Chapter 3

At this moment, Colin was gazing at Aria with tenderness, as if she were the only person in the world.

“Sweetheart, this engagement gift is really important. It’s tied to our wedding and our future together. Your cousin’s family has a safe—we could leave it with them for safekeeping. What do you think?”

And here it was—the same tired routine.

I could already see Aria, swept away by his sweet words, getting ready to stash the six-figure engagement gift at our house again.

Before she could agree, I quickly stepped forward.

“Colin,” I said with a smile, “our family’s safe broke down a few weeks ago. I’m afraid we can’t take on the responsibility of guarding something so valuable. If something went wrong before the wedding, it’d be terrible.”

My parents, standing nearby and unaware of the brewing tension, looked like they were about to offer help. I discreetly stopped them with a glance.

Hearing my comment about potential wedding issues, Aria hesitated and seemed to snap out of her daze. “Maybe we should just keep it at my house…”

But Colin frowned. “Your cousin’s neighborhood has better security. Fewer people coming and going. Even without a safe, it’s still safer to leave it there.”

Aria mulled it over and nodded, eyes sparkling as she turned to my dad. “Uncle, would you mind keeping it for us for a little while? Once we move into our new home after the wedding, we’ll take it back.”

I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they’d fall out of my head. They really weren’t going to let this go, were they?

My dad, thinking it wasn’t a big deal, was about to agree, but I jumped in again.

“You know, nowhere’s safer than the bank,” I suggested. “Why not rent a safe deposit box and store it there instead?”

Colin’s face immediately tensed, and his parents, who had been quietly observing, started shifting nervously in their seats, stealing glances at Colin.

Their reaction made me laugh bitterly to myself.

So, they all knew the gold bars were fake. And here they were, trying to drag my clueless family into their scheme.

“Is there a problem?” I asked innocently. “I think it’s a pretty good suggestion.”

Colin’s mom smacked her knee and exclaimed, “But I heard gold prices are still going up! Storing it at the bank now would be a huge loss!”

Colin quickly chimed in, “Exactly! Selling it or storing it would cost too much in fees.”

I nodded along as if I agreed. Then, with a smile, I added, “That’s true if you sell it. But you could just store the gold bars in a safe deposit box. That way, you don’t lose value, and you get the added security.

“Plus, no one’s home security system can compare to a bank’s. If something happens and it’s stolen, the bank’s insurance will cover it. At home, once it’s gone, it’s just gone.”

Colin’s face turned sour, and he looked down, playing the part of a heartbroken man.

“This engagement gift is our family’s hard-earned savings,” he muttered. “I just wanted Aria to be able to see my sincerity whenever she wanted…”

Aria, moved by his “sadness,” quickly jumped in. “There’s no need to take it to the bank. We’ll just keep it at home.”

Every time Colin and Aria disagreed, all it took was a sad look from Colin to make Aria cave.

But I’d already lived through this story once before, and there was no way I was letting myself get dragged into their drama again.

If Colin wanted to act, well, two could play that game.