Chapter 10: So She Really Thought She Was Some Greaves Heiress

Star City was a nationwide chain mall with a well-developed membership system. The Black Gold Card sat at the very top of that hierarchy. In the entire world, there were only two. After working as a cashier at Star City, Pine City for so many years, this was the first time she had ever seen someone actually pull one out. She took the card with trembling excitement. Beep. The moment she saw the words on the screen, she knew she hadn't imagined it. This Black Gold Card was real. Her posture grew even more respectful. "Hello, honored Black Gold member. With the Black Gold Card, anything you purchase at Star City nationwide is free of charge." "Is that so?" Celia Greaves tilted her head. "Then pay for everything together." The cashier answered at once and didn't take Ray Reves's black card again. A black card was unquestionably rare and prestigious worldwide, but in Star City, the Black Gold Card clearly outranked it. Ray narrowed his eyes with a lazy smile and casually withdrew the card he had been holding out. Evan Quinny's jaw dropped so wide he could've swallowed an egg. Half joking, he said, "Then what if she wants to empty the whole mall?" The cashier's heart nearly burst from excitement, yet her face stayed locked in a professional smile. "As long as this young lady wishes." When it came time to fill in the delivery address, Celia frowned again. It wasn't as if she didn't own property in Pine City. The problem was, every place she owned was known to that little old man. She was afraid she'd move in one second, and the next, he'd track her down and come knocking. Some of her connections couldn't be used right now. Finding a new place that met her requirements on short notice was genuinely a hassle. She really had been careless leaving the house like that… Celia clicked her tongue and could only have Star City keep the purchases on record for the time being. Once she settled her housing situation, she'd have them ship everything over. After they left the mall, Evan still hadn't snapped out of it. He also had the faint feeling his face didn't just hurt. It felt swollen, too. He'd heard of Star City's Black Gold Card, of course. But since no one had shown one for years, people naturally assumed it was just a marketing gimmick. Who would've thought it actually existed, and that it would show up in the hands of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl? Curiosity scratched at him until it itched. Still, since Ray didn't ask, Evan couldn't exactly be the one to pry. Yet watching the two of them act so calm, like this was all perfectly ordinary, nearly drove him crazy. Clothes and accessories were only a tiny slice of Star City's business. They even dealt in antiques and calligraphy worth tens of millions. It was insane. Thinking of how seriously Celia had asked the cashier what kind of discount the card got, Evan wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her. Did she have any idea what she was holding? But their placid expressions only made him look like some country mutt who'd never seen the world. Ray carried the small cake he'd originally planned to give Celia and went with the flow. "You treat me to cake, and I'll treat you to dinner. How about it?" Celia checked the time. After a brief pause, she refused. "It's too late. Next time." "Fine." Ray paused, then added, "I'll take you home. It's not safe for a girl to be out alone this late." Celia didn't refuse again. On the way, she took out the magic cube and turned it idly. Ray sat beside her with half-lidded eyes, watching with that same lazy air. Evan caught the scene in the rearview mirror and felt like making conversation. "Celia Greaves, that magic cube looks pretty nice. Where'd you buy it?" In truth, his curiosity was still gnawing at him. He couldn't stop thinking about that card. If he got the chance, he really wanted to know who the owner of that card was. Even with the card in Celia's hands, Evan didn't believe it belonged to her. More likely, she'd met someone by chance, and that person happened to be the card's owner. Celia lowered her gaze, turning the magic cube once in a while, and answered casually, "Bought it from a street stall. Two for $1." Evan's mouth twitched. Watching her twists make the cube more and more chaotic, he couldn't help waggling his brows at Ray. "Celia, if you can't solve it, let Ray help you. He's a beast at blindfolded solves and speed solves." In fact, aside from its computer form, the magic cube form could also do what Celia needed in certain situations. The programming signal had already been sent. Celia spun the magic cube a few more times at random, then handed it to Ray. The moment it landed in his palm, Ray lifted a brow and gave it a simple verdict. "Nice feel." Evan was just about to bring up the card when a text message came in. His face sank, and he ground out, "Ray, one of them got away." A bloodthirsty, crooked smile tugged at Ray's lips. Unhurried, he undid the top button of his shirt. "No rush. If they want to play, we'll play with them slowly." "But he's injured. One of his legs is…" Evan started, then, mindful of Celia being there, didn't go into