Chapter 3

The birthday celebration that weekend was at a big restaurant.

Jack's mother, Melinda Brown, sat at the head of the table in a bright red dress, looking every bit the star of the show. A whole circle of relatives surrounded her, laying it on so thick with flattery that it was almost deafening.

I walked over with a gift box and handed it to her. "Happy birthday, Mrs. Locke."

Melinda didn't even spare me a glance. She just gave a perfunctory hum of acknowledgment.

A chubby relative next to her glanced at the gift box and said snidely, "Goodness, Noelle. Jack is a general manager at a big company now. What is this you've prepared?"

Another relative quickly chimed in. "Exactly. You're going to be the wife of a general manager one day. You shouldn't be so cheap with your gifts."

Before I could say anything, the door to the private room swung open. Jack walked in, holding Sasha's hand. She wore a haute couture dress, and the watch on her wrist drew every eye in the room.

"Happy birthday, Mrs. Locke. I wish you a long and healthy life," she said sweetly.

Melinda's face lit up instantly. She hurriedly beckoned to Sasha. "Oh, Sasha, you're here! Come, sit right next to me."

She grabbed Sasha's hand, her gaze glued to the watch on her wrist. "This watch is beautiful. Must've cost a fortune, huh?"

"Not really. It's only a little over 300,000 dollars. Jack insisted on buying it for me." Sasha ducked her head shyly.

A chorus of gasps instantly filled the room. All the relatives stared at Jack with even more feverish admiration.

"Jacko has really made it, hasn't he? Dropping over 300 grand on a watch like it's nothing!"

The chubby relative turned to me, her eyes full of disdain. "Noelle, look at how thoughtful Sasha is. You should take a leaf out of her book. Stop being so stingy and acting like every penny is glued to your hand."

Another relative jumped in right away. "Exactly. A woman should know how to be understanding and tolerant. Jacko has to entertain clients all the time. It's perfectly normal for him to care for someone who's like a sister to him."

I stared at the watch, unable to stop myself from sneering inwardly.

"You're right, Mrs. Locke. This watch is indeed beautiful." I stepped forward, looking at Sasha with a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "But buying a watch with company funds and gifting it to someone… It wouldn't look too good if word got out, would it?"

The room went dead silent. Every gaze swung toward me.

Jack's expression instantly darkened, and he stormed over to me in a few quick strides. "What the hell are you talking about, Noelle? This is my mom's birthday celebration. Do you just have to cause a scene?"

"Oh? I'm making things up?" I raised a brow.

I pulled out my phone and brought up a photo. "This is the transfer record from the finance department. 500,000 dollars were wired straight into Sasha's account, and the receipt for this watch is issued in her name."

I held the screen out in front of Melinda. "Mrs. Locke, your son used company money to buy another woman a watch. Do you think that's appropriate?"

Melinda's face twitched, but she quickly smoothed her expression over. She shoved my phone away and glared at me viciously. "Who cares whether it's company money or not? Jacko is the general manager, so the company's money is his money. You're not even married to him yet, and you think you get to stick your nose into everything?"

The chubby relative happily backed her up. "Exactly. Noelle, you're being ridiculous. It's normal for men to fool around a little when they're out socializing. How are you two supposed to build a life together after this, now that you've called him out in public?"

Suddenly, Sasha clutched her chest and staggered backward, her face draining of color. She whined, "Jack, my chest feels so tight…"

Jack lunged toward her and caught her, panic written all over his face. "Sasha! Sasha, are you okay?"

She leaned weakly against his chest, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault for upsetting Ms. Stanton. I don't want this watch anymore. I'll give it back to her…"

With that, her eyes fluttered shut, and she went completely limp.

The room instantly descended into chaos.

Melinda went pale with fright and jabbed a finger at me, cursing me out. "Noelle Stanton, you jinx! Are you trying to give Jacko an aneurysm? I won't ever forgive you if anything happens to Sasha!"

Jack scooped Sasha up in his arms and turned to glare at me, pure hatred burning in his eyes. "Noelle, you make me sick. I swear I won't let you off the hook if anything is wrong with Sasha."

He stormed out of the room without another look back, cradling Sasha in his arms.

The relatives all turned on me with looks of condemnation.

"What a vicious woman. How could she go after a young lady like that?"

"How did Jacko ever fall for someone like her? He should just call off the engagement already!"

I stood where I was, calmly watching the circus act. The more gleefully these shallow, snobbish people acted now, the harder they would crash in the future.

I picked up my purse from the table and walked out of that suffocating, private room without looking back.