Crown Meridian Motors looked more like a museum than a dealership.
Thirty-foot glass walls.
Polished black floors.
Spotlights aimed at cars worth more than houses.
The Aurelius X-One stood at the center of the main showroom on a circular platform.
Metallic silver.
Low.
Violent.
Beautiful.
When Jason walked inside with Chloe, he felt everyone watching.
That was exactly what he wanted.
He wore an Italian suit.
A gold watch purchased with credit.
Chloe wore a white designer dress and carried a handbag worth nearly twenty thousand dollars.
Derek Sloan hurried toward them.
“Mr. Mercer!”
Jason extended his hand.
“Derek.”
Derek looked at Chloe.
“And you must be Ms. Whitmore.”
“Chloe.”
“A pleasure.”
He glanced at her bag.
Her bracelet.
Her shoes.
His smile became even warmer.
“This way.”
Jason loved that.
The deference.
The attention.
The assumption of importance.
Derek guided them toward the X-One.
Chloe stared.
“Oh my God.”
Jason smiled.
“Beautiful, isn't it?”
“You're seriously buying this?”
He slipped an arm around her waist.
“If you like it.”
Chloe kissed his cheek.
Derek laughed.
“That's the spirit.”
They approached the platform.
A velvet rope surrounded the car.
Jason stepped over it.
A junior employee immediately approached.
“Sir, I'm sorry, guests aren't allowed beyond—”
Derek waved him away.
“They're fine.”
Jason grinned.
He ran his hand across the roof.
“Open it.”
Derek hesitated.
“The prototype generally remains locked.”
Jason's smile faded.
“Generally?”
“Company policy.”
“I'm offering three million dollars.”
“Of course.”
Derek looked around.
Then unlocked the car with a dealership access device.
The doors lifted.
Chloe gasped.
Jason sat inside.
He imagined photographers.
Magazine covers.
People at Vanguard whispering.
Jason Mercer.
The man who made it.
Chloe took pictures.
“Look at you.”
Jason smiled at the camera.
Then he saw a woman enter through the main doors.
Dark trousers.
Cream blouse.
Black coat.
Canvas bag.
His smile disappeared.
Lily.
For one second, Jason thought he was hallucinating.
She looked almost exactly