She buried her face against his chest, feigning fear, her voice trembling just enough to sound convincing.
"Kevin... Miss Robles tried to snatch the necklace you gave me... She got so angry... Maybe I should just return it to her..."
Kevin's gaze turned sharp, his tone icy. "It's just a necklace. I gave it to Stefanie—what's the problem? Venice, must you always be this petty?"
Venice stared at him, disbelief flooding her chest.
[Kevin, you know that necklace—my mother's—]
"Enough!" he cut her off impatiently.
"If you want it so badly, name a price. I'll buy it from you."
He tore a check from his book, scribbled a number, and thrust it toward her. "This should be enough to buy an apartment in Los Angeles. With what you earn selling coffee, could you ever afford a necklace like that?"
Each word drove another nail into her heart. Venice took the check, stared at it blankly, and tore it to shreds.
Kevin frowned. "Fine. You refused it yourself. Don't come crying to me later."
Her eyes were red, her body trembling violently.
For a moment, something flickered in his expression—maybe guilt, maybe irritation, but he quickly smothered it.
"Come here," he ordered coldly. "Apologize to Stefanie."