Vincent had more than enough jewelry already—after all, he already possessed the genuine gem from a crown back in Eldermar. Asking her to get that pink diamond was nothing but a power move, another way to make her life difficult.
Nance kept the diamond on him at all times. If it really went missing, it would cause a major scandal. And if it were stolen during this visit, that would spell serious trouble too. One way or another, the Bingham family would end up taking the heat for it.
So what was she supposed to do?
How could she possibly get her hands on it?
"How do I like today?"
The man's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Chloe snapped back to reality and realized Eugene had made his way over. He was leaning casually against a pillar, looking relaxed and every bit as arrogant as ever.
"How you look is your own business," Chloe replied flatly, keeping her tone detached. "What's that got to do with me?"
"If you want to look, I don't mind. Look all you want. However you like. I could even take everything off—especially out here in public." Eugene's expression was dead serious, his voice lowered so only she could hear.
Everyone else was focused on Nance. No one noticed the two of them talking in the corner.
Chloe almost laughed, but caught herself. She decided to ignore him—selective ignoring was always the safest move.
"The way you're avoiding looking at me is pretty obvious," Eugene murmured, his words lingering in her ear. She'd been trying to think through her next move, but his voice kept breaking her concentration.
"Who says I was looking at you?" Chloe lifted her gaze and gave a slight, challenging smirk. She was already playing the bad girl—what was a little more attitude?
Eugene's eyes darkened at that. Clearly, her remark had hit a nerve.
"Don't you know who I was looking at?" Chloe pressed, reclaiming the upper hand. Just as his expression shifted, she lowered her voice to an icy tone. "Nance is the one everyone's here for today. I came because of him. If anything, you're the one who showed up uninvited."
It wasn't a lie. She really had come because of Nance. Eugene's appearance was unexpected, to say the least.
Now that she'd said her piece, he ought to back off and leave her alone.
She could handle her own problems. She didn't need him getting involved.


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