Chapter 1

The man looked me up and down as I shoved my hand against the security door just before it closed.

"Don't play dumb with me!

"This apartment was bought outright by Lydia Zaydn last week!"

I jammed my fingers into the narrowing gap, the door biting down until my knuckles turned red.

"To celebrate moving in, we even went shopping at Hermès yesterday!

"This is the password Lydia gave me. Who are you supposed to be?"

I shouted as I tried to squeeze inside, but the man was much stronger than I expected. No matter how hard I pushed, I could not get in.

He braced one hand against the doorframe and casually flicked dust from the sleeve of his suit with the other.

"Miss, if you want to scam someone, can you at least use a smarter trick? I've seen plenty of obsessive fans like you. But there's no celebrity living here. Just me, an ordinary businessman.

"If you keep trying to force your way in, I'll have security come up and throw you out."

I pulled out my phone and flipped through my contacts.

"Just wait! I'm calling Lydia right now!

"I'll have her come up and confront you in person!

"Let's see how you beg us for forgiveness then. This is trespassing!"

My fingers trembled as I tapped the contact labeled 'Baby Lydia.' After the call connected, I turned the speaker volume all the way up. The ringing echoed down the hallway.

The man crossed his arms and leaned against the door, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Pick up already. Where did that stupid girl run off to?

"Didn't she say she was just getting a package?"

A voice from the phone replied, "Sorry, the user you dialed is temporarily unavailable."

The call ended.

My face burned. Refusing to give up, I called again, then again, three times in total.

Every call went unanswered.

The man scoffed.

"Finished acting? If you're done, get lost."

"I'm not acting! I have proof! I have a photo of the property deed! Lydia sent it to me!"

I frantically searched through my phone's media folder, my fingers flying across the screen. When I finally found the image, I shoved the phone in front of his face.

"Open your damn eyes and look! The property owner is Lydia!

"There's even an official red seal! You think this can be fake? This is the most luxurious condo in the country, Luxuria Heights!"

He barely glanced at the screen and did not even bother to look at me properly.

"Miss, next time you fake something, at least hire someone more professional."

He lifted a finger and pointed at my phone from a distance.

"The registration number format on this deed is from five years ago. It's been obsolete for ages.

"And this official seal? Just look at the color. It's clearly painted on with basic computer software.

"The most ridiculous part is the size. My place is a duplex with a registered area of 400 square meters. Yours says 200."

With every sentence, the blood drained from my face, and my hands began to shake.

"That's impossible. Lydia sent this to me. She wouldn't lie to me."

I argued, but my voice had grown faint.

Before I could react, the elevator doors slid open.

Two uniformed security guards rushed out.

"Mr. Austin Grant, we're terribly sorry. This was our oversight. We accidentally let this woman in."

One guard stepped forward and twisted my arm behind my back. A sharp pain shot through me, and tears burst out instantly.

"Your name is Austin? What's your relationship with Lydia?

"Let me go! What right do you have to grab me? I'm a friend of the homeowner!

"Lydia! Lydia, you useless girl! Come out and save me! I'm being attacked!"

I kicked wildly, my high heels scraping black streaks across the floor. The other guard, irritated by the noise, clamped a hand over my mouth.

Austin waved his hand dismissively and turned away, closing the door.

The security door shut in front of my eyes as I was dragged into the elevator.

The mirrored wall reflected my current state. My hair was a mess, my makeup smeared into a blur by tears, and the Chanel suit I had bought just yesterday hung wrinkled and rumpled on my body.

"Let go of me! I can walk on my own! If you ruin my clothes, can you afford to pay for them?"

The guard removed his hand from my mouth and looked at me with open disdain.

"Chanel? Take a look at all those loose threads.

"Wearing a fake to Luxuria Heights to scam other people? You must be desperate for money."

They dragged me out of the lobby and dumped me onto the asphalt road inside the compound. My knees slammed into the ground, pain shooting up my legs.

People passing by stopped to stare, pointing at me.

"What are you looking at? Never seen a pretty woman fall before? Get lost!"

I scrambled to my feet and grabbed my bag to cover my face. I wanted to call a car and get out of this horrible place. I wanted to find Lydia and demand an explanation.

However, after digging through every pocket, I remembered.

I did not have a single cent on me.

My salary card, my credit cards, even the few hundred dollars I had secretly saved: all of them were with Lydia.

She said she had won a hundred million, so she would help me keep this small amount and manage it together.

As I looked at the city around me, fear crept in.

Had Lydia really taken the money and disappeared?

Impossible. We had eaten at a Michelin restaurant just the previous day.

That was real black truffle and caviar.

That kind of taste could not possibly be fake.

It had to be that bastard, Austin.

He must have gotten greedy when he saw the money and kidnapped Lydia.

Clenching my teeth, I took off the high heels that had been rubbing my feet raw and carried them in my hand. Barefoot, I stepped onto the asphalt and started walking toward my old place, one step at a time.

I had to go back to the shared apartment.

There had to be clues there.