Chapter 14 Calculation, Utilization
The next morning, a shipment of acrylic panels arrived at Stargaze Gallery, and as the director, Rachel needed to inspect them.
It had been raining for two days straight, typical for late fall.
Steven knew she hated driving in the rain, so he offered to drive her. Rachel didn't object.
As soon as the car parked and before Steven turned off the engine, Rachel unbuckled her seatbelt and noticed a familiar white BMW pulling into the spot across from them.
It was Nancy.
She remembered that Nancy's two-week vacation had ended, and today was her first day back at work.
Rachel didn't look at Steven but composed herself, grabbed her bag, and got out of the car with a smile. "Morning, Nancy. Back to work?"
Nancy seemed momentarily startled, but the panic in her eyes quickly disappeared. She glanced at Steven in the driver's seat before closing her car door and walking over with a smile. "Yes, good morning, Rachel."
Steven rolled down the window and nodded at Nancy, then looked at Rachel and said gently, "Honey, I'm leaving."
Rachel turned to him, "Alright, drive safe."
"Text me when you're done, I'll come pick you up."
"Okay."
As the black Cayenne drove away, Rachel caught a fleeting glimpse of jealousy in Nancy's eyes. Nancy quickly replaced it with a teasing expression. "I envy you, having a personal chauffeur."
Rachel recognized the truth in Nancy's words, disguised as a joke.
She smiled. "What's there to envy? You have a personal chauffeur too. Have him drive you tomorrow."
Nancy huffed, pretending to be annoyed. "He's too busy to drive me."
Rachel's gaze froze as she noticed the sapphire cat-eye necklace around Nancy's neck.
Elegant, sophisticated, and undeniably luxurious.
She recognized the necklace because she had one identical to it.
It cost $890,000.
Steven had given it to her for Valentine's Day this year.
"How about that necklace?"
Rachel suppressed her swirling emotions and forced a teasing smile.
Nancy blushed but her eyes were full of confidence and pride. "My boyfriend gave it to me yesterday. Do you like it?"
Despite suspecting it was from Steven, hearing it confirmed stung Rachel's heart.
Her eyes turned cold, but she kept her voice light and smiling. "Your boyfriend is quite generous. Even if he's busy, he makes up for it with gifts. Not bad."
Nancy nodded, as if remembering something. "I think you have one just like it?"
"Yes." Rachel paused, then casually added, "Steven gave it to me for Valentine's Day this year."
"Oh." Nancy's tone elongated, her eyebrows lifting slightly.
Rachel eyed Nancy's car curiously. "When did you switch cars?"
Nancy sighed helplessly. "He gave it to me too. I was fine with my old Toyota, but he insisted on getting me something more comfortable."
Rachel teased. "Showing off?"
"Not at all." Nancy linked arms with her, sighing. "Do I need to show off to you? You have everything. Steven is quite generous."
"Indeed, generous."
Rachel laughed self-deprecatingly.
As they reached the elevator, Rachel casually pulled her arm away to press the button.
Her phone suddenly chimed.
[Nancy listed her $900,000 condo with a real estate agency for $1.5 million.]
Rachel saw the text as she entered the elevator, her eyes darkening.
When Nancy leaned closer, Rachel calmly turned off the screen and tossed her phone into her bag.
Nancy's condo was bought four years ago. It was 800 square feet, one bedroom, one living room, in a mediocre location, about a 30-40 minute drive from Stargaze Gallery.
She paid $600,000 for the down payment and spent $400,000 on renovations.
Rachel had lent her $300,000 at the time because Nancy was short on cash, but Nancy had never paid her back.
Rachel valued their friendship and never mentioned the money.
After all, with her 3,000 square foot mansion, why would she care about an 800 square foot condo?
Lost in thought, Rachel heard Nancy's voice growing clearer. "After half a month off, I feel rusty. The group chat said Autumn's solo exhibition is going well?"
Autumn Stone was a big name in the art world. This year, two of her paintings sold at international auctions for $5 million and $8.4 million respectively.
She had a striking, bold appearance, and her abstract impressionist style conveyed a mysterious, profound beauty.
This exhibition was her first solo show in the country.
She chose Stargaze Gallery because Rachel's mother was her teacher.
"Yeah, it's going smoothly," Rachel replied softly.
"When is Autumn coming back from abroad?"
"I'm not sure."
"You didn't ask?"
Rachel stepped out of the elevator, speaking calmly. "She's always spontaneous. She'll be back before the exhibition, don't worry. I'm heading to my office."
She left Nancy and walked into her office. Shortly after, Carol came in with a stack of documents to report on the progress of the exhibition setup.
Rachel worked until 8 PM, and Steven came to pick her up.
When she got out of the car at home, she received a text: [No matter what Heather tells you tomorrow, don't believe her! She's deceiving you, coveting Stargaze Gallery and your money, as well as your uncle's Parker Group connections. Radiant Beauty Spa is a front for a gold-digger training school and even involves male prostitution.]
Rachel froze, her body shaking.
Her heart felt numb, almost like it had stopped beating.
Tomorrow was Heather's birthday.
Since she started dating Steven, Rachel always brought lavish gifts for Heather, like designer bags and jewelry worth tens of thousands of dollars, and high-end skincare products.
Heather treated her like a daughter, always siding with her during any disputes with Steven, scolding him on her behalf.
Steven often joked that he felt like the son-in-law instead.
The Davis family was renowned in Dawnlight City for their literary heritage.
Rachel's grandparents were top modern writers, her father was a history professor, and her mother a famous painter.
Even her brother Matthew Davis graduated from the School of Foreign Service and joined the State Department, making a name for himself at a young age.
Rachel's uncle's owned the prestigious Parker Group, specializing in finance and international trade.
With her background, she was more than a match for Steven.
Last March, Heather mentioned wanting to open a beauty spa but only had about $100,000 in liquid assets. Her position in the Martinez family was tenuous, with most of the money controlled by Steven's father Gavin Martinez and his legitimate wife, Maeve Murphy.
Rachel suspected Heather's motives but trusted her and thought it would be good for Heather to have her own business to keep busy. She immediately gave Heather $300,000 as startup capital.
Heather was thrilled and generously made Rachel the legal representative of the business.
Rachel thus became a shareholder of Radiant Beauty Spa.
The spa had been open for nearly a year and was quite profitable. Heather had already given Rachel $400,000 in dividends this year.
But now, the truth was revealed.
If the Spa was ever investigated, Rachel, as the legal representative, would be the first to suffer.
How absurd.
Her husband, who loved her dearly, had deceived and betrayed her, and even her seemingly affectionate mother-in-law Heather had schemed against her and used her.