Chapter 4

"Damn, Cara, that's one point two eight million we're talking about!" The guy with the earrings set down his chopsticks, eyes wide. "That fish seller's actually willing?"

Cara lifted her eyelids and looked at him the way you'd look at some country bumpkin who'd never seen the world. "What do you know? Making him pay is me handing him an opportunity."

Antonia jumped in. "Exactly! There's a whole line of people chasing after Cara. Plenty of guys would kill for a chance like this and never get one."

"That fish seller just lucked into it."

Cara gave a faint little smile, warming to it now. "Right? He's always sniffing around my dad trying to score points. Just seeing it makes me sick."

"My dad hands him an eight-hundred-thousand order and he's so thrilled he can't tell which way is up. Isn't he trying to marry into our family? I'm giving him the chance today. He should be thanking me."

Antonia laughed so hard she nearly doubled over, the caviar in her mouth barely staying put.

"Ha ha ha, Cara, you're such a saint. That's brutal—make him drop over a million just to buy a chance, and if it falls through in the end, he'll die of rage."

Cara arched a brow. "What? You think he has a choice?"

"If he pays up right away today, I might still consider it. But if he takes more than three seconds, he can forget about ever getting me to look at him again."

The whole table exploded.

"Holy crap! Cara, you're testing him?"

"That fish seller's probably still down at the market gutting fish. He gets this call, he'll go crazy with joy."

"One point two eight million for a chance—now that's a deal. Pure profit!"

Everyone at the table raised their glasses, cracking up so hard they were falling all over each other.

Antonia announced to the camera, "You heard it, folks! The fish seller's begging to pay the bill. Cara didn't force him at all."

The comments boiled over. 【Fish seller drops 1.28 million just for one smile from an heiress.】

【1.28 million for a chance? I'm jealous. Honestly, I look pretty good in a dress too.】

【Hey fish guy, get moving! Don't keep the rich lady waiting!】

Someone started running the numbers: 【An eight-hundred-thousand order, and he spends 1.28 million to butter up the princess—that's a straight-up loss, buddy!】

Someone shot back immediately: 【What do you know? If he marries her, the whole Mason family is his!】

【True, true. The fish seller's playing the long game!】

Cara glanced at the comments, her brow creasing slightly. "Marry? Him? I can smell the fish stink from a yard away."

"I'm just giving him a chance to show himself off. He'd better not read too much into it."

The comments went wild egging her on: 【Streamer, streamer. Can you make the call in front of everyone in the room?】

【We want to see how this eligible bachelor performs.】

【Streamer, make the call! We'll send you gifts.】

Antonia leaned in and asked Cara quietly, "Cara, what do you think? Isn't this a bit too showy?"

Cara didn't care in the slightest. She pulled up her contacts, saved under three words: 【Fish Seller】.

She scanned the room.

"I'll make the call. But every last one of you shuts up."

Antonia pulled everyone back half a step, the music cut off, and the private room was left with only the neon lights flickering.

Cara put on her airs and dialed. My phone rang right on cue.

The cold voice came through. "Imperial Lounge, third floor, room six. You've got ten minutes. Take any longer than that and don't bother coming to see me."

She didn't give me a chance to say a word.

The comments blew up: 【Damn, so this is how a rich heiress throws her weight around?】

【She won't even let him get a word in? That fish seller must be losing his mind.】

【Fish seller's inner monologue: Easy, miss, just let me change into a suit.】

The screen filled with 【ha ha ha】 and 【dying of laughter here】.

The viewer count shot straight up to twenty thousand.

I stubbed my cigarette out in the ashtray and smiled.

Then I dialed Guy Whitney.