Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
E MERALD
I can’t wait to see the kids later. We’re letting them go to school as normal this morning, and then we’ll pick them up tonight to bring them home.
I’ve just finished my breakfast and am about to go and get dressed when Saint stops me. “We need word about the engagement to spread fast so that it reaches Carmine’s ears as soon as possible. And you’ll need to buy a ring for yourself today if this engagement’s going to be at all believable,” he says.
My eyes widen, and I can’t speak for a few moments. “ Buy a ring for myself ? You’re not coming with me ?”
“I’m sure you can choose something suitable by yourself. Just take two of my men with you for security. I’ve let them know that you’ll be going to a jewelry store later.”
A surge of disbelief floods through me. “This is supposed to be one of the most memorable moments of our engagement, and you want me to do it all alone ?”
He gives me a strange look. “Yeah.” He slides his black Amex across the counter to me.
I eye it up but hesitate as I reach for it. “Um, what’s the catch, Valentino?”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you registered your Amex as stolen? You know, so that as soon as I try to use it, it sets off an alert and I get arrested?”
“And why would I do that?” he says in his infuriating drawl.
“Let me see, because you like to trick me and lie sometimes?” I don’t know why, but I’m a little put out that he doesn’t want to choose the ring with me.
He gives me wounded puppy dog eyes. Fake, obviously, as I know he’s a lot tougher than that.
“And because you’re still annoyed that I ran off and you had to track me down…” Because it was pretty clear on the drive back just how annoyed he was with me.
He stares at me. “You’ll need the pin. It’s six, six, six, six.”
“Of course it is,” I mutter as a knock sounds at the suite’s doors.
Saint answers it and ushers a man inside. “Emerald, this man is from my bank. He needs your fingerprint as an added precaution for the Amex.”
My eyebrows shoot up. Wow, wealthy people really do live very differently. Although he comes across as a lowkey person, I know from Jacquetta and Nicki that he’s a billionaire—which shouldn’t be surprising given how successful and dominant the Imperiosi are in the criminal world. I place my finger on the handheld electronic device which the man holds out to me.
“Thank you, ma’am. Some transactions may require you to provide fingerprint authorization, but should you have any queries, please just call the number on the back of the credit card. It connects directly to our team which deals with our most esteemed clients, and they’ll provide you with a personal service to answer any questions or concerns you may have.”
Saint sees the man out, shows in my two bodyguards for the day, and then gathers his jacket and phone. “I’m heading out now.”
“Wait!” I blurt out as he opens the door.
He turns around slowly.
I lick my lips. “Is it limitless?”
He takes a deep inhale. “Yes. It won’t get declined when you drop 100K on a ring later. Happy?”
I nod and watch him as he walks away. I carry on sitting on the couch, glaring at the empty coffee cup in front of me. I don’t know why I’m so irked, but for some reason, I imagined that we’d go pick the ring together.
And for some reason, this fake engagement thing reminds me of how Ronnie humiliated me, making it clear to the entire world that I wasn’t good enough to marry. That I’m unlovable. That I’m worthless. And although I barely know Saint, the word ‘fake’ keeps echoing in my mind. Because even if something were to develop between Saint and me, a man like him would never in a million years want me as a real fiancée, right? I shake my head. Why on earth am I even thinking about this? It’s not as if there’s anything but sex between us, right?
Snatching up my phone, I search the internet and scroll through a list of local jewelry stores, trying to muster some excitement. And with a sigh, I pick a store that’s known for specializing in high-end engagement rings, and then I go and get dressed.
* * *
The chime of the jewelry store door trills as I step inside, the bodyguards behind me but keeping a discreet distance. The scent of polished wood and faintly fragrant perfume fills the air, mingling with the hum of conversation. Glittering showcases line the walls, each one a treasure trove of brilliance. My eyes scan the room, taking in the array of gold, silver, and platinum jewelry adorned with precious stones that shimmer under the soft lighting.
The store is already busy. I look around at the couples choosing rings together, looking lovingly into each other’s eyes. And I realize I’m the only one here without my partner…without a man who loves me.
I approach the counter.
“How can I assist you today?” a woman behind the glass display case says, her voice smooth and refined.
“I’m looking for something special,” I reply, glancing down at the rings nestled on plush velvet. “An engagement ring.” I point to a tray. “I’d like to see those.”
Her eyes light up with a professional gleam. “Of course.” She reaches into the case and pulls out a tray of diamond rings, each one more stunning than the last. I look them over, feeling a small sense of excitement bubbling up inside me.
As I peruse the options, the assistant plucks one from the tray after she sees me eyeing it up. “This is a particularly elegant ring. It’s a princess cut. Very sophisticated.”
“It is gorgeous,” I say slowly.
“Here, try it on,” she encourages me.
Slipping it onto the ring finger of my left hand, I’m taken straightaway with its exquisite design and the way it catches the light. “How much does it cost?” I ask, already bracing myself for the answer.
“It’s priced at two hundred thousand dollars,” she announces. And the excitement inside me immediately deflates because he did mention something about me spending 100K, so he obviously had a budget in mind.
I look through the rest of the rings on the tray and point out another one to try on. She plucks it from its velvet cushion and hands it to me.
It’s beautiful and fits perfectly. “And the price?” I ask carefully.
“One million dollars.”
Oh gosh, this isn’t going well at all . I continue browsing the rest of the rings on the tray, but not being really drawn to any of them, I point out another tray to look at.
