Chapter 3

At 7:00 pm, I walked into Hunt Estate with my arm linked through Kyle's.

Georgia Lynch sat in the place of honor in the living room. She had changed into a long black velvet dress, and there wasn't a trace of grief over her husband's death left on her face.

A man in his 40s sat beside her. He was in good shape and wore a gold watch on his left wrist.

Kyle murmured, "Kevin Tuttle. My mom's personal trainer."

I almost laughed. "Your mom has good taste."

"Stay in character."

"Got it."

I immediately put on a suitably mournful expression.

The moment Georgia saw me, she brought her teacup down hard. "Why did you bring her here?"

"Ms. Reyes said Dad left a message for her."

Kyle pulled out a chair for me, and I sat down.

Everyone in the room immediately perked up.

People could skip a meal, but nobody could resist juicy gossip. A scandal at a rich family's funeral was even better. One story like that could keep the whole neighborhood talking for six months.

Georgia stared at me. "Didn't I already pay you?"

"You stopped payment on the check. That's a scam, Mrs. Hunt."

Her expression stiffened.

Kevin stood up. "Ma'am, this is a Hunt family matter. Please leave."

I looked him over. "Is your last name Hunt?"

"No."

"Then you're an outsider too. We're sitting at the same table, so don't act like you're better than me."

His face darkened.

Georgia's voice turned cold. "You keep saying you had something going on with Vincent. Then tell me, what did he like most?"

I thought back to the details Kyle had given me in the car.

Vincent Hunt didn't smoke and didn't like alcohol. He loved gardenias, hated cilantro, and was a bit of a clean freak.

I dabbed at the corner of my eye.

"Me."

Everyone at the table nearly spit out their tea.

Kyle ducked his head, but I could see his shoulders shaking.

Georgia went pale with rage, her lips pressed tight. "You have no shame!"

"Funny. You didn't say that when you handed me a million dollars."

"You!"

I pulled out my phone. "I didn't come here to argue over what I was to Vincent. Before he died, he told me his wife had stopped loving him a long time ago. She'd go to a condo at Goldcrest Residences around 9:00 pm to see someone else."

Kevin's expression changed. The condo at Goldcrest belonged to him.

Georgia spun toward Kyle. "You had me investigated?"

Kyle looked up. "Did I need to? Every time you went out, you drove the car Dad gave you. The navigation history synced automatically to the family account. Three times a week for eight straight months. You've been busy, Mom."

Kevin tried to explain. "Ms. Lynch came over to discuss investing in my gym."

I gave him a once-over. "Until 2:00 am? What were you two doing, bedroom cardio?"

Someone snorted.

Georgia finally lost her composure. "Kyle, I'm your mother!"

Kyle pulled out a document. "Exactly. That's why I've been trying to let you keep some dignity. Dad left me his shares, properties, and investment funds in his will. You'll get every cent of your share of the marital assets.

"But if you think being his widow gets you a seat on the board, forget it."

"What gives you the right?"

"Because you don't know the first thing about running a company. And because Mr. Tuttle here has been under investigation since last month for an illegal fundraising scheme."

Kevin's face drained of color. He shot to his feet. "You've been following me?"

Georgia looked even more shocked. "What illegal fundraising scheme? You told me the gym was opening another location!"

Kevin grabbed his coat and made for the door, but two of the Hunt family's bodyguards blocked his way.

Kyle said evenly, "Mr. Tuttle, when are you planning to pay back the 36 million dollars you transferred out of my mother's account?"

This wasn't gossip anymore. The scandal had just landed right in our laps.

Georgia stormed over and slapped Kevin across the face. "You lied to me?"

That set him off. "You were happy enough to give me the money. You kept telling me your husband was old and wouldn't even touch you. And now you want to play the faithful wife?"

Georgia looked completely humiliated. She raised her hand to slap him again, but he shoved her away. The two of them ended up grappling in front of the entire room full of relatives.

I sat off to the side, sipping my tea.

As it turned out, tea at a rich family's house tasted like any other tea. It just went down better with a side of scandal.

The police arrived soon after. Kevin was taken away on suspicion of fraud.

Georgia sat on the couch, her hair disheveled and her dress wrinkled. She looked up at me like she wanted to eat me alive.

"Happy now?"

I set down my teacup. "Mrs. Hunt, let's get one thing straight. Kevin was the one who scammed you, and you were the one cheating on your husband. So why are you blaming me for pointing it out? Pretending not to see a mess doesn't make it disappear."

The room went silent.

Kyle turned away and coughed. I knew he was trying not to laugh again.

Once we were outside, he transferred the remaining 500,000 dollars to me.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

I looked at the payment notification on my phone. "That's it?"

"What, are you going to miss me?"

I sighed. "No. It's just that jobs paying a million dollars a day are pretty hard to come by."

Kyle leaned against the car door. "I might have another job for you."

"What?"

"Pretend to be my girlfriend."

"Who are we pissing off this time?"

"Your husband."

I thought about it. "How much?"

"This one doesn't pay."

"Then I'm out."

I turned to leave.

Kyle caught me by the wrist. "But I can help you with the divorce."

"You know the law?"

"I studied law in college."

"What are you studying now?"

"Finance. I'm doing my master's."

I turned back to look at him. "Law and finance? That's basically a scammer's starter pack."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow."

"Where?"

"Your place."

Kyle gave me a mischievous look. "I'm helping you kick someone out."