Chapter 3

"Elena?"

When Joel saw me, the shock on his face was genuine, mixed with a visible layer of awkwardness and anxiety.

It seemed he never expected me to show up at his workplace.

I sneered inwardly but kept my face perfectly neutral. "I'm here about the $500,000 Chloe mentioned."

The moment the words left my mouth, Joel’s face went completely pale.

He rubbed his hands together nervously, stammering, "Elena... please don't be mad. This... this is all a misunderstanding on Chloe's part."

"A misunderstanding?" I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"I... I do need some short-term capital, but only $200,000 is enough," he explained rapidly, sweat dripping down his forehead.

"I told Chloe I would find a way myself, even if it meant selling my own parents' cottage."

"But she insisted I shouldn't. She said if I sold it, where would my parents live?"

"She said... she said you had already set aside $500,000 for her wedding fund anyway, and that we should just use that first."

"She said you really believed in me and thought I’d make it big, so this money would be your angel investment in my future."

Joel’s voice grew quieter and quieter, his face flushed with embarrassment. "I know it’s not right, but Chloe was so certain about it."

"She said you spoiled her, and whatever she wanted, you’d give her."

"She even said... you raised her like your own daughter, so this $500,000 was practically hers anyway."

I froze.

$200,000? A wedding fund?

His version of the story was the exact opposite of what Chloe had told me.

Looking at Joel's red, embarrassed face and the sheer sincerity in his eyes, a ridiculous and terrifying suspicion began to form in my mind.

In my last life, if he had really stolen the money, why would he let Chloe drag his name through the dirt without a fight?

And if he hadn't stolen the money... where did the cash from the house sale actually go?