As soon as it’s set in front of me, one ring catches my eye. It’s a masterpiece. Three huge flawless diamonds in an intricate setting on a platinum band. The trio of diamonds catches the light in a way that creates a mesmerizing array of colors, each facet gleaming with unparalleled brilliance. “That one,” I say, pointing to it. The assistant smiles as she carefully lifts it from the tray and hands it to me. I slip it on, and it fits perfectly. I hold my hand up to the light, turning it slowly, marveling at the way it sparkles.
“This is an exquisite piece,” she remarks. “The main diamonds are superb, and the band is crafted from the finest platinum and lined with more diamonds.”
“How much?” I ask.
“Two point five million dollars,” she responds, her tone respectful and matter-of-fact. “It’s the weight of the diamonds but also their quality,” she adds almost apologetically. “Excellent cut, flawless clarity, and colorless means that these diamonds are the closest to perfection that anyone will get.”
“Two point five million dollars?” Holy crap. I gaze around myself, and my heart dips. Would it really have hurt Saint to come with me today instead of going to work? If he came with me, maybe I wouldn’t feel like such a loser among all these lovestruck couples surrounding me…
“Yes, two point five million,” the assistant confirms.
The number hangs in the air for a moment, almost surreal.
And my face lights up as I come up with a plan.
This ring is over ten times the price of the first ring I tried— meaning that it’s absolutely perfect .
“I’ll take it,” I say with relish, sliding Saint’s black Amex over to her.
Her eyes practically flash with dollar signs as she mentally calculates her commission on the piece, and she leads me to a private room to complete the transaction. I have to give that fingerprint authorization thing, and I assume it’s for high value transactions. The process is smooth and efficient, and soon, the ring is mine. “Congratulations,” she says warmly. “This is a truly remarkable piece.”
“Thank you.” And after leaving the jeweler’s, I have a little more shopping to do, and I practically skip along the sidewalk as I head to the next store on my list.
* * *
When I get back to the hotel, Saint is sitting at the small desk, tapping away at his laptop.
The two bodyguards stand back respectfully as I flash my hand in front of him. “I got my ring. Do you like it?”
His eyes widen slightly as he takes in the huge diamonds.
“It’s...nice. Er, how much did it cost exactly?”
“Two point five million,” I announce.
“ Two point five ?” he says slowly.
“Yeah.”
“ Million ?”
“Yep.”
“ Dollars ?” he adds in a hoarse voice.
“Uh-huh.”
“On a ring?”
“Well, some might call it a ring. But I think a rock is a more accurate description.”
“Jesus fucking Christ and all the goddamn saints!”
I arch a manicured eyebrow at him. “I’m pretty sure that’s blasphemy on multiple levels. You know, you might want to see about going to confession this Sunday.”
“Is this something to do with the fact that I sent you to get the ring by yourself?” he asks slowly.
“No,” I clip.
And as the realization sinks in of what I’ve done, his jaw drops like a rollercoaster ride suddenly dipping at high speed. “That sort of money would buy me a goddamn mansion .”
I wave a dismissive hand in the air. “You already have one of those, remember ?”
A vein throbs on his forehead. “A mansion. With a backyard the size of a freaking football field .”
I give a nonchalant shrug. “I mean, if you’re into football…”
His eyes narrow to slits. “A mansion. With a backyard the size of a football field. And bathrooms with swan-shaped fucking faucets that pour with pure liquid gold when you turn them on !”
I tilt my head to one side as I gaze at him. “Now you’re just being goddamn tacky,” I drawl.
He snatches up my hand and marches me away from the bodyguards and into the bedroom. Slamming the door shut, he spins around to face me. “ What the hell were you thinking, Emerald ?”
I put my hand on my hip. “You’re the one who said that our engagement has to be believable and that we need word to spread fast . And no one would believe that I’d marry a guy who wasn’t super generous with his money—not with the way everyone likes to call me a gold digger. I thought you’d be happy that I thought of a way to make the ring lie more convincing.”
His jaw drops before he buries his head in his hands. “Christ, I don’t know whether to be mad at the ridiculous amount you spent…or downright impressed with your plan,” he mutters with a groan.
“Well, looking on the bright side, word should spread fast now,” I say with a grin. “I mean, your men are bound to gossip about the two-point-five-million-dollar ring and your over-the-top reaction to it because you know how everyone in the Imperiosi loves to gossip...”
* * *
I look down as I twist the ring around my finger. After leaving the jewelry store earlier, I made a stop at another store and asked the bodyguards to wait outside. That store does the best costume jewelry, and I purchased a cheap lab-created diamond ring. Then putting that on my finger, I took the original ring to another jewelry store and sold it. They actually paid me twenty grand more than I purchased it for. And I got them to make out the check to my favorite charity—one that supports single moms and their kids.
Because even though Saint can easily afford a few million bucks for a ring, something inside me makes it difficult to waste so much money on such a superficial item. I know that’s rich coming from me, what with my shallow need to constantly steal beautiful dresses, but at least I know that the two point five million will be going to a deserving cause.
I would have mentioned this all to Saint when we were alone, but he was already so mad that I thought it wise not to mention anything else about the ring.
Instead, I think with satisfaction about how much the single moms’ shelter is going to be able to do with my donation to them. They mentioned when I rang them earlier that they’ll finally be able to purchase a much-needed additional shelter, convert it to meet their needs, and fund the operational costs for a good while. The cost of any sort of real estate in New York is astronomical, but the charity desperately needs another location in the city, and I give a sigh of contentment as I think about what good the money will achieve.
I sigh as I think how we really need this fake fiancée plan to work. Because with the danger looming from Carmine, there’s absolutely no room for failure...