Chapter 102

Anastasia crossed her arms, her tone icy. “You don’t believe me? That’s fine. I’ll
just call the store and have them pull up the security footage. Then we can all see for ourselves—was I the one tricking Delia into buying things, or was she trying to show off with my money and ended up embarrassing herself?”
Delia’s face went pale. “You-you’re making things up!”
“Making things up?” Anastasia gave a cold laugh. “Which part? Let’s see, you showed up with five or six of your friends, strutting around like royalty, waving your hand and telling everyone to pick whatever they wanted from the boutique. And that’s me tricking you?”
“I didn’t want to play the fool or bankroll your show, and that makes me the bad guy?”
Gabriel’s brow was already furrowing.
A shopping spree at a designer store, letting everyone pick whatever they wanted? Since when did the Sinclairs have that kind of money?
Delia looked panicked, scrambling for a retort.
But Anastasia cut in before she could speak. “If I’m making things up, let’s just get the footage and settle it right now!”
Delia’s palms were sweaty. She knew Anastasia would actually go through with it. She really could get the footage.
Backed into a corner, Delia’s story started to unravel.
She hurriedly changed her tune: “But I told you I’d pay you back! After I bought the clothes, you suddenly refused to lend me the money-weren’t you just trying to set me up?”
Donna jumped in, quick to defend her daughter. “Delia is your cousin. What’s wrong with lending her a little money? You just stood there and watched her get embarrassed. Isn’t that a bit much?”
Anastasia just smiled, her voice cool as ever. “Good question. What’s wrong with lending her a little money? Why didn’t I?”
She reached into her bag, pulling out a printed document she’d clearly prepared in advance.
“Maybe take a look at this first.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a list of all the money your dear Delia has ‘borrowed’ from me. Funny thing- every time we go out shopping together, somehow she always forgets her wallet and asks me to cover for her.”
“She always swears she’ll pay me back as soon as we get home. But it’s been a while now, and somehow that total has climbed past a million dollars. It’s like she has amnesia-hasn’t paid back a cent!”
The implication in Anastasia’s words was obvious, and the Sinclairs all looked deeply uncomfortable.
Gabriel shot them a dark glance, his expression souring. He’d never been overly fond of Delia, but the thought of someone leeching money from his daughter— and the Sterling family-wasn’t something he could tolerate.
Donna tried to brush it off. “A million dollars? That’s impossible! Delia hasn’t bought that much—”
Anastasia waved the papers in her hand. “The list is right here. Why don’t you check yourself what Delia’s been buying? If you can find a single thing on here that’s fake, I’ll write the whole debt off.”
Donna promptly fell silent.
Julian, trying to save face, piped up, “Seriously? You’re just going to let Anastasia slander us like this? I never heard anything about Delia borrowing money from her. All those things were just little gifts Anastasia gave her cousin!”
Turning to Gabriel, he said, “Come on, the Sterlings are loaded, and yet Anastasia is hounding her cousin for money over a bunch of gifts? If word gets out, it’ll be humiliating for you!”
Gabriel’s pride was always his sore spot, and the comment made him scowl even more deeply.
“That’s enough,” he said to Anastasia. “Is a million dollars really worth all this drama?”
Anastasia’s voice was cool and even as she handed him the document. “Dad, maybe take a look at the statement before you say anything else.”
She knew Gabriel was unreliable, so she’d come prepared. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ
He took the papers from her without much interest-then, as he scanned the numbers, his face drained of color.
“How is it this much?!”