“Keep talking big, if that makes you feel better!” Claudia snapped, voice sharp enough to cut glass. “I’m not stupid, you know. Gemma already told me yesterday—you hit the lottery for thirteen million and blew it all!”
She sprang up from her seat, practically vibrating with indignation, and marched to stand beside the store owner, as if she needed backup for her outburst.
“Boss, don’t listen to his nonsense,” she said loudly. “He’s bluffing. Let him ‘buy the mall.’ I want to see how he explains himself when he can’t pay for anything.”
The owner had been rattled at first when Ace Kane casually mentioned buying the entire mall. But the more he thought about it, the more it sounded like pure hot air.
Even without counting the goods inside, the mall’s building alone had cost over twenty mi