detail. He finished vaguely, "He can't have gotten far." Celia tilted her head, watching Ray slowly twist the magic cube until the squares formed the words "Celia Greaves." She acted as if she hadn't heard a thing. Ray looked at her. "You planning to rent a place?" Celia fell silent for a moment before answering tactfully, "The kind of place I want isn't easy to find." "Tell me what you're looking for." After thinking it over, Celia kept it brief. "Big. Pet-friendly. An open-air balcony and a pool. And it has to be close to First High School." It sounded simple, but finding a place like that in Pine City was anything but. Ray said, "Funny coincidence. A friend of mine has a place that should fit what you want. He's been thinking about renting it out. Want me to ask?" Celia looked genuinely surprised. "Then… thanks. I'd appreciate it." Ray smoothly got her contact information. He even added her on WeChat. Celia accepted. Ray's WeChat name was R, and his profile picture was a black cat sprawled lazily across a carpet. After she got out of the car, a message popped up. [Eric: Thanks.] With one hand in her pocket, Celia slowly typed back: "Be careful next time." Ray watched her walk into the Greaves family home before he finally looked away. Facing Evan, he asked evenly, "At Imperial Water Garden, didn't I own a section?" Evan froze. "You're renting that place to Celia Greaves?" Ray had plenty of property in Pine City. Evan remembered so clearly because Imperial Water Garden was the highest-end residential complex in the entire city, divided into eight areas. And this guy had outright taken the top-tier one: the Heavenly Imperial District. Every villa there was premium, and the price tags were brutal. Yeah, sure. "A friend of mine." Ray stared at Celia's WeChat avatar, a dazed little hamster standing upright, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He didn't answer. The Greaves family home. Charles Greaves and Serena Cutmore sat on the sofa with stern eyes and dark expressions, like a tribunal in session. The entire living room felt heavy with pressure. Even the servants passing through didn't dare breathe too loudly. Just then, the doorbell rang. Serena Cutmore whipped her head toward the entrance. Sally opened the door and found Celia standing there with her bag on her back. Serena shot to her feet and launched into her. "Celia Greaves! Where did you go after school? Why didn't you come home?" Celia changed her shoes. Facing Serena's fury, she remained unruffled. "I went to buy a few things." Charles's temper flared too. "What could you possibly need that you couldn't buy with your mother and Chloe? You had to disappear without a word? Do you have any idea how worried we were?" Celia lifted her eyes and looked at him calmly for a long time. So long that Charles started to feel uneasy under that gaze. Only then did Celia look away and smile lazily. "Come back together?" A flicker of guilt flashed through Serena's eyes. That afternoon, she'd gotten a call from Madam Balam saying she'd already arranged a meeting with Master Sowden for tomorrow night. Serena had been so happy she rushed to tell Chloe. When she went to pick her up, she forgot Celia entirely. She'd assumed Celia would return soon on her own. She hadn't expected it would take nearly two hours. Frowning, Serena hurried to smooth it over. "Fine. Let it go this time. Next time, come straight home after school. Don't wander around outside." Still, Serena didn't think she'd done anything wrong. Celia was her biological daughter. She'd gone through so much to give birth to her. Forgetting to pick her up was hardly a big deal. If anything, Celia was the one being unreasonable. Over something so small, she'd stormed off for two hours and made them worry at home the whole time. When Celia coolly said she was going upstairs, Serena shot her a look. "Wait. Don't go up yet. Sally's cleaning up your room." "Did you eat dinner?" Serena followed up, her tone laced with malice and a hint of gloating. "If you didn't, then go hungry tonight. Who told you to come back so late? Consider it a lesson." The message was obvious. They hadn't saved her any food, and they had no intention of having Sally make anything for her, either. If Chloe came home late, it would never be like this. "I can't order takeout?" Celia tugged her lips into a faint smile and lifted her phone. Serena choked. "If you're out, you can't cook for yourself? You have to order takeout? People will think our Greaves family is mistreating you!" Celia's face went blank. Her voice stayed lazy. "Oh. I can't cook." "You can't? Didn't you cook in the countryside? Stop lying. You're doing this on purpose. You order takeout and outsiders will think we're starving you!" Serena's face darkened. She didn't believe a word. Celia was just getting full of herself. She really thought she was some Greaves heiress, didn't she? Celia couldn't be bothered to argue. She turned and headed upstairs. But the moment she reached the doorway, she saw one of her shirts thrown violently out of the guest room, fluttering down onto the floor. Not just that. Bedsheets, a duvet cover, and plenty of her other belongings were scattered all over the hallway.