<b>Chapter </b>104


    In the parking lot, Ruby sat in the passenger seat, scrolling through photos on her tablet. Her <b>head </b>pounded with frustration.


    “Let’s give it a minute. See which way he goes when hees out, and we’ll follow him,” she said, eyes never leaving the screen.


    She couldn’t help but wonder about the woman behind this mysterious man. Was this someone out to get her? Was it all some borate setup?


    Ruby asked the store manager for security camera screenshots, then sent the man’s photo to her group chat. “Anyone recognize him? Ever seen him before?” she typed.


    No one answered.


    A ck BMW eased out of the lot, turning south. Victor kept his distance, tailing it all the way into the city. The car twisted through backstreets and alleys, then vanished without a trace.


    Victor smacked the steering wheel, muttering a curse. “Let’s just go back to the office.”


    Ruby’s mind was still tangled in the event proposal she couldn’t seem to finish. The client–a reclusive private collector–was the first to ever organize a jewelry exhibition in Riverdale. If she pulled this off, her reputation would soar. The Martin family name would finally mean something.


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    But this client had dragged things out for weeks, from the end of March to thest days of April. It was endless. When the project was finally approved, Ruby spent the whole of April setting up the exhibit. She barely had a chance to breathe, let alone take a break.


    And then Patricia showed up.


    Ruby sat alone at the only table in the venue, sipping water and staring at the photo on her phone. She checked it again and again, not quite believing it.


    It was Patricia. There was no doubt.


    “Patricia’s really alive. I ran into her at the airport<i>,” </i>someone messaged in the group chat.


    “Honestly, she’s gorgeous,” another replied. <fn8395> Th?s chapter is updated by fι?dnοvel</fn8395>


    “She was beautiful even with a limp. Now that her leg’s healed, who could say no to her?”


    Ruby scrolled through the flood of gossip, her grip tightening on her water bottle until the stic crackled.


    “Mr. Martin, everything’s set,” someone called out.


    “This ce–wow. In ten years, I’ve never seen a venue this ssy,” a staffer said, looking around in


    awe.


    “It really is beautiful,” Ruby said with a small nod, letting herself feel a flicker of pride. Two months of nonstop work, and it was finallying together.


    “Let’s take a picture!” she suggested, waving everyone over. “We’ll need something for social media when the event goes live.”


    <b>11:20 </b>


    <b>*** </b>


    By the end of April, every big name in Riverdale had received an invitation to the exhibition. It was set for May 1st at 7:30 pm–no exceptions.


    As the organizer, Ruby had to be there.


    That morning, while she was putting on her makeup, her phone buzzed. Theo’s name lit up the


    screen.


    “Did you set up a private jewelry event at the arts center?” he asked.


    “Yeah, I did. Why?” Ruby paused, mascara brush in hand.


    “Do you know who’s behind it?”


    “No idea. I’ve only dealt with their house manager–never the owner.”


    “I got an invitation,” Theo said.


    Before Ruby could reply, Tina walked in, waving an envelope. “Is this your event?”


    Ruby nced at the address and nodded. Into the phone, she said, “We got one too.”


    “Maybe it’s some rich outsider. I checked out some of the jewelry beforehand out of curiosity–the records show it’s all from a private collector in Vancouver,” Theo said, still examining his invitation.


    He sounded uneasy, like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.


    After a pause, he said quietly, “See you tonight.”


    “See you tonight,” Ruby echoed, hanging up. She turned to her mom, worry settling in her chest. “Can you find out who else got invited?”