Chapter 3

Bethany' s face was flushed, her eyes darting between me and the watch. The desire was practically rolling off her in waves. It wasn't just about the monetary value, it was about what it represented: the status, the attention, the victory over me.

"So you're just going to reject it?" Bethany scoffed, stepping forward. "After she went to all that trouble? Some people are so ungrateful."

Ethan grabbed her arm again. "Bethany, stop it. You're making a scene."

"I don't care!" she snapped, twisting away from him. "It's not fair!"

Eleanor' s composure was cracking. Her perfectly painted smile was gone, replaced by a thin, tight line. She clutched the velvet box so hard her knuckles were white.

"This is a private family matter," she said through gritted teeth, trying to regain control. She looked at me, her eyes pleading, but there was a hard, desperate edge to them. "Chloe, darling, please. Let's not do this here."

She needed me to take the watch. Her whole plan depended on it. The public setting, the witnesses, my refusal-it was all going wrong for her.

This was my chance.

With a small, apologetic smile, I reached out as if to touch the box. "You're right, Mother. I'm sorry."

As my hand moved, I let my elbow "accidentally" bump the small table the box was resting on. It wasn't a hard bump, just enough to jostle it. The velvet box tipped, and the heavy smartwatch slid out, landing on the manicured grass right at Bethany' s feet.

"Oh, clumsy me," I said, my voice full of fake distress.

Bethany didn't hesitate. She lunged for it, scooping it up like a starving animal finding a piece of bread. Her fingers closed around the dark wood band, and a look of pure triumph washed over her face.

"I'll take it!" she declared, holding it up.

"No!" The word was ripped from Eleanor' s throat, a raw, panicked sound that was completely out of character.

She moved faster than I had ever seen her move. She lunged not at me, but at Bethany, her hands outstretched like claws, aiming for the watch.

"Give that back!" Eleanor shrieked. "It's not for you!"

Bethany stumbled back, clutching the watch to her chest. "No way! She didn't want it. Finders keepers!"

The two of them were a blur of flailing limbs and furious words. The party guests stared, mouths agape. Ethan just stood there, frozen, useless. Eleanor, the queen of poise and grace, was wrestling with a B-list influencer on her pristine lawn. It was beautiful.

In the scuffle, Bethany pushed Eleanor hard. Eleanor, not as young as she wanted to be, lost her balance and went down, crying out as she landed awkwardly on her wrist.

The fight stopped instantly.

I rushed over, my face a mask of concern. "Mother! Are you alright?" I knelt beside her, carefully avoiding her injured wrist. Then I turned to Bethany, my voice dripping with disappointment. "Bethany, how could you? Look what you've done."

Bethany looked momentarily guilty, but her eyes kept flicking back to the watch still clutched in her hand. Greed won out over remorse.

"She attacked me," Bethany mumbled, defending herself.

Ethan finally snapped out of his stupor and helped Eleanor to her feet. She cradled her wrist, her face pale with pain and fury. The fury was not just from the fall, or the public humiliation. It was the fury of a predator who had just watched her prey hand the weapon to someone else. She had lost the watch. She had lost control.

I looked at her, feigning sympathy. "Mother, we should get you inside. Let me get you some ice for your wrist."

Inside my head, a cold, clear voice was singing. It was working. It was all working. I watched Eleanor limp towards the house, leaning on her son, her eyes burning with a hateful fire directed at Bethany. I had not only escaped the trap, but I had successfully bailed the hook and passed it to one of my tormentors.

I stayed kneeling on the grass for a moment longer, my head bowed as if in shock. My mind, however, was racing. Why was Eleanor so frantic? It was more than just wanting her plan to work. She acted like giving the watch to Bethany was a catastrophe of epic proportions. Did the watch only work on me? Or was there a rule to this dark magic I didn't understand yet? The fight didn't just expose their greed, it gave me a new puzzle to solve. And I was determined to figure it out before they could.