I took out the envelope and laid out six single-dollar bills in front of Kai. His eyelid twitched slightly, but he stayed composed. After a couple of seconds of silence, he pressed his lips together and forced a smile.
"Madeline, you’re not upset over this tiny matter, are you?" he asked, trying to sound casual. "This is just how things work around here; I thought you knew that."
Seeing that I still didn't respond, his smile faded. "You know I was raised by a single mom. She doesn't have much income, so whatever was in the envelope, it’s her way of showing she cares."
"If it’s really bothering you, I can make it up. How much do you want, five hundred dollars? A thousand?" He pretended to pull out his phone to transfer money to me.
I continued sipping my espresso in silence, prompting him to return his phone to his pocket. He put on his jacket and stood up to leave.
"Fine, I don’t know what’s gotten into you today. Since you’re not in a good mood, I’ll head out. Get some rest," he said, adding his usual reminder to turn off the lights and keep the heater on at night so I wouldn’t catch a cold.
For the first time, his fake concern made my skin crawl. If it weren’t for the $20,000 loan I had just given him—the money I needed to get back—I would have already kicked him out.
As the door slammed shut behind him, I slumped onto the couch, feeling drained.
The next day, as if guided by instinct, I gathered all the gifts Kai had given me—LV, Chanel, Fendi—and took them for appraisal. When the sales clerk gave me an awkward smile, it hit me—I felt like a complete fool.
My phone rang, showing an unknown number. I answered it, and to my surprise, it was Kai's mother.
"Madeline, Kai mentioned you’re thinking about buying me a gold bracelet. Oh, how can I express how grateful I am? You’re too kind," she said in a sweetly insincere tone. "I don't really have much to give you in return. Why don’t you come over for dinner this weekend? I wanted to know what you like so I can prepare."
It didn’t take long to see through her act. The dinner invite was just a tactic to get the bracelet. Both she and Kai were in on this charade, playing me for a fool. Remembering how she once urged Kai and me to marry quickly, I could almost feel my skin crawling.
I gripped my phone tightly, grinding my teeth as I responded, "Anything is fine."
She didn’t notice my tone and cheerfully replied, "Great! Be sure to come by on Saturday! Oh, and there’s no need for a gift box for the bracelet; they’re expensive, and we shouldn’t waste money on that."
I chuckled darkly to myself. The mask had finally slipped. But I might just have to disappoint her. There won't be a bracelet, but I’ll make sure they return everything they took from me.
