Chapter 278

“Stella, did you know? Haynie felt so bad about what happened earlier that he’s taking me jewelry shopping to make it up to me,” Rachel announced with a triumphant little smirk. “He said I could pick out anything I like—whatever makes me happy. Oh, by the way, you and Haynie got married, didn’t you? But you don’t even have a wedding ring, do you? That’s just scandalous.”

She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, her words dripping with malice. “But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to convince Haynie to let you pick something out too—wouldn’t want you to feel left out.”

With a laugh, Rachel flounced away, her satisfaction obvious.

Mr. Burton’s mustache bristled with indignation as he glared after her. “That Rachel—what a spiteful girl! Does she always act like this around you?”

Stella nodded. “Yes, she’s always been this obnoxious.”

He huffed. “Well, why don’t you give her a good slap or two? Maybe that’ll knock some sense into her.”

Stella chuckled. “Giving her a slap would be letting her off easy.”

Mr. Burton, never one to tolerate a slight, eyed Stella with interest. “Oh? Got something better in mind?”

Glancing down at her bank card, Stella noticed a string of zeroes that hadn’t been there before. A slow smile spread across her face. “You know, I suddenly feel like going out and buying some jewelry myself.”

Mr. Burton grinned knowingly. “Well, what are you waiting for? Don’t let them get too far ahead.”

At the mall, Rachel was slipping a jade bangle onto her wrist, admiring it in the light. Haynie, as usual, was nowhere to be seen—he was far too busy with work to waste time shopping with Rachel. Instead, he’d called Jasper and asked him to keep her company.

Jasper, aware that Rachel was still sulking over her earlier humiliation, spent the whole trip trying to cheer her up. Unfortunately, her mood remained stubbornly sour.

“This bangle looks gorgeous on you,” Jasper said at last. “Go ahead and get it. I’ll buy it for you.”

The bangle in question was worth nearly half a million dollars, but Rachel barely glanced at it before slipping it off with a sigh. Not long ago, Keen O’Brien had reclaimed the O’Brien family’s heirloom jade bangle from her and given it to his daughter-in-law. That stung. Nothing about this mass-produced bangle—cheap in both meaning and price—could compare to the value and significance of the heirloom she’d lost.

“No, thanks,” Rachel said, shaking her head. “It’s too ordinary.”

Jasper turned to the attendant. “Do you have anything better?”

“Of course, sir, madam. If you’d like to follow me upstairs?”

This boutique catered to an elite clientele. Most pieces on the ground floor started at hundreds of thousands; upstairs, the prices soared into the millions. There were even items on the top floor worth tens of millions.

Rachel browsed for a while before settling on a piece—a bangle priced at five million dollars.

“This one’s not bad,” she said, slipping it onto her wrist.

Jasper glanced at the price tag, his face tightening. He might have been born into wealth, but he hadn’t yet inherited the Wilkinson Group. Spending a couple hundred thousand was manageable, but five million? That was pushing it. If it had been three million, he could have managed, barely. But for this? He hesitated.

Rachel noticed his silence and, with a flicker of disdain in her eyes, took off the bangle. Her voice, when she spoke, was soft and sweet. “Never mind, this one’s too expensive. Let’s just forget it.”

She smiled as she handed the bangle back to the sales attendant.

As the attendant took it, a clear, confident female voice rang out behind them.

“I take that one.”