produced piece—cheap in both sentiment and value—could never compare.

"No, thank you," she said dismissively. "It’s too… ordinary."

Nathan turned to the sales attendant. "Do you have anything more exclusive?"

"Of course, sir. If you’d follow me upstairs?"

The boutique catered to the elite. The ground floor held pieces starting in the hundreds of thousands—upstairs, the prices climbed into the millions. The top floor? Reserved for pieces worth tens of millions.

Victoria browsed lazily before selecting a bangle priced at five million.

"This one isn’t terrible," she murmured, sliding it onto her wrist.

Nathan’s smile faltered as he glimpsed the price tag. He came from wealth, yes, but Prescott Industries wasn’t yet his. A few hundred thousand was manageable—five million was not.

Three million, he could maybe justify. But this? His hesitation was palpable.

Victoria caught it instantly. A flicker of disdain crossed her face before she schooled her expression into something sweetly understanding.

"Never mind," she said softly, removing the bangle. "It’s too extravagant. Let’s just forget it."

She handed it back to the attendant with a practiced, demure smile.

Just as the attendant took it, a cool, confident voice cut through the air.

"I’ll take it."