Chapter 5

As Damien passed the bag to Luna, I didn't scream. I didn't cry. A glacial calm settled over me, and a small, sharp smile touched my lips. I pulled out my own exclusive, unlimited black card.

"That's a lovely gesture," I said, my voice ringing with condescending sweetness. I turned to the stunned store manager. "The bag that gentleman just purchased for his... companion? Bill it to my account. Also, every other color of this same model that you have in stock-wrap them all up for me."

The boutique fell silent. Javier stared at me, his mouth slightly agape. Damien's face hardened, his power play utterly deflated by my own, more extravagant one. This was my family's empire. I was reminding him who held the real power.

I handed my card to the manager. He swiped it. A moment later, he returned, his expression deeply apologetic. "I'm so sorry, Miss Barron. The transaction was declined."

"That's impossible," I said, my voice tight. "Try it again."

He did. "I'm sorry, Miss Barron. The card has been frozen."

I stared at him in disbelief. I looked at Javier, who immediately stepped forward. "Don't worry, Elena. I told you, it's my treat." He handed the manager his own card.

It was also declined.

Javier looked stunned. "What? My accounts are fine. There must be a mistake."

A commotion started to build outside the room. People were whispering, laughing.

"Did you hear? The Barrons are broke!"

"She tried to buy out the store and can't even pay for one bag. What a joke."

My face burned with shame. I had never felt so humiliated in my entire life.

Just then, Damien, who had watched the whole scene unfold with a cool, unreadable expression, walked slowly towards the counter.

"Allow me," he said, pulling a card from his wallet. He paid for Luna's bag.

The payment went through instantly.

He turned, looped the bag over Luna's arm, and then looked at me, his eyes cold as ice. "Perhaps you should learn to manage your finances, Elena."

I was no longer just a joke. I was the punchline.

I finally understood. This was his checkmate. He was a genius coder, a world-class hacker. He had frozen my accounts, and Javier's, from his phone. This wasn't just about a purse. This was a public execution of my dignity. He had the power to cripple me, and he had just proved it.

He looked at Javier with a low, menacing warning in his eyes, then turned back to me. "Let's go home, Elena."

I turned and walked away, not looking back.

For the next three days, I locked myself in my penthouse apartment at the top of the Barron Tower. Javier tried to visit, leaving everything from rare single-origin coffees to first-edition novels outside my door. I ignored them all. I remembered his voice from the bar, laughing about how they'd manipulated me. He was no better than the rest of them.

On the third day, I activated the top-tier security system and pulled up the live feed from the communal living area a few floors below. I'd installed the discreet audio-visual recorders after overhearing them at the bar, needing to know the true extent of their deception.

The Fellows were sprawled on the couches, complaining.

"Is she ever coming out?" Kennith groaned. "Luna wants us to take her to the Hamptons, but Damien says we can't go until the princess is 'stable' again."

"Why is it our job to cheer her up?" Leo whined. "Damien's the one who torched her at Hermès. He should clean up his own mess."

"Damien's orders," Javier said with a sigh. "He wants one of us to go up there and coax her out."

Just then, Damien himself walked into the frame, holding a small, elegantly wrapped gift box. He looked at the others, his expression dark.

"Elena is my fiancée," he said, his voice laced with a cold possession that made my skin crawl. "Her affairs are none of your business. Stay out of it."

He headed for the elevator. I quickly shut off the monitor.

Through the door's audio sensor, I heard Kennith's angry voice rise from downstairs. "His fiancée? Who does he think he is? Mr. Barron said we all had a chance. She belongs to all of us... or to none of us."

Javier's voice was heavy with resignation. "It doesn't matter, Ken. In the end, she'll still choose him. She always does. We're just the supporting cast in their twisted play."