Chapter 1 - The First Million is the HardestThe private salon smelled of rich leather, expensive white tea, and the quiet, sterile aura of untouchable wealth. Across the room, three personal shoppers fluttered around me like alarmed attendants at court
My phone buzzed against the mahogany table. Charge fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen.
By the time I reached charge twenty-five, the screen was flashing nearly every minute with automated security pings, followed closely by frantic text messages from Alexander’s corporate banking liaison, who clearly thought the card had been stolen. I ignored them all. I was standing in front of a full-length mirror, a bespoke midnight-blue silk gown draping over my frame like liquid armor. The woman staring back at me no longer looked like the ghost who spent five hours roasting potatoes for a man who didn't care. She looked dangerous.
“Pack it all,” I told the lead stylist, my voice steady, stripped of the timid hesitation that had defined my marriage. “Every single piece we’ve selected. Have it shipped to a private locker in Grand Central, express courier. And bring out the heritage diamond collection.”
Charge thirty. A pair of custom-cut diamond drop earrings.
Charge thirty-three. A platinum watch that cost more than my first car.
The saleswoman’s hands trembled slightly as she handed me the final receipt. “Madam... are you certain? The total is approaching figures that usually require secondary authorization from the primary account holder.”
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“Let Mr. Grant explain his secondary authorizations to his bankers tomorrow,” I replied smoothly, sliding the heavy black metal card back into my clutch.
My phone lit up again. This time it wasn't a banking alert. It was a direct call from Alexander. The screen hummed relentlessly against the glass table, vibrating with his rising fury. I watched it ring out once, twice, three times, letting the silence mock him from across the city while he sat across from Sophia Reed, pretending his life was entirely under control.
