Chapter 30

Seeing that furious yet barely-contained expression, Megan raised a playful brow and teased, "No matter what you stuff up a pig's nose, it's still a pig!"

With that, she turned around, grabbed Rachel's hand, and happily skipped across the street.

Watching their bright and carefree backs walk away, Molly's red lips trembled with rage. That damn woman really humiliated her right in public. She swore, today's embarrassment, she'd pay it back-tenfold, no, a hundredfold!

Her two friends quickly stepped up to console her.

"Molly, are you okay? Megan totally overstepped. Doesn't she get that you're still her sister?"

"Exactly! But seriously, any idea who her sugar daddy is? Could it be Mr. Reid?"

"No way. Didn't she run from the wedding? Why would Mr. Reid take her back after that?"

"True, no man would let that slide. Still, Molly, do you know who she's with now?"

Molly's chest heaved with fury, and she almost shattered one of her perfect porcelain veneers from clenching so hard. With a deep breath, she lowered her gaze and replied, "I really don't know. I haven't seen her for about six months now. Last time I bumped into her, she was throwing up non-stop. Then she came back home a few days ago, shot me dirty looks for no reason. I had no clue what I did to piss her off.She and Dad went into the study and chatted for a while, and not long after, I was told to leave the room."

She sniffled as she finished speaking. The two friends bought her lie completely, outrage bubbling up in their voices.

"No way! She's been living off some old guy for six months? And puking? Is she pregnant?!"

"Ugh, she's got no shame at all."

"She's even trying to mess with your relationship with your family. That woman's just evil." "Can't believe she's headed to that fancy villa in Emerald Cove, while you're stuck in a two-bedroom flat."

"Yeah, that's just messed up."

.-.

As the two kept rambling on in outrage, a glint of calculation flashed across Molly's eyes.

Since Megan didn't plan on revealing her marriage to Tristan, she'd just pretend not to know either and let people keep thinking Megan snagged some sugar daddy, preferably an old one.

Even if the truth came out someday, that Megan was actually married to Tristan, so what? Women only feel envy and hate, not admiration. Once Saturday rolled around, just wait-these two wouldn't last.

She grabbed both of her friends' hands and pressed her lips together. "No matter what, she's still my sister."

One of the girls wiped away her tears. "Molly, you're seriously too kind."

하

When Megan and Rachel got back to the Emerald Cove, Penelope had already laid out a feast.

She clearly liked Megan a lot, piling food into her bowl like a doting mother-in-law."Megan, you're way too thin. Eat more, it's good for getting pregnant."

Megan nearly choked. This wasn't dinner-it was an ambush.

Rachel passed her a tissue and looked over at Penelope.om, she's not even twenty yet and still in school.If she gets pregnant now, she'd have to drop out, right?"

Penelope let out a loud laugh. "Fair enough. I was just getting a bit anxious, since your brother's already twenty-six. But Megan, no pressure, okay? I won't bug you about it."

The rest of the meal, Megan ate like she was walking on a tightrope.After lunch, she said to Rachel, "Rachel,I'm heading out to grab a few personal items. You can go straight to class later."

Rachel's eyes lit up, mischief all over her face. "Personal items? What is it? Maid outfit? Cosplay? Whips and cuffs? Megan, you're kinda wild!"

Megan's mouth twitched. This girl's brain was clearly overrun with R-rated content. "Since you know so much,maybe I'll get your brother to forward those suggestions to Kai."

Rachel wasn't fazed. "I'd totally wear them-too bad Kai won't give me the chance!"

Megan was speechless. Okay, her logic really was...refreshing.

She said goodbye to Penelope and left the Emerald Cove. Just as she got into a cab, her phone rang. It was Tristan.

"Had dinner yet?"

"Yeah,ate at the villa.You?"

"I just finished too. I thought I heard a car just now-did you head out?"

Hlis tone hinted at worry, and Megan leaned into it coyly, "Just took a cab to pick up some... girl stuff. You know the kind."

Hearing that, his voice relaxed a bit."Alright, just be careful. You can drive yourself tomorrow, so you don't have to rely on cabs."

"Okay." Thinking about the morning, Megan felt a warmth in her chest. "Hubby, thank you... for everything."

Tristan's lips curled slightly."My woman,doesn't deserve to be wronged. And one more thing-l got an email from Blackwing this morning. It was footage from yesterday's road cam. I've had my team look into it, but the car's reportedly stolen. Don't worry though-we'll track down whoever's behind this in the next couple of days."

Megan had no doubt about his capability. If Tristan said he'd handle it, he would. They exchanged a few more sweet nothings before hanging up.

The taxi driver glanced at the rearview mirror, shaking his head. Ghosts might be real these days, but trusting a pretty girl's word? That's just naïve.

The place she askedd to go was legit on the surface-but at street level. Underground, it was a black market.People didn't come here to shop for toiletries.

When they reached the spot, Megan handed over the fare. The driver gave her a look and said kindly, "This area's kinda sketchy, miss. Keep your guard up,alright?"

She smiled. "Got it,sir."

As she opened the door to step out, the driver rolled the window down again.

"Little lady, don't lie to those who truly care about you. It hurts. A lie's never just one-it always leads to more."

Megan paused,thoughtful, then nodded and walked away.

Meanwhile, Tristan had his eyes locked on the map on his screen, watching a red dot move across it. His expression turned dark, and a chill crept into his eyes.

She really did go to the black market. She actually lied to him.

If he hadn't secretly installed a tiny one-millimeter tracker deep inside her phone the other night when she wasn't looking, she would've had him completely in the dark.

But what was she doing there?

Tristan exhaled slowly, tamping down the irritation simmering in his chest. He leaned back in his chair,fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest-slender, steady, deceptively calm.

His gaze dropped to the ring on his finger.

If you love her, you trust her. As long as she's not running away anymore... that's enough.