Chapter 4

I knew there was no point arguing with Simon, so I grabbed Victoria's hand. "Victoria, please save my dad…"

Victoria glanced at Simon before pushing me away.

"Drop the act. There was no way my people would've seriously injured him. Don't try to fool me with a fake medical report."

Tears spilled from my eyes, and I vehemently shook my head. But before I could even speak, Victoria continued, "I know you don't actually need money from me. You're just pulling this stunt because you're jealous of Simon.

"How many times have I told you that Simon is an excellent worker? I'm just rewarding an employee for his achievements. Can you stop getting jealous over nothing?"

Two bodyguards came forward and dragged me outside.

"Victoria!"

I struggled with all my strength. As they hauled me past Simon, I noticed something. Apart from the five-million-dollar watch he was wearing, he also had a diamond-studded tie pin from the same collection. I recalled seeing that it was worth ten million dollars as well.

But I didn't have time to let this revelation crush me. I called everyone I could think of and managed to scrape together some money, but I was still short.

In my desperation, I suddenly remembered one of Mom's old possessions that Dad had hidden at the bottom of a trunk. It was a tiara that had been passed down through several generations. He'd only let me touch it for the first time on my wedding day, telling me to put it on Victoria.

But Victoria loved modern luxury goods and had little interest in such an antique-looking design. She wore it once just to humor Dad before tossing it back to me.

I rushed home and carefully dug out the tiara. It was a genuine antique from 500 years ago, making it a priceless item.

I immediately contacted the owner of an antique shop. After seeing the photos, he agreed to meet me right away. But just as I carried the box out of the house, someone slammed into me hard.

Simon cried out in surprise, and Victoria caught him.

"What's gotten into you, Mr. Jamison?" Simon protested. "Why are you rushing around without looking where you're going?"

I didn't have the luxury of responding to him. I hastily cradled the box with the tiara once more. But just as I was about to leave, Simon snatched the tiara from me.

"Oh! Is this that family heirloom of yours, Mr. Jamison? The tiara?"

"Give it back!" I lunged forward, but with one look from Victoria, the bodyguards quickly blocked me.

"Simon just wants to take a look at it. Don't act like the sky's falling."

"I need it to sell it! The buyer's waiting for me!"

Simon was taken aback. "What? You want to sell something this beautiful? Well, I was actually planning to buy it and give it to Victoria…"

Victoria immediately asked, "Eli, how much do you want for it? I'll pay you for it."

My eyes lit up at once. It'd be great if I could get the money quickly and use it to pay for Dad's treatment.

"Ms. Richards!" Simon stopped her. "It'd be fine if you bought it from someone else, but you two are married! How can you be expected to pay money to get something from your husband? What kind of married couple does that?

"Here's my idea—let me borrow the tiara for a few days. I'll hire someone to create one exactly like it and return the original to Mr. Jamison, completely unscathed. That'll save you some money, right, Ms. Richards?"

Victoria smiled fondly at him. "Oh, you. You're always thinking in my best interests."

"No way!" I reached out for the tiara at once. "If you're not buying it, I need to leave with it right away!"

But Simon refused to let go. "I'm only borrowing it. I'm not keeping it. Do you really have to be like this, Mr. Jamison?

"Besides, this thing is so old. The one I'm giving Victoria will be brand-new, so you don't have to worry about me stealing it for myself."

"Let go!"

The tiara was fragile, so I was careful not to pull too hard.

A flash of anger crossed Simon's eyes, and a dangerous glint soon appeared in them. He stared fixedly at me before abruptly releasing his grip.

The tiara slipped from his hand and crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces.

"Even if you don't want to let me have it, Mr. Jamison, there's no reason for you to smash it!" Simon cried out, acting all outraged.

Victoria frowned as well. "Eli! Couldn't you even stand to let him borrow it for a few days? Since when did you become so jealous that you'd rather destroy something than let anyone else have it?"