Chapter 152 152

Chapter 152 152
EVA

"Birthday gifts. He said he had Sage survey a bunch of women to ask what they wanted."

"Survey women? Sage? The scary one who never talks?" She let out a laugh. "I would pay good money to see that. Sage walking into a room full of women asking what they want for their birthday. That's the funniest thing I've ever heard."

I shrugged. "He said they were enthusiastic."

"Of course they were. A man like him walks in, they're going to give him all the advice he needs." She turned to me, her expression shifting. "Wait. So you said you couldn't go to the sale because your car broke down. But if you have this now, you can go anywhere."

My smile faded. "I was going to tell you. The car broke down on the way to Becky's. Nico said he could fix it, but it was already too late. By the time we got there, everything would have been gone. So I just came back. Great timing heh!"

Chloe stared at me. "Wait. Becky's? What sale? Becky’s had a sale?!"

I blinked at her. “The one you told Nico to tell me about."

Chloe's face went blank. "I didn't text you anything. And I definitely didn't tell Nico anything. The last time I saw Nico was like three days ago."

I stared at her, the words not making sense in my head. "But he said my friend said Becky's was having a discount sale."

Chloe shook her head slowly. “Well he might be talking about another friend. Mira isn't in the country, so it's either an imaginary friend or a stalker. I haven't talked to Nico since—actually, I haven't talked to him at all. We're not, like, in regular contact. We're not a thing. I told you that."

The urgency, the perfect timing. The car breaking down on the way there. 

I'm forced to believe this whole thing had been a setup, a distraction, a way to keep me out of the house. And the car was waiting for me when I got back.

I looked at the jeep, the bow still perfect on the trunk, and felt something warm spread through my chest.

He planned this. He actually planned this. He knew I'd want to go to the sale, so he made sure I couldn't. He knew I'd come back disappointed, so he put the car in the driveway. He set up the whole thing, just so he could surprise me.

"Now come on. We're taking pictures."

"What? No. I'm in a shirt and shorts. My hair is a mess. I didn't even brush it today."

"Exactly. Effortless. Untouchable. That's the energy we need." She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the car. "This is going to revive your dead Instagram account. You have a Range Rover now. You're basically an influencer. Let's go."

We spent the next ten minutes taking pictures. Me by the car, me in the car, me holding the flowers, me holding the key like it was a trophy. Chloe directed everything, crouching for angles, adjusting the lighting, telling me to smile. At some point, two male workers walked past, carrying something heavy, and I called them over to help move the gifts inside. They worked quickly, carrying the candy and flowers and branded bags into the house.

I climbed into the driver's seat and gripped the wheel, my hands steady now. The leather was soft, the dashboard clean and perfect. I could take Lily to school in this. I could drive her to the park, to the hospital, to anywhere she wanted to go. I could go somewhere without thinking about the return trip.

"Let me see the inside again," Chloe said, and I got out so she could climb into the back seat. She stretched out, her head resting against the headrest. "Oh yeah. This is the life. I could get used to this. You should definitely drive me everywhere now. I'm not taking my car anymore. I'm getting chauffeured."

I laughed. "You're ridiculous."

"You're ridiculously lucky. Now come on, let's go inside. I'm starving."

We walked into the house, and I stopped in the middle of the foyer, looking at the pile of gifts on the table. The candy from the car, the flowers, the bags from stores I'd only ever seen on rich people's shopping vlogs. Chloe scattered everything across the table, arranging it like a display.

"This is your life now," she said. "Range Rovers and designer gifts and a man who orchestrates fake sales to surprise you."

"I can't wrap my head around it."

"You don't have to. Just enjoy it." She pulled out her phone and started scrolling. "Oh. Oh my God. Eva."

"What?"

"Your post. The one I just uploaded. It already has thousands of likes. Look."

She shoved the phone at me. My feed was blown up. People I hadn't spoken to in years were commenting, asking about the car, tagging their friends. The post had over twenty thousand likes in less than an hour.

"No way."

"Yes way. Check yours."

I pulled out my phone and opened Instagram. The notifications were relentless, a constant stream of comments and follows and likes. I had gained followers, more than I'd ever had. People I didn't know were leaving comments about how I looked, how lucky I was, how they wanted to be me.

"This is insane."

"You're going to be famous. Just you wait." She pocketed her phone. "Come on. Let's eat. I'm literally starving and I need to process all of this."

We went to the dining room, just the two of us at the enormous table, the lunch that the chef had prepared spread across it. Lily was still sleeping, and Dante was resting, and I was grateful for the quiet. I helped myself to a plate and stared at the food, not really seeing it.

"I can't believe any of this is real," I said.

Chloe stabbed a piece of chicken and pointed it at me. "It's real. It's happening. You're living the life we always dreamed about. The car, the man, the gifts. You're basically a princess now."

"I feel like I'm going to wake up and none of this will have happened."

She reached across the table and squeezed my hand. "It's real. And you deserve it. All of it.”