Chapter 5 The Bulgari Battle

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Christi pushed open the heavy glass doors of the Bvlgari flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Her red-soled heels clicked sharply against the marble floor.

The store manager rushed forward immediately. Having received the covert directive from Apex Group, he bowed deeply to the woman in the plain trench coat. "Welcome, madam. How may I assist you?"

Christi walked straight to the center display case. She pointed her finger at the velvet bust holding the "Heart of Eternal Love" limited-edition ruby necklace. "I want that. Wrap it up."

Just as the manager reached for his keys, a loud, shrill laugh echoed through the store.

Fallon Ratcliff strolled in, her arm linked with Gilda Rivera.

Gilda stopped dead when she saw Christi. Her perfectly Botoxed face twisted into a sneer. She looked Christi up and down like she was staring at a rat. "What are you doing here? This isn't a thrift store."

Fallon touched her diamond earrings, feigning surprise. Her voice was dripping with fake sweetness. "Oh, Christi. You shouldn't be looking at that. Jensen promised to buy me that exact necklace as a 'welcome to the firm' gift." She emphasized the word gift, rubbing her status in Christi's face.

Gilda waved a dismissive hand at the manager. "Take it out for Fallon to try on. Put it on the Rivera family account."

The manager broke out in a cold sweat. He glanced nervously at Christi, then bowed apologetically to Gilda. "I am so sorry, Mrs. Rivera. But this lady has already claimed the piece."

Fallon's smile vanished. She let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Claimed it? With what? Is she going to pay in installments? Or did she steal one of Jensen's credit cards?"

Christi didn't blink. She didn't raise her voice. She simply pulled out the six-million-dollar cashier's check Jensen had just signed and placed it face-up on the glass counter.

Gilda and Fallon stared at the numbers. Their eyes widened in absolute shock.

Christi smiled at Fallon. Her voice was soft, but it cut like a surgical scalpel. "Jensen told me to use this money to buy whatever you had your eye on. He called it 'mental compensation' for having to deal with you."

Fallon's face turned a violent shade of red. Her chest heaved. Jensen had given her jewelry budget to this Rust Belt trash?

Gilda was shaking with rage. "You little leech! You extorted my son!"

Christi held her hands up in mock innocence. "He signed it willingly. Call him and ask."

Fallon frantically dug her phone out and dialed Jensen. It went straight to voicemail. He was in his merger meeting. The silence in the store was deafening. The other socialites browsing nearby were whispering and pointing.

Humiliated, Gilda slammed her black Centurion card onto the glass. "I will pay double. Give it to me now."

The manager wiped his forehead. "Ma'am, Bvlgari does not operate on auctions-"

Suddenly, the store's private elevator chimed open. A young woman in a Chanel haute couture suit, flanked by bodyguards, walked out. It was Cordelia Gregory, Cornelius's sister and the darling of Manhattan's elite.

Gilda's face immediately shifted to a fawning smile, but Cordelia walked right past her. She pointed a manicured finger at the ruby necklace. "I'll take that."

Gilda and Fallon smirked, ready to watch Christi be humiliated by true old money.

Just as Cordelia was about to hand over her card, her private, encrypted phone rang. She answered, her expression shifting from bored to shocked. "Brother?... Yes... I understand."