Jasper opened his mouth to say something more, but the man cut him off with an icymand.


    "Enough!"


    Jasper fell silent, frustration written all over his face.


    But Ste turned her head to address the nearby waiter. "Anything broken- whether by me or Ms. Pearce-just put it all on Mr. O''Brien''s tab."


    She nced at Rachel, her tone light but pointed. "After all, Ms. Pearce is Mr. O''Brien''s cherished one, his shining star. If she broke it, I''m sure he wouldn''t hesitate to pay. As for me..."


    Ste shifted her gaze to Haynes, her eyes glinting. "As Mrs. O''Brien, I think I have the right to put it on my own husband''s ount, don''t I?"


    The moment the words left her lips, a ripple of shock swept through the room. "My God, Mrs. O''Brien? She''s actually married to Haynes?"


    "I heard rumors about Haynes and some woman causing a stirtely... but I had no idea he was married!"


    "He''s been married for five years, just never had a public wedding. Kept it under wraps. But people in the business knew."


    "So those two, talking so righteously about Mr. O''Brien''s one true love and all that... what was that about?"


    "What else could it be? ssic affair. Men are all the same..."


    People began casting contemptuous nces at Haynes and Rachel, the gossip swirling to a fever pitch.


    Seeing the situation spiraling, Rachel bit her lip and stepped forward.


    "This is my fault. I failed to catch the bracelet Ms. Cameron handed me, so... I''ll pay for it."


    Jasper was stunned. "Rachel! That woman Ste did it on purpose! Why should we pay a cent?"


    "Jasper!" Rachel shot him a sharp look, her expression grave. "I dropped it. Ms. Cameron isn''t to me."


    With that, she turned to Ste, bowing deeply in apology.


    "Ms. Cameron, I''m sorry for what happened earlier. Please ept my apology."


    Though Rachel apologized, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, looking every bit the picture of someone grievously wronged.


    Ste let out a softugh. "Ms. Pearce, that bracelet is worth five million. I doubt you coulde up with that much if you sold everything you own, could you?"


    Rachel managed a wan smile, looking utterly pitiful. "I... I''ll find a way."


    Jasper, unable to watch any longer, stepped forward like a knight in shining armor. "I''ll pay for Rachel!"


    Ste arched an eyebrow, amused. "Alright then, go ahead."


    Jasper reached for his card, only to freeze-he suddenly remembered all his money was tied up in investments. There was no way he could cover that amount.


    Haynes, clearly aware of Jasper''s predicament, stepped in smoothly. "Jasper, why don''t you and Rachel head home? I have a few things to take care of here."


    ...


    After the crowd dispersed, Haynes turned to Ste, his gaze cold as steel. "Ste, did you really think I didn''t notice you dropped the bracelet on purpose?" Ste''s expression remained calm, even cheerful. She looked at him with a hint of a smile. "I always thought Mr. O''Brien had poor eyesight. Looks like I was wrong -you do have a keen eye after all."


    Haynes heard the sarcasm in her voice loud and clear, but what surprised him was how openly Ste admitted it, as if she had nothing to fear.


    His eyes narrowed, his tone frosty. "You still insist you''re not targeting Rachel at every turn? What would you call what you just did?"


    Ste''s smile didn''t waver. "Isn''t that exactly what Ms. Pearce has been doing to me all along? Why, does it hurt now that the tables have turned?"