It Chapter 2 Richie Novels & Stories

“My models are done. Dr. Mehta wants co-authorship.” His face lit up in that quiet way he had now. “That’s huge. Congratulations.” We ordered a simple dinner: grilled chicken and vegetables. No takeout every night. While we ate, he told me about Ben sketching with Gloria again and how the kid asked better questions than most professionals. I told him about Claire’s visit and the bridge onesies. “No big scenes,” I said. “Just closing chapters.” Julian set his fork down. “Richard called me on the way home. He wants to meet tomorrow. Just us. Says he has proof the money was for ‘business development.’”

One hand gripped the buzzing briefcase; the other, Raven’s little gun. “Drop it, June!” Victor Vancent yelled. He was ten feet away, standing by the helicopter, suit whipping in the wind, looking ridiculous and dangerous all at once. He held up a black remote. “Game’s over. Hand me the case, or I push this button and blow the whole damn mountain.” Her father, Silas Avery, lunged forward. Greed twisted his face. “Give it to him, June! Think of the money! We can finally leave all this behind. We’ll be rich!”

I sat beside him like a puppet, led by the hand. Lucas arrived. Seeing me seated with Dominic, he showed no surprise — just a few extra degrees of frost in his gaze. Right in front of Lucas, Dominic pulled a check from his wallet, wrote a number on it, and slid it across the table to me. One million dollars. "Take it." Dominic's voice oozed with cruelty and triumph. He turned to Lucas. "See? This is who she is." "A million dollars, and she drops you without a second thought — happy to walk away with me."

[Note: There are some Italian words in this chapter, as I am just studying the language I had to rely on G****e Translate for help. The English meaning of each word can be found at the end of the chapter, for those who understand the language and can speak it fluently, I apologize in advance if the words are not entirely correct.] Chapter 11 -----THE VALENTE’S MANSION-----

“I’m broke.” Horace did not like that and began howling, “How can you lie to me, girl? We’re in dire straits! What’s wrong with giving us a helping hand? How can you be too poor to help us, yet rich enough to have fun in a place like this?!” Lydia also began throwing a tantrum on the floor as she kneeled, “Have you no heart, North?! Oh dear, what have we done to deserve a niece like you?!”

Was he here to mock me too? I remained silent, my eyes locked onto his. He was beautiful. That much, I had to admit. But then again, most of these rich kids were. They had flawless skin, expensive haircuts, toned bodies—money had given them a glow the rest of us could only dream of. I was just lucky that God had made me naturally beautiful, or else I would have stood out even more. I watched as he walked over to a cupboard near the smoker’s table, pulling out a first-aid kit.

My cheek burned like fire. The crowd went silent. I locked my eyes on Clara, refusing to flinch. My silence rattled Clara, but she lifted her chin again. "What are you looking at? Dressed like a pauper and still trying to play the heiress? If this jet is really yours, I'll bow and scrape." I broke free of their grip and yanked the ribbon off the tail. "Clara, do you even realize those letters, SV, are my initials?" "Shut up, you shameless bitch! Still running your mouth?"

But when the plane they were on landed at the Richmond Airport, Elizabeth looked at Johnathan in a strange way. What were they doing in such a city? Did it mean Johnathan was raised in such a place? If that's the case, then he was probably filthy rich. During all their time together, Johnathan never once appeared to be stinking rich. He never begged for anything, but it wasn't as if he could compete with the rich students on campus. While Johnathan made conversation with her, Elizabeth kept quiet, all the way to the Parker mansion. She was literally at a loss for words when the taxi they hired l, stopped in front of the Parker mansion. The place Johnathan brought her to, was huge!

Michael “This will be our chance to catch him. When is the next exchange? We’ll lull him there and that’s it. “ “Richard never goes to the exchanges. Ever. “ Garrey said, “He is so, so careful, always has been. There’s no way he will let himself be caught. “ “He just has to be there, even if it's only briefly. “ “No, it won’t work. “ “It will. “ Mike tried to get up, he felt like he had been sitting for too long but once he moved, the pain reminded him of itself and he sat back.

The wedding planner stood outside with a megaphone, shouting at Vivian inside the house, "You live in a huge mansion and drive luxury cars. How could you not pay for the wedding services? This is money that ordinary people like us need to feed our families. No matter what, you have to pay us back today. Otherwise, we're not leaving your doorstep." Vivian heard these words from inside the house. Her face turned pale with rage, and she nearly fainted.