?Chapter 61:

A glint of malice crept into Rosanna’s once-innocent face as she looked at her.

“I may not have Grandma’s bracelet, but I know exactly where it is. You want it? Delete the video first. This time, I’m not bluffing. Ignore me, and you’ll never find it.”

The threat of that video hanging over her had pushed Rosanna into a corner, and desperation made her reckless.

Studying her carefully, Maia narrowed her eyes. Vicki’s bracelet meant more to her than anything else tonight. In the grand scheme of things, the video was just leverage.

It made perfect sense that Rosanna, terrified of ruining her reputation, would cling to the bracelet and try to use it as a bargaining chip.

For a moment, Maia’s curiosity outweighed her distrust.

“Fine. It’s just a video, not my life’s worth. But listen carefully — this is yourst chance. Lie to me again, and you’ll regret it.” That final warning made Maia’s tone turn ice-cold.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Rosanna’s face before she quickly masked it. “Of course I know it.”

Without wasting another second, Maia lifted an eyebrow, unlocked her phone, and deleted the video right in front of her.

“Talk. Where is it?”

In a soft voice, Rosanna said, “There’s a ck market near the big iron bridge in Erygan, over in the south district. What you’re looking for is there.”

“ck market?” Maia’s voice dripped with disbelief.

Rosanna shrugged and said, “The bracelet looked old. I couldn’t bear to throw it out, so I kept it. Not long ago, I ran into a vendor who specializes in antiques. He mentioned his stall was in the ck market under the big iron bridge in Erygan. I didn’t think it mattered, so I just handed it over to him.”

Ga ln ovels . fuels your imagination

Watching Maia’s face grow darker by the second, Rosanna hurried to add, “I swear, Maia, I didn’t know it was something Grandma left behind! If I had known, I never would’ve let it go!”

Casting a brief nce at Rosanna, Maia fell silent, weighing her next move. A momentter, without uttering another word, she turned on her heel and walked away.

From behind, Rosanna’s lips twisted into a slow, cruel smile.

“Seventeen years as the spoiled princess of the Morgan family, and you probably don’t even know how the ck market works,” she muttered with a cruel glint in her eye.

Tucked into the city’s forgotten corners, ck markets bred illegal trades and shady dealings. Plenty of crimes stayed hidden under the city’s polished image because of ces like that.

And it seemed there was an invisible hand controlling these ck markets, with the authorities turning a blind eye.

It was the city’s dirty little secret. A ce where the usual rules didn’t apply. With her fingers pressing against her still-burning cheek, Rosanna’s eyes gleamed with hatred. “This time, Maia… you won’t be making it back.”

Hours had slipped away by the time Maia left the Morgan vi behind. She gged down a cab and rode back to her apartment under the heavy night sky. Unlocking the door, Maia immediately noticed Chris sprawledfortably on a single sofa, lookingpletely at ease.

The bright overhead light cast a soft glow on his profile, his features as striking as a painting.

“You’re home,” Chris said as he set aside the book he’d been flipping through.

“Yeah,” Maia replied.

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