Felix walked with renewed confidence through the designer flagships, past private viewing rooms and velvet-roped displays, until they reached a large open atrium at the center of the floor.
The space was roughly thirty square meters, cordoned off by crimson ropes and monitored by a uniformed security guard who stood at relaxed attention. In the very center, elevated on a slim glass pedestal and illuminated by a single focused spotlight, was a necklace.
Stan saw Sophieās breath catch.
It was, by any honest measure, extraordinary. The piece was a cascade of diamonds and sapphires set in white gold, each stone catching the overhead light and fracturing it into a thousand tiny prisms. The design was architectural, precise, balanced, almost mathematical in its elegance, but the effect was purely emotional. It didnāt just catch the eye. It held it.
"So beautiful," Sophie whispered, almost to herself.
She wasnāt alone. A small cluster of women had gathered at the rope line, craning their necks, phones raised, speaking in the hushed, reverential tones that people normally reserve for galleries and cathedrals.
Felix turned to Stan with the satisfied expression of a man who had finally found the perfect trap.
"You said you only buy expensive things. Well?" He gestured at the necklace with an open palm. "There it is. Buy it."
He folded his arms and settled into a spectatorās posture, visibly relishing the moment.
Stan looked at the necklace. Then at Sophie.
"Do you like it?"
Sophieās eyes were still on the display. She nodded, almost shyly.
"I do. Itās the most beautiful necklace Iāve ever seen." Then, catching herself, she added quickly: "But if itās too expensive, donāt. Really. Itās fine."
"Expensive?" Stan let out a small, quiet laugh. "Nothing is expensive to me, darling."
The word darling landed softly between them. Sophieās cheeks flushed.
[Sophie Youngs: Favorability 68]
Stan held her gaze, his voice dropping into something lower and more earnest.
"If you want it, Iāll get it. If you wanted the stars, Iād find a way to pull them down for you."
Heād prepared the line in advance. He knew exactly how it sounded, theatrical, over-the-top, the kind of thing that belonged in a drama script. But he also knew his audience.
Sophieās lips parted slightly. Her eyes widened. And for a moment, she looked at him as if he were the only person in the entire building.
[Sophie Youngs: Favorability 69]
[Sophie Youngs: Favorability 70]
[Sophie Youngs: Favorability 71]
The numbers surged.
And with them, something inside Sophie quietly unlocked. The last residual trace of wariness, the thin, brittle shell the forum post had wrapped around her instincts, cracked apart and fell away. Sheād been cautious. Sheād been guarded. Sheād kept a small, careful distance between what she felt and what she allowed herself to believe.
But standing here, watching this man insist on buying her the most expensive necklace in the building after gifting her an entire residential tower, watching him refuse cheap things not out of poverty but out of principle, watching him face down Felixās relentless mockery without once losing his composure or his dignity,
āThe rumors are lies,ā she thought with sudden, crystalline clarity. āAll of them. Fabricated by people who canāt stand seeing me with him.ā
Her gaze drifted briefly to Felix, and a cold suspicion settled in her chest. The timing of everything, the forum post appearing overnight, Felix showing up the very next morning with his Ferrari and his convenient concern for her safety, was too neat. Too coordinated. She couldnāt prove it, but she didnāt need to. Her instincts were telling her everything she needed to know.
"Forget it," Sophie said softly, touching Stanās arm. "You donāt need to buy it. Just being here with you is enough."
Stan frowned internally. āNo. Absolutely not. forget it.ā
This necklace was the most expensive item in the entire shopping center. His six-times rebate, now seven times rebate was live and waiting. If he spent three million on this piece, heād receive eighteen million in return. Walking away from this purchase would be like leaving a winning lottery ticket on the counter and saying maybe next time.
"Iām buying it," he said, his voice gentle but immovable. "I said I would, and I will."
Sophie looked up at him, and whatever she saw in his expression made her stop arguing.
āHe really means it. Heās not performing. Heās not trying to impress Felix. He genuinely wants to do this for me.ā
In that moment, Stan Harrison became, in Sophie Youngsās private estimation, the best man she had ever met. Not because of the money, though the money was staggering, but because of the way he wielded it. Without hesitation. Without conditions. Without the slightest expectation of anything in return.
Felix, by contrast, had spent the entire day following them around like a stray dog, buying unwanted rings, making snide comments, and treating generosity as a competitive sport. The comparison was so unflattering it was almost cruel.
Stan turned to the security guard.
"How much is this necklace? And where do I pay?"
"Three million two hundred thousand dollars," Felix cut in before the guard could speak, unable to resist one last moment of showmanship. "The most expensive piece in the entire building."
His grin was wide and predatory. He already knew what came next, because he already knew the necklace wasnāt for sale.
The security guard confirmed it with a polite, apologetic bow.
"Iām sorry, sir. This piece is a display item. Itās not currently available for purchase."
Felixās grin widened into something almost gleeful.
"Oh no," he said, with theatrical sympathy. "What a shame. You were so ready to buy it, too." He turned to the surrounding onlookers, making sure everyone was watching. "Didnāt you say you wanted to buy it? Werenāt you the man who only buys expensive things? Go on, then. Buy it."
Stan ignored him. He looked at the security guard.
"Itās a display piece. Not for sale. Is that the storeās final position, or is there someone I can speak to about it?"
"Iām afraid thatās the policy, sir. The necklace is part of a promotional exhibit and,"
"Stan, forget it." Sophie tugged gently at his sleeve. "It really doesnāt matter."
"It matters," Stan said quietly.