Kiara's eyes flickered with panic. Her crocodile tears returned in full force, with shaky breaths and dramatic sniffles.

Oliver rushed to console her again, falling right into her act.

My god, I'd had enough.

"Since our dear CEO here is feeling so generous," I said sarcastically, "I'm guessing you'll be paying her for smashing that $12 million vase?"

Oliver's face tightened instantly. He looked down at the wreckage as if it had betrayed him. Then he lifted his foot as if he was about to stomp it onto the floor even harder.

"It's fake," he said, voice sharp. "Why would I pay a cent? What, are you heartbroken now? Didn't you say it was real? Didn't you claim to be rich? Then go buy another one."

Kiara immediately dropped the act and flashed a smug little grin, as if she thought she'd won something.

Then, the lawyer dropped to his knees in front of the vase shards, reaching out to stop Oliver's foot from coming down.

"Mr. Jefferson," he said, slightly out of breath. "If I'm not mistaken… that Italian vase was real."

Everything went dead quiet.

Oliver froze mid-step, and Kiara's grin snapped clean off her face.

Even I had to admit, I was a little impressed. 'So he could tell the difference, huh?'

Flustered, Oliver pushed the lawyer aside and stomped onto the remains, grinding them under his heel like a petulant child.

"Atty. Doyle, you're a lawyer, not an art appraiser. Don't embarrass yourself." His tone was full of irritation and denial. "We all heard what the man said—the real vase was bought by the richest man in the Capital City, for his precious daughter. Like hell that thing ended up here in Bayport.

Kiara gasped like she was in a soap opera.

"Unless…" she said, eyes darting to me with fake shock. "Therese stole it from the richest family?"

Then she leaned in, whispering dramatically, "Or maybe she seduced the richest man himself?"

I couldn't help but laugh at their ignorance.

"You two really don't get tired of embarrassing yourselves, do you?"

Then, I leaned back against the edge of the table with my arms crossed, watching them squirm.

"Well, since you're both so desperate to know…" I paused, letting the silence hang for a beat. "Let me put you out of your misery. The richest man in the Capital City? That's my dad."

That shut them both up for about two seconds.

As if it had been rehearsed, Oliver and Kiara made eye contact and burst out laughing.