“Mom, this pen was clearly a gift from Dad. He’s saying I stole it.”
I saw the pen Lily clutched tightly in her hands and immediately understood what was happening.
“This pen is indeed my daughter’s. Her father gave it to her as a gift to celebrate her enrollment. I still have the purchase record.”
I pulled up the receipt on my phone—an expense of $100,000.
The woman in purple burst out laughing.
“Don’t know whether to call you uneducated or a fraud. You can’t even read the zeros properly. This pen costs $10,000, but you’re showing $100,000?”
“Pathetic. You’ve probably never seen that much money in your life. You can’t even fake it convincingly.”
Her ignorance made me laugh bitterly.
“This pen’s nibs are custom-made with gemstones. Prices vary depending on the gem’s type, color, and clarity. The one in my hand is crafted with a Colombian emerald, the only one of its kind in the country.”
I pulled off the cap, revealing the glistening green nib.
The crowd began whispering.
“My husband told me about this Hepburn pen—it has three tiers, and the highest does go for about $100,000.”
“I don’t know much about gems, but the way that emerald shines doesn’t look fake.”