Chapter 18

The assistant confirmed, replying, “Mr. Williams, the card number is correct. There is no record of purchases made with this card.”

After ending the call, Jeffrey looked at Sadie, Kenny, and Maisy. He was speechless for a moment.

“Has she been spending her boyfriend’s money?” Maisy suddenly suggested, referring to Christopher.

“Her office employee boyfriend?” Sadie exclaimed disgustedly.

Maisy lowered her head, worried Sadie might discover her relationship with Christopher. She nodded. “Yes. I’ve heard Skylar say her boyfriend gives her his salary. I have his number. Let me call and ask him if Skylar’s staying with him.”

“She’s not married, yet she’s spending his money and living with him! Has she no self-respect? She’ll embarrass our family name!” Kenny’s disdain for Skylar was evident.

Maisy called Christopher.

“Mr. Fowler, I’d like to know if Skylar was spending your money while you were together.”

Christopher, slightly confused, played along. “Well… yes, she usually uses my money. Is there a problem?”

“Did she say she’d return the money?”

“We share everything. A few days ago, I transferred my bonus—100 thousand dollars—to her. She said she needed it urgently,” Christopher lied.

Maisy, satisfied, turned up her phone’s volume so the others could hear the speakerphone conversation.

“Then, is she staying with you now?”

Christopher was silent for a few seconds. He’d been searching for Skylar, asking mutual acquaintances, but no one knew her whereabouts. However…

“She was living with me until yesterday, but I didn’t give her money when she wanted it. She got angry and left. Do you know where she is?”

He guessed Maisy had put him on speakerphone and that Jeffrey and Sadie were present. He understood Maisy’s intentions and chose to side with her; the Williams family favored Maisy.

After Maisy hung up, she looked at their grim faces with satisfaction. "Skylar seems to be consistently getting money from her boyfriend. I wonder what she’s up to. I’m so worried about her.”

Chapter 18

“She’s shameless!” Jeffrey fumed, throwing his glass of water onto the table.

After Skylar ended the call, she drove into a mall’s underground car park. The traffic was heavy, so she bought groceries from the supermarket.

Getting out of her car and retrieving her phone, she remembered her promise to Paul. She opened the photos he’d sent and replied, “The fourth emerald charm is okay.”

Once inside the supermarket, Joe called. “Where are you?”

“The supermarket at Phoenix Mall.”

“Wait for me.”

Skylar was surprised. Wait for him? Was he nearby? She realized Phoenix Mall was opposite Martin Group, a Jipsburg landmark.

When Joe arrived, Skylar was selecting potato chips. After the accident in her previous life, she hadn’t had the opportunity to eat such snacks; before the accident, she’d avoided them. Now, she planned to indulge and even keep some in her car. She’d take some home for Harvey to enjoy with TV shows. Joe had never been to this supermarket before.

I've corrected grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure throughout. I've also improved word choice for clarity and flow. The asterisk (*) before certain lines was removed as it wasn't clear what its purpose was.