“I just got up,” I said casually. “What were you doing in your sister-in-law’s room?”
Noah let out a breath of relief. “She was thirsty and got up to get water. I happened to run into her, so I told her to go back while I brought it to her.”
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “Then why did you shut the door?”
“I didn’t want to wake you with our talking. You’ve been sleeping lightly lately,” he lied without batting an eyelid.
“Right. Well, if she needs anything, she should just call you. No need to be shy.”
Noah gently patted my head. “Reina, thank you for being so understanding.”
I smiled sweetly. “We’re all family, aren’t we?”
—
At breakfast the next morning, Abby made a show of stretching out her arm to reveal a thick gold bracelet.
“Oh my!” I said with a mock surprise. “Sister-in-law, your bracelet looks exactly like mine!”
She gave me an innocent look. “Really? I didn’t know. Noah gave this to me.”
My eyes immediately flicked at Noah.
He cleared his throat and explained, “You never wear it, so I gave it to her. She didn’t have anything nice when she was with my brother, and I always felt a little guilty about that.”
I gave a small laugh. “Funny. I didn’t have anything either when I was with you. And those gold pieces? I paid for them myself—just pretended they were from you so you could save face.”
Before Noah could twist his expression into a frown, I stood up and left the room. When I returned, I held the matching gold necklace.
I walked over and placed it gently around Abby’s neck. “This necklace was bought as part of the same set. Since you like the bracelet so much, you should wear the whole set.”
Abby reached up to take it off. “I’ll just wear it for a few days. I don’t want to keep it permanently.”
I pressed her hand down. “Who said anything about returning it? It’s yours now.”
She looked stunned.
Noah chuckled, trying to play along. “If you like it, keep it. Otherwise, it’ll just collect dust with Reina.”
Abby picked up her silverware again, a smug smile playing on her lips. “Well, Reina is so well-off now, I guess these little trinkets mean nothing to her.”
Then she turned to me. “Noah and I are going to look at houses later. Want to come along?”
Before I could reply, Noah cut in quickly. “Reina has a busy day at the shop. She needs to keep an eye on things, so she won’t join us.”
He stood up and grabbed his coat. “I’ll go with her to help check the place out.”
I watched them walk out the door together. Just before she left, Abby glanced back at me with a smug, triumphant smile.
I couldn't help but smirk. I wondered how long she’d be able to keep that smile.
—
Sure enough, not long after, my phone rang. It was Noah.
“Reina, why isn’t your card working?”
“Oh? You have my card? I thought I lost it—so I had it deactivated.”
“You didn’t even ask me before you canceled it?” His voice tightened with frustration.
“How would I know you took it? Why did you even have it in the first place?” I countered.
He stumbled for words, then finally said, “Just transfer me one million. Hurry up.”
“What do you need that much money for?”
“A friend told me about a guaranteed investment—zero risk, high return. Since we’re not buying a house right now, we might as well let the money grow.”
I let out a cold laugh. This guy really thought he could run a scam like a pig-butchering scheme—on his own wife.
“Really? You should’ve told me earlier. My best friend just brought me in on a high-yield fund too—I already invested everything with her.”
There was a beat of silence. Then Noah exploded. “How could you make such a big decision without consulting me? That’s not just your money—it’s marital property!”
“Oh, now it’s ours? Noah, let me remind you—I earned every penny of that money. And you were the one who insisted we keep our finances separate. It's your words, not mine.”
“All these years, you’ve been handing money to your brother and sister-in-law like an ATM, and I never said a word. But the moment I use my money for an investment, you lose it?”
“You still should’ve discussed it with me!”
He hung up in a rage, and I didn’t bother calling back.
That evening, the two of them came home.
In Abby’s hand was a fresh red property certificate.
