CHAPTER 9 - Mable Lees Suspicion
Ginny Nakamura knew the exact moment things got serious.
It was the moment Mable Lee walked into the resort lounge.
Tall.
Elegant.
Composed in a way that made everyone else feel slightly underdressed and slightly underqualified to exist in the same room.
Her hair was sleek, her posture perfect, her gaze sharp and observant as it swept across the crowd—
and then landed directly on Jayna.
And then... on Ginny.
Ginny swallowed.
"...who's that?" she whispered under her breath.
Jayna didn't even need to turn around.
"Mable Lee," she said calmly. "My best friend."
Ginny blinked. "The intimidating one?"
Jayna smirked. "The very one."
Ginny straightened instinctively.
Because Mable Lee was already walking toward them.
"Jayna."
Mable's voice was smooth. Controlled. Cool.
Jayna stood and smiled easily, opening her arms slightly. "Mable."
They hugged briefly—familiar, close, genuine.
Then Mable stepped back.
Her eyes moved to Ginny.
Slowly.
Assessing.
Measuring.
Ginny felt like she was being evaluated in real time.
"This must be Ginny," Mable said.
Ginny smiled politely. "Hi. It's nice to meet you."
Mable extended her hand.
Ginny shook it.
Mable's grip was firm.
Steady.
Unwavering.
"Event stylist," Mable said. Not a question.
Ginny blinked. "Yes."
Mable nodded once, as if confirming a file she already had on her.
Then her gaze flicked to Jayna's hand—
resting on Ginny's waist.
And something in Mable's eyes sharpened.
They sat.
The conversation was... polite.
Surface-level.
Mable asked about Ginny's work. Her clients. Her recent events.
Ginny answered smoothly—she was good at this. Socializing was literally part of her job.
But beneath the polite conversation, Ginny could feel it:
Studying her reactions.
Tracking her tone.
Measuring every glance between her and Jayna.
At one point, Mable asked casually, "So how did you and Jayna meet?"
Ginny froze for half a second.
Jayna squeezed her waist lightly—grounding.
Ginny recovered.
"We met through a mutual event," she said smoothly. "She was consulting for an athlete I was working with."
Mable's gaze shifted to Jayna.
Jayna nodded easily. "That's right."
A beat.
Then Mable's lips curved just slightly.
"Interesting."
Ginny did not like the way she said that.
Later, Jayna got pulled away by someone calling her name from across the room.
"Back in a second," Jayna said, squeezing Ginny's hand before stepping away.
And just like that—
Ginny was alone.
With Mable.
The silence shifted.
It became sharper.
Colder.
More direct.
Mable leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs elegantly.
Her eyes never left Ginny.
"Let's not waste time," Mable said calmly.
Ginny's spine straightened.
"Okay..."
Mable tilted her head slightly. "Are you going to hurt her?"
Ginny blinked.
"...what?"
"Jayna," Mable clarified. "Are you going to hurt her?"
Ginny's heart dropped into her stomach.
"No," she said immediately. "Of course not."
Mable watched her.
Unblinking.
"Because she doesn't fall easily," Mable continued. "She doesn't commit easily. And she certainly doesn't get engaged easily."
Ginny swallowed.
Mable leaned forward slightly, her voice still calm—but firmer now.
"So if this is a game to you," she said, "end it before it damages her."
The words landed hard.
Because Ginny knew—
this was a game.
A lie.
A fake engagement built on panic and one drunken kiss.
But the way her chest tightened at the thought of hurting Jayna...
That didn't feel fake.
Ginny lifted her chin slightly.
"It's not a game to me," she said quietly.
Mable's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then what is it?"
Ginny hesitated.
Because she didn't have a clean answer.
Not anymore.
"...it started as something simple," she admitted.
Mable waited.
Ginny exhaled slowly.
"But it's not simple anymore."
That was the truth.
And Mable could hear it.
There was a long pause.
Mable studied her one last time.
Then she leaned back again.
Still composed.
Still elegant.
Still slightly terrifying.
But something in her expression had softened—just a fraction.
"Good," Mable said quietly.
Ginny blinked. "Good?"
Mable gave a small nod. "Because if you hurt her, I will absolutely make your life very difficult."
Ginny let out a breath that was half laugh, half nervous relief. "Noted."
Mable's lips curved slightly.
Jayna returned a moment later, sliding naturally back into place beside Ginny—her hand immediately finding Ginny's waist again.
"Did I miss anything?" Jayna asked casually.
Mable and Ginny shared a look.
A silent understanding.
Mable smiled faintly. "Just getting to know your fiancée."
Jayna glanced between them, suspicious. "And?"
Mable took a slow sip of her drink.
"She's interesting."
Ginny huffed softly. "That's not comforting."
Jayna chuckled, her thumb brushing lightly against Ginny's side again.
Ginny's breath hitched—just a little.
Mable noticed.
Of course she did.
And this time—
Mable Lee's gaze softened in a way it hadn't before.
Because for the first time, she saw it.
This wasn't just a lie.
Not anymore.