Chapter 4

By noon the next day, Nathan burst through the front door, practically glowing.

"Nina! The thirty-million bridge loan is approved!"

He slammed a thick stack of loan contracts onto the coffee table, his fingers trembling with adrenaline.

"The firm said the moment we sign on the borrower line, the funds will be wired this afternoon!"

I picked up the paperwork and flipped through it casually.

Right there in black and white: the annualized interest rate was thirty-six percent.

Pure predatory lending.

"Nathan, you're amazing," I said, gazing at him with feigned admiration.

"Sign your name as the primary borrower first. I need to grab the deed to the house this afternoon, and then I'll head over to co-sign."

"Why can't we just sign together right now?" Nathan asked, a sudden flash of suspicion in his eyes.

"The deed is in my brother's safe. I have to go to his penthouse to get it."

"Without a copy of the deed, the lender won't validate my status as a co-borrower anyway."

The excuse was air-tight.

Nathan didn't suspect a thing. He grabbed a pen and signed his name boldly under the primary borrower section.

Watching his pen lift off the paper, the knot in my chest unraveled.

This monstrous thirty-million-dollar debt was now one hundred percent his alone.

"Nina, you have to bring that deed and sign the paperwork this afternoon, got it?" Nathan stressed, deadly serious.

"Don't worry," I replied, flashing an enigmatic smile. "I'll handle it *perfectly*."

Clutching the folder, he hurried out the door to share his grand victory with Mia.

The moment the lock clicked shut, I dialed Mr. Lewis, the manager at the lending firm.

"Mr. Lewis, this is Nina."

"Nathan has signed as the primary borrower. You're clear to disburse the funds."

"As for the co-borrower line, I officially decline to sign, and I offer zero personal assets as collateral."

Mr. Lewis let out a low chuckle over the line.

"Understood, Miss Nina. Under the law, the agreement is fully binding with only the primary borrower's signature. This debt belongs solely to Nathan."

I hung up, leaned comfortably back against the sofa cushions, and took a slow sip of warm water.

In the afternoon, I drove over to Mia's studio.

I wanted to see with my own eyes just how arrogant these two fools would get once the money hit their hands.

Before I even reached the office door, piercing laughter echoed down the hallway.

"Nate, you are incredible! Thirty million dollars!"

Mia's voice was dripping with greed.

"Stick with me, babe, and you'll never worry about money again. That idiot Nina could never hold a candle to you," Nathan boasted, puffed up with pride.

"Haha, Nina's probably on her knees begging her brother right now. What a pathetic little tool." Mia's mocking laugh followed.

Standing right outside the cracked door, I tapped the record button on my phone, capturing every single word in crystal clarity.

Every syllable would make fantastic evidence in court.

I pushed the door open loudly.

The two jumped apart in a panic, scrambling away from each other.

Seeing it was me, Nathan's embarrassment vanished, replaced instantly by his arrogant, dominant posture.

"Nina! What took you so long? Did you bring the deed?"

Mia sat in her executive chair, crossing her legs dismissively, not even bothering to stand up.

"Seriously, Nina, you're so slow. We're waiting on that capital to move things forward."

I lowered my eyes, putting on a guilty face.

"I'm so sorry, Nathan. Carter changed the passcode on his safe. I couldn't get the deed out today."