Chapter 3
737 Words
I cleared my throat lightly. "Shall we begin?"
Nolan straightened in his seat and intertwined his fingers tightly with Chloe's.
"Do you want to marry Chloe?"
Nolan nodded without hesitation. "Of course. Chloe is the only person I want to marry."
No warning chime sounded. The moment Chloe saw my reaction, her eyes lit up with excitement. I smiled and gave her a small nod. Nolan had told the truth.
"Do you love her?"
"Absolutely." Nolan answered firmly. "We grew up together. We were meant to be."
The warning chime still never came, and Chloe's smile immediately widened with relief. She shot to her feet excitedly. "That's enough! The test is over. Raina, thank you so much."
I had not expected earning this money would be this easy. Beside her, Sasha scoffed dismissively. "Oh please, Chloe. She's obviously a scam artist trying to cheat you out of your money. Be careful or she'll leave you with nothing."
"How could that happen?" Chloe crossed her arms confidently. "I already had people watching Raina. The day her boyfriend lied to her, he got struck by lightning on the spot."
So Chloe had been there that day too.
Sasha rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm going to get my nails done. If I'd known this would be so boring, I wouldn't have come."
I suddenly spoke. "You're lying. You're not going to get your nails done today."
Sasha reacted instantly. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
The next second, the coffee cup in front of her exploded with a sharp c***k, sending coffee splashing everywhere.
Nolan immediately released Chloe's hand and instinctively stepped in front of Sasha to shield her. The atmosphere turned awkward instantly. That reaction had been completely subconscious.
And the moment I saw it, I realized business had arrived. I leaned forward slightly. "Can I ask why you felt the need to protect Sasha?"
Nolan's voice turned uneasy as he instinctively glanced toward Chloe. "She's Chloe's best friend. Of course I wouldn't just stand there and let her get hurt."
The warning chime immediately rang in my ear, telling me his explanation was a lie. Realizing I had just stumbled onto something interesting, I felt my excitement rise instantly. "Then what exactly is your relationship with Sasha?"
Nolan stumbled over his words. "She's... my girlfriend's best friend."
There was no warning chime this time, and I let out a faint smile. "That's not what I asked. I asked about your relationship with Sasha. Don't bring Miss Warwick into it."
Nolan hesitated before mumbling vaguely, "We're... sort of friends."
The warning chime rang again. "You're lying."
Panic flashed across Nolan's face. "What are you talking about?"
He turned sharply toward Chloe. The moment he noticed the suspicion in her eyes, his expression became even more strained. "Chloe, she's a fraud. Don't believe her. Sasha and I are barely even friends."
Sasha hurried to back him up. "Exactly. She's obviously making things up."
Chloe stared directly at Nolan. "Then explain something to me. Last Saturday night, where were you? And why did your clothes smell like women's perfume?"
So Chloe's suspicions had not appeared out of nowhere after all. I calmly repeated the question.
Sweat began forming on Nolan's forehead. "I was tutoring," he answered stiffly. "Chloe already knows that."
He was lying again. Smiling faintly, I turned to Sasha instead. "And what about you? What were you doing that night?"
Sasha grabbed tightly at her sleeve. Clearly, she still did not believe I could actually tell when someone was lying.
Trying to sound brave, she answered, "I was getting my nails done. I change my manicure every Saturday. I've always had that habit."
It was true that Sasha got her nails done every Saturday. But that night, she had done far more than that.
I looked toward Chloe. "They're both lying."
"That's impossible!" Nolan snapped immediately. "My classmate can vouch for me!"
Not long afterward, his classmate arrived.
I asked seriously, "Did you personally see Nolan tutoring that entire night? Are you certain he did nothing else?"
The classmate nodded firmly. "Yeah. Nolan was tutoring."
I sighed softly. "Miss Warwick, I suggest you investigate this properly. Every single one of them is lying."
Sasha finally exploded. "Are you done yet? There's no way I'd ever hook up with Nolan. You're just a liar!"
My voice remained calm. "Then do you dare swear that you and Nolan are completely innocent?"
- Writer
