3

"If the smell bothers you, Mr. Vaughn, I can sleep in the guest room."

With that, she walked into the guest room, shut the door, and locked it.

The moment the door closed, Elena's legs gave out, and she slid to the floor.

The loan shark had already sent three texts demanding payment. One included an attachment.

The attachment was a photo taken during the kidnapping, showing Elena covered in blood.

"Mrs. Vaughn, you have 18 hours left. If you don't pay up, every major news outlet will have this photo by tomorrow morning."

Without hesitation, she sold the yellow diamond and put up the beach condo as collateral for another loan.

She was still far short of the amount she needed.

Elena peeled the gauze off her chest. The wound underneath was badly infected.

She didn't make a sound. She didn't even dare go to the hospital.

If she went to the hospital, the police would get involved, and Julian would learn the truth.

After cleaning the wound, she applied her makeup flawlessly, covering every last visible mark.

Julian didn't get home until evening.

He looked relaxed. When he saw Elena sitting on the sofa, he gave her an approving look.

He liked her polished and glamorous. This was the perfect wife he wanted.

"There's a private preview tonight," Julian said, as if he were doing her a favor. "Christie's Asia president will be there. Haven't you been wanting me to introduce you? Go change. I'll take you."

In the past, Elena would have seen it as an olive branch, a sign that he wanted to fix their marriage.

But now, she simply closed the file and asked in a flat voice, "Is Chloe going?"

Julian paused, then frowned out of habit.

"Chloe studied art. She needs to make connections tonight. Don't start being unreasonable again."

"I'm not." Elena stood up. "Since Ms. Bennett is going too, let's make a deal."

"What deal?"

"There's a painting expected to fetch two million dollars at tonight's auction. Buy it in my name."

Julian laughed in disbelief.

"Elena, what's gotten into you today? Suddenly obsessed with money? The condo transfer just went through, and you haven't even had a chance to wear the yellow diamond. Now you're already asking for more?

"Didn't you used to hate all this? You always said all you wanted was a simple life with me."

Elena stepped forward and held out her hand, palm up.

"People change. The only money you can count on is the money already in your hands.

"Buy it in my name, and I'll play the perfect wife tonight. Say no, and I'm going back to my room to sleep."

Julian stared at her, his eyes sharp.

But he couldn't read her at all.

To him, Elena had finally become just as materialistic as everyone else.

It disappointed him a little, but more than anything, it made him feel in control.

As long as she wanted money, he'd always be the one holding her leash.

"Deal. As long as you behave yourself tonight."

At the preview that evening, Elena was flawless.

Arm in arm with Julian, she smiled and worked the room, moving from one wealthy, influential guest to the next.

Halfway through the night, Chloe accidentally stepped on the hem of Elena's dress and spilled red wine all down the front of it.

Looking panicked, Chloe said at once, "I'm so sorry, Elena. I didn't mean to. The carpet's so slippery..."

Instinctively, Julian stepped in front of Chloe and shot Elena a warning look.

The old Elena would already have been in tears, demanding to know why Chloe would stoop to such a dirty trick.

Instead, she simply pulled out a tissue, calmly dabbed at the stain, and even smiled at Chloe.

"It's fine. It'll wash out."

Surprise crossed Julian's face, then gave way to a satisfaction he'd never felt before.

When the bidding started, Julian bought the painting for two million dollars without a moment's hesitation.

In the parking garage, Julian turned to look at Elena beside him.

In the dim light, she was breathtaking.

He reached for her hand.

"Elena, as long as you keep being reasonable, we won't have any problems."

But the moment his fingers brushed the back of her hand, Elena jerked it away like she'd been burned.

Julian's hand froze in midair.

"I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

Julian watched her walk away, and that panic rose up in him again.

What he didn't know was that the second Elena stepped into the elevator, she called a buyer.

"I have a two-million-dollar painting from tonight's auction. It's yours at a discount. Wire the money within half an hour. We'll transfer the title as soon as the sale settles."

The final payment notification popped up.

The final payment, combined with everything else she'd already sold, brought her total to exactly ten million.

She transferred the full ten million, settling the debt once and for all. Then she destroyed every IOU and every record tied to the blackmail.

Paid off.