After 30 seconds, Madison’s phone chimed with a text message. She glanced at the screen and saw a payment notification.

On the other end, her father, Mason Hill, said, “Sweetie, did you receive it?”

“Yes, I did.”

It wasn’t one million, but 1.5 million dollars. She was delighted that her father sent an extra 500 thousand dollars.

“Don’t skimp on food or enjoyment. If you need more, just ask me. You hear me?”

“Mhm! Got it, Dad!” Madison ended the call and put her phone away. When she turned, Sebastian and Miranda were staring at her.

Madison blinked in confusion. “I got the money, but why are you guys looking at me like that?”

He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “Madison, you’re not being honest with us.”

“Huh?”

“You mentioned before that you live in a rural village, right?” he asked.

Madison replied, “Yes, but my home is surrounded by commercial districts and luxury apartments. The environment is great and lively.”

Sebastian was speechless.

Miranda asked, “So, your parents are unemployed but manage apartment buildings?”

“Uh-huh. My dad owns over 80 buildings in the area and collects the rent. When tenants have issues, like a burst pipe or power trip, they call him to fix it. He manages everything just like a property manager,” Madison said.

So, Mason was his own boss.

Miranda was at a loss for words.

Sebastian asked, “What about fishing?”

Madison replied, “My mom loves throwing parties on the yacht, and my dad enjoys deep-sea fishing. They go out to sea all the time.”

A yacht? What an uncommon word!

He asked again, “So, your family isn’t poor?”

Madison looked surprised. “Why would you think I’m poor?”

Sebastian gave her a once-over with a complicated expression. She wore a simple T-shirt and shorts paired with flip-flops, not Crocs. It struck him as odd that she opted for flip-flops everywhere.

He said, “Honestly, you don’t look… wealthy.”

Madison was taken aback and thought his remark was rude. She snapped, “Let me tell you something, Seb. This is how everyone dresses in the summer where I’m from. My dad wears flip-flops all year long, even when he’s out collecting rent every day.”

Miranda and Sebastian couldn’t believe she had just mentioned her father collecting rent every day. They exchanged a glance and fell into a shared silence.

The image of Mason collecting rent in flip-flops led them to fill in the rest of the story with their imaginations.

“Now that I’ve got the money, when will we buy the CPRT measuring device?” Madison’s eyes lit up.

Miranda thought for a moment. “This is a group project. You shouldn’t be the only one paying.”

“Yeah, we’ll split it into three,” Sebastian added. “That will be 420,000 dollars each.”

Miranda nodded. “Sounds fair.”

Madison blinked and said, “You called me dishonest, but I think you two are the sneaky ones.” She felt that Miranda and Sebastian’s calm exteriors concealed a lot more than met the eye.

He cleared his throat. “It’s just money I saved from my allowance when I was younger."

Miranda added, “I earned mine through my own skills.”

She considered that securing a substantial divorce settlement was a skill. Fair enough.

They had enough money now, but a new issue popped up. Equipment like the CPRT measurement device was large, expensive, and seldom found on the market due to its narrow target audience.

“So, where are we going to buy it?” she wondered aloud.

Sebastian replied, “I found a sales number online. Let me try calling.” He dialed twice but only heard a disconnected message each time.

After a brief silence, he said, “I’ll ask my family if they know any suppliers.”

Miranda nodded. “I’ll see what I can find too.”