Chapter 6: The Shattering of the Fake

Lucas stumbled into the penthouse at 2 AM, the stench of whiskey and regret clinging to his clothes. His shirt was unbuttoned, his tie askew, and the Veridian Global rejection email still glowing on his phone screen. Sophia sat on the living room couch, a book in her lap, her expression calm as if he hadn’t just spent hours screaming at Luna in a hotel suite.

 

“Soph,” he slurred, collapsing beside her, his hand reaching for hers. “I’m sorry. I messed up. The Veridian deal—”

 

“I know,” Sophia said, closing her book without looking up. “Ella texted me. Said you’re trending on T*****r for ‘botching the biggest tech deal of the year.’”

 

Lucas flinched, his pride wounded deeper than any insult. He’d never been one to beg, but desperation tasted bitter on his tongue. “I can fix it. Just give me time. And I’ll end it with Luna—for good this time. She’s a liar, a gold digger, I never should have—”

 

“Save it,” Sophia said, pulling her hand away. She stood up, walking to the kitchen to pour him a glass of water. “You don’t have to explain. I understand. You made a mistake. People do.”

 

Her calmness threw him off. He’d expected tears, anger, accusations—not this quiet acceptance. “You… you’re not mad?”

 

“I’m disappointed,” she said, handing him the water. “But I believe in second chances. For us. For your company.”

 

Relief flooded Lucas’s face. He drank the water, his hands still shaking. “Thank you, Soph. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

 

The next afternoon, he showed up at her favorite jewelry store with a small red box. Inside was a Cartier Tank Francaise, the same watch he’d gifted her in her past life—right before he froze her bank account and ran off with Luna. This time, Sophia’s fingers brushed the metal with feigned warmth.

 

“It’s beautiful, Lucas. Thank you.”

 

He fastened it to her wrist, his touch lingering. “I want you to know I’m serious. No more lies. No more Luna. Just us.”

 

After he left for work, Sophia grabbed his forgotten phone from the coffee table. The passcode was still his birthday—arrogant, lazy, predictable. She opened W******p, scrolling to the “Upper East Side Gatekeepers” group chat: a circle of Lucas’s business partners’ wives, old-money socialites, and luxury brand executives who prided themselves on weeding out “posers.”

 

She typed a message from his account: Guys, meet Luna Marie—my new intern. She’s helping with Montgomery Tech’s luxury partnerships. Could you add her to the chat? She’s eager to learn from the best.

 

She attached Luna’s phone number, hit send, then deleted the message from his sent folder. By the time Lucas realized his phone was missing, it would be too late.

 

Thirty minutes later, Luna’s phone blew up with a W******p notification. She’d been moping in her apartment, her split lip still throbbing, when she saw the invite to the “Upper East Side Gatekeepers” group. A scream of joy escaped her—this was it. Her ticket to the elite circle she’d craved since she fled Ohio.

 

She immediately sent a gushing message: Hi everyone! So honored to be here! Thank you, Lucas, for the opportunity! 💖

 

She followed it with a photo of herself in the fake Cartier necklace, the flawed Chanel bag slung over her shoulder. Loving my new work accessories—Lucas has been so generous!

 

The chat went silent for five minutes. Then the messages started pouring in:

 

Intern? Interesting. Lucas never hires interns for luxury partnerships.

That necklace… isn’t the serial number fake? I have the same one—real Cartier has a laser-etched code.

“Generous”? Honey, that bag’s stitch is misaligned. It’s a knockoff.

Poor Sophia. She must have no idea.

 

Luna’s smile faded. She typed a hasty reply: It’s real! Lucas bought it for me! But no one responded. The chat went quiet again, and she could almost feel the judgment radiating through the screen.

 

Across the city, Sophia watched the exchange from her laptop, a cold smile playing on her lips. Jake had set up a mirror of the group chat, so she could see every message without being detected. Luna was already digging her own grave—all Sophia had to do was keep pushing.

 

She texted Jake: Make sure the blog goes live tonight. Highlight the fake jewelry, the “intern” lie. Tag every luxury brand account you can.

 

Jake’s reply was instant: On it. She’s gonna regret ever crossing you.

 

Sophia closed her laptop, the Cartier watch glinting on her wrist. Lucas thought he was buying her forgiveness with a piece of metal. But he had no idea—he’d just handed her the key to destroying Luna’s reputation for good.

 

The gatekeepers had been warned. Now, they’d do the rest.