I was out shopping for jewelry with Scott and Capri when we ran into Diego's assistant at the checkout counter.

Vera saw Capri picking out an affordable ruby bracelet and snatched it away, smashing it on the ground, sending shards flying. "If you can't afford it, don't bother coming in! With such poor taste, how can you call yourselves part of Diego's family? Don't drag him down with you!"

I asked the salesperson to bring another bracelet just like the one before, but Vera broke that one too. "This store should verify who can buy things here. You probably used Diego's card to get in, right? Can't you manage without Diego's money?"

Scott was so angry that he had a heart attack. I tried to convince Diego to come to the hospital to see him one last time. Diego sneered, “Vera already told me your grandfather's faking sick to get my sympathy—pathetic. I won't fall for it. If he dies, don't bother telling me. I might just celebrate with fireworks."

---

"Diego, your grandfather's had a heart attack. The doctors say it's serious. You need to come right away!"

Diego replied nonchalantly, "Lucia, you sure know how to put on a show. I just got back from a business trip, and suddenly my grandfather ends up in the hospital? You really want my attention so badly you're willing to exploit family?"

My heart sank. Scott had been in the emergency room for three hours already, with two critical notices issued by the doctors. Capri, before passing out, begged me to contact Diego. Otherwise, I wouldn't even bother with him.

"I'm not staging anything. Vera saw us buying jewelry together, and she had the security team rough us up. Grandpa's heart stopped twice; we don’t know how long he can hold on. Please come to see him for the last time."

Despite my pleas, Diego remained indifferent. He kicked his suitcase hard and shouted, "Lucia, I don't have time for your drama! Vera's already told me everything—I’m not naive enough to buy jewelry for those relatives you call grandparents with my credit card."

"Those country bumpkins—if I show up, you'd pounce on me like hyenas."

Vera’s smug voice came through the phone, taunting, "Lucia, using such pitiful methods to catch a man's attention is sad. If you want proof you're not faking, why not have the old lady call Diego on video so he can recognize her?"

I had no response. Capri's blood pressure hadn't dropped since she fainted—she had already been taken to surgery. Even if she could call, knowing her son is behaving this way, it might just make her pass out again.

"Grandma is in the operating room too. Just come and see for yourself!"

But my words meant nothing to Diego—on the other end of the line, there were sounds of indulgence and careless breaths.

"Your lies are transparent. I’ve no time for you now—I just want to relax."

Diego's voice dripped with suggestiveness as Vera cooed, "You say you miss me, yet you're distracted by other women. How dull..."

"Little temptress, getting impatient now, huh? I'll show you what's exciting."

The call ended, cutting off the vile words, but my heart felt as if it was pierced by needles, waves of pain running through me as tears flowed uncontrollably.

I wasn't crying for Diego; our marriage had long been a facade, and if he cared even a little, he'd know my grandparents have been gone for years. There’s no deception here.

It’s because Scott and Capri have always been so good to me, and I genuinely hoped they’d be okay. Now they're fighting for their lives, while their son cavorts with his assistant—it’s absurd.

Scott and Capri have always been dignified and wanted to handle this peacefully after the incident, but Vera only escalated things with insults and aggression, leading to this catastrophe.

Three hours ago, I was at Opal Haven with Grandpa and Grandma, picking out jewelry.

Opal Haven was a business I had founded. Initially, it was a boutique specializing in custom jewelry designs, but it had since expanded into the broader market. The idea to gift me jewelry had been Grandpa and Grandma's. Concerned about their spending, I deliberately chose the least expensive option.

“Diego really should know better. How can he be married for so long and not buy you even a single piece of jewelry? He’s made you suffer, and I apologize on his behalf,” Grandma said.

Both of them looked at me apologetically, promising to give Diego a good talking-to when we returned. But then Vera Wilson stormed over, snatching the bracelet from Grandma's hand and throwing it to the ground.

Fragments scattered everywhere, some of which grazed Grandma's eyes. Grandpa and I rushed to help her, but Vera was relentless in her rudeness.

“Backwoods nobodies, thinking they’re important by picking the cheapest thing here. Lucia, aren’t you embarrassed? Even Mr. Nichols is embarrassed.”

“I mean, your grandparents have that unmistakable provincial smell about them. They should be rummaging through trash for what others throw away. What are they doing in Opal Haven? Mr. Nichols was spot-on; your family’s like a pesky bug that just won’t go away.”

Her loud voice attracted the attention of everyone in the store, leading to whispers and stares.

Grandpa, despite not being directly insulted by Vera, was a principled man and felt compelled to speak up.

“Young lady, who might you be? Once we enter the store, we become customers, and not your concern. However, your conduct towards us demands an immediate apology.”

Grandpa asserted himself with dignity, yet Vera showed no signs of backing down. She playfully manipulated her long nails and raised her hand towards Grandpa's face. Fortunately, having dealt with Vera’s antics before, I quickly pulled Grandpa out of harm's way; otherwise, he’d have been injured.

Vera snorted disdainfully, with her chin raised, “Who am I? I'm the assistant to the CEO of Nichols Corp and his girlfriend. If Mr. Nichols wanted, he’d gift me this entire store. Saying a few words to a bunch of pests like you—why not?”

She narrowed her gaze at me, flaunting a handbag Diego had gifted her, and scoffed, “Lucia, Mr. Nichols hasn’t come home for ages. You've become the abandoned wife, yet you dare to spend his money here like you're someone important? I’m here to clean house on his behalf.”

She waved her hand, and seven or eight security guards dressed in Opal Haven uniforms surrounded Grandpa, Grandma, and me.

Since I ran Opal Haven discreetly, nobody recognized me. Grandpa and Grandma had always maintained a low profile, stepping back after handing Nichols Corp to Diego, so people didn’t recognize them either.

We didn’t even have a chance to speak. The guards forced us down, making us kneel before Vera.

“How dare you offend one of Opal Haven’s VIP clients? Apologize at once, or you can forget about leaving in one piece.”

Grandpa, already struggling with heart issues, turned crimson from the stress, clutching his chest and gasping for air.

I shouted urgently, “I’m Lucia Nichols, the owner of Opal Haven! These two are Diego Nichols’ grandparents. If you doubt me, contact him. Grandpa has a heart condition; he can't handle this stress. If something happens to him, you'll all be in serious trouble.”

Just as I finished speaking, a guard grabbed me by the hair and forced my head to the ground repeatedly, leaving my forehead bleeding.

“Where did this clown come from, pretending to be our owner just because they’ve never shown their face? As if Mr. Nichols’ grandparents would dress like this. Besides, Miss Wilson is Mr. Nichols’ beloved; how could she not know them?”

Despite my attempts to break free, I couldn’t get to Grandpa's medication.

Vera watched our pitiful state with amusement, pulling out a hundred-dollar bill from her bag and tossing it at us.

“My treat for the entertainment. You’ve certainly lowered Opal Haven's standards by being here. Toss them out.”

The guards eagerly complied, dragging and hauling us out the door while spitting at us.

Grandpa clutched his heart tightly, eyes shut, his face pallid as he collapsed onto the pavement. I called out to him several times but received no response. I frantically dialed 911, overhearing Vera and the guards commenting as we left:

“What’s the drama? He’s just putting on an act to hustle money. I've seen plenty of scammers like this, and with Mr. Nichols backing us, it wouldn’t matter even if the sky fell.”