Chapter 5 Steak
I just blocked and deleted her.
I didn’t have the time or patience to chat with my ex–boyfriend’s dream girl.
After working with Keith for two straight days, I’d pretty much gotten the hang of things.
The company had also sorted out my housing. I was now living in the same building as Keith, just on different floors.
That day, after finishing some overtime work, I got a call from home on my way back. It was the police asking for more details about a
case.
As I carefully answered their questions, I unlocked my door. Keith followed me in, carrying two plates of freshly made steak.
He listened quietly for a while. After I hung up, he suddenly asked, “Stephen stole the money your parents left you to buy a car for his dream girl?”
He looked more furious than shocked.
He almost knocked over the steak on the table.
I quickly caught the plate and gave him a look. “Hey, careful! You worked hard on this. Don’t ruin it now!”
He grabbed my hand, his tone serious. “What else has he done to hurt you? Tell me. Right now.”
I saw genuine concern in his eyes, remembering that we hadn’t been in contact since we broke up years ago.
I thought he had long forgotten about our uneventful relationship.
“No, that’s it,” I said with a sigh. “And I caught it early enough. If I sell the car, I might be able to get some money back.”
It all started thanks to Bonnie’s endless praise for the car. Her compliments made me think back to how Stephen had insisted on buying a specific car before wedding.
our
Stephen had never cared about material things like cars or houses.
He could barely name any car brands.
But one day, he’d gone on and on about wanting this particular new model.
I hadn’t agreed to it. That car cost three million dollars, a huge expense, even for me.
After Bonnie’s comment, I called my financial advisor on a hunch.
He told me that two months ago, Stephen had used my signed.
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authorization to sell over ten gold bars my father had left me.
And I never saw that money in my account.
Digging deeper, I requested the purchase records from the dealership for the car Stephen had talked about.
I eventually found his transaction record.
Before my flight, I handed all this information to the police. The car
was parked in Bonnie’s apartment complex.
Stephen must’ve been planning a surprise for her.
Ironically, his romantic schemes worked in my favor.
With this evidence, I had both of them taken into custody.
Stephen faced felony charges for stealing over a million dollars.
Bonnie wasn’t off the hook, either. She had vandalized my car and even used it for their lovemaking and causing damage. I filed a separate lawsuit against her.
My late father’s lawyer and close friend took on the case for me.
My goal was simple. None of them walked away from this unscathed.
When I finished recounting everything, Keith laughed.
He pushed the plate of steak in front of me. “When I used to
Chapter 5 Steak
study at your place, your dad taught me how to make this. He told me that if anything ever happened to him, I should cook it for you.”
I took a bite and nearly choked.
Back in the day, dating Keith had felt like a secret mission.
tad
My dad was his mentor, and I was just a college freshman, while Keith was already a graduate student.
The age gap and my dad’s constant reminders that Keith wasn’t reliable made us decide to keep our relationship under wraps.
But hearing Keith say that now… I felt a bit sad.
My dad had known all along.
