Chapter 04

Gia's POV

Ivy's eyes lit up. "You're buying? Of course! Please give me one moment. I'll pull up some listings for you right now."

She turned to her tablet and started tapping fast.

Vanessa folded her arms and gave a loud, bored sigh. "Oh my God, you're really doing this? Ivy, she's lying. She just wants to look important in front of everyone."

Ivy kept her eyes on the screen.

"Watch," Vanessa went on, louder now. "You'll find her the perfect house, and she'll go, *Hmm, I don't really like the kitchen.* Then she'll leave and you'll have wasted your whole afternoon. Again."

The man in the grey suit chuckled behind her.

Ivy glanced at me, unsure.

"It's okay," I told her. "Keep searching. I'm not in a hurry."

She nodded and smiled a small, grateful smile. A minute later, she turned the tablet toward me.

"Miss Hart, this villa just came on the market yesterday. The owner bought it as a gift for his daughter, but she married and moved to Portugal. She doesn't plan to come back, so he's selling."

The screen showed a white two-story villa right on the sand. Glass walls. A pool that looked like it spilled straight into the ocean. Palm trees swaying along a private path to the beach.

My heart did a little flip.

"How much?" I asked.

"Two point eight million."

I almost laughed out loud. *Exactly* two point eight million.

*This is it,* I thought. *This is the house the system picked for me.*

Ivy chewed her lip. "I know it's a lot. If it's too high, I can call the owner and see if he'll lower the price a little—"

"A discount?" Vanessa snorted. "Ivy, you could get her ninety percent off and she still couldn't pay for it. Girls like her—"

"Okay. That's enough."

I said it quietly, but everybody heard.

I looked at Ivy. "I'll take it. Let's sign."

Ivy stared at me. "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Right!" She clutched the tablet to her chest. "I'll call the owner right away, Miss Hart. Please, sit down. Can I get you water? Coffee?"

"Water is fine. Thank you."

She hurried off toward the back office, already dialing.

The second she left, the man in the grey suit stepped in front of me. His smile was suddenly bright and friendly, like the man who shoved me earlier had never existed.

"Wow, you're signing already? Ivy's brand-new here, you know. She's been here, what, three weeks? She barely knows how to fill out the forms." He slid a black card toward me between two fingers. "Here's my card. Trent Lawson, senior agent. If you need someone with real experience, call me anytime."

I didn't touch the card.

"No thanks," I said. "I'll only work with her."

His smile froze.

Ivy rushed back in, breathless. "Good news! The owner says he's ready."

"Great." I stood up. "Can we sign now or not? If not, I'll go somewhere else."

"Yes! Yes, we can sign right now!"

"Hold on."

Vanessa stepped between us, her red heels planted on the marble like she owned the floor.

"Did you forget the rules, Ivy?" she said sweetly. "We check proof of funds first. Before anything gets signed."

Ivy frowned. "But—"

"She's obviously faking." Vanessa tilted her head at me. "If she signs today and can't pay next week, the whole office gets in trouble. Don't come crying to me when that happens."

Ivy gathered herself and straightened her back. "Vanessa, company policy says proof of funds is only required for properties above three million. This one is two point eight."

The room went quiet. A few agents exchanged looks.

Vanessa's face hardened. "I'm the top seller in this office. Three years in a row. If I say we check her funds, we check her funds."

She turned to me and let her eyes crawl down my body, slow and cruel.

"Look at her. That whole outfit didn't cost fifty dollars. Fat. Ugly. Cheap shoes." She gave a short laugh. "People who actually buy villas on Miami Beach don't look like *that*."

A few of the agents laughed with her. Trent shook his head and smirked.

My face burned. For a second, I was back in my father's dining room, hearing *big, lazy daughter* all over again.

Then I took a slow breath.

I wasn't that girl anymore.

I reached into my bag, pulled out my phone, and opened my bank app. I turned the screen around and held it up in front of Vanessa's face.

"It's fine," I said calmly. "Take a look at this."