Just as the words left her mouth, Waylon Grayson walked through the entrance.
He paused when he saw Lyra. Their eyes met, both of them registering a flicker of surprise before giving each other a polite, brief nod.
Waylon offered a faint smile and continued into the restaurant.
The appraiser was floored. He definitely recognized the CEO of the Grayson family empire, as the man was frequently featured in financial headlines. "That was Mr. Grayson. You guys know each other?"
"Yes."
"What exactly does your family do?"
"Fairchild Holdings... my dad owns it."
The appraiser took a long, slow breath, visibly composing himself. "My apologies for not recognizing you sooner, Miss Fairchild."
Of course he knew the name. The Jameson Group, Grayson Enterprises, and Fairchild Holdings were the biggest taxpayers in Seaborne City. Even government officials treated them with the utmost respect. By comparison, Maddie's family's real estate business was a tier below.
A moment later, Maddie hurried out to join them. The three walked over to the car Lyra had driven.
Today, she had taken Caleb's Rolls-Royce. The massive luxury vehicle had an incredibly spacious trunk.
"You drove Caleb's car today?" Maddie asked.
"Yeah, it fits a lot," Lyra said, popping the trunk.
As the lid lifted, Maddie let out a sharp gasp. She had assumed Lyra left the bags in the trunk to avoid getting her windows smashed, but she expected maybe two or three purses.
The appraiser had assumed the same.
Instead, the entire trunk was stuffed with over thirty pristine Hermès bags.
"Lyra, you're getting rid of all of these?"
"Yep. Out with the old, in with the new."
The luxury appraiser's eyes practically glowed. He could tell at a glance that the condition was flawless. Knowing these belonged to the heiress of Fairchild Holdings, he barely even needed to authenticate them. Still, his professional instincts kicked in. He slipped on a pair of white gloves and inspected a few. The leather was immaculate. They were essentially brand new.
Hearing Lucas's disdainful tone, a mocking smirk tugged at the corners of Jasmine's lips.
She knew exactly how incompetent Lyra was. Throughout university, Lyra had spent all her time chasing Rowan like a lost puppy instead of studying. When Rowan moved to the Canada, Lyra had desperately tried to follow him, only giving up because the Fairchild family couldn't bribe her way into that elite university.
"Her dad probably just put her in an office so she can act as a pretty mascot," Lucas laughed.
Waylon paused, his chopsticks hovering over his plate, remembering the brief encounter he just had with Lyra outside. He remained silent.
"Her father is so sweet to her," Jasmine said, her voice dripping with artificial innocence.
She glanced at Rowan. As usual, he showed absolutely zero reaction to Lyra's name.
A rush of warmth filled Jasmine's chest. She was just about to speak when Lucas chimed in again.
"Hey, Rowan, doesn't Lyra still have that heirloom ring? The one that's only supposed to go to the eldest Jameson daughter-in-law?"
"What if she refuses to give it back?"

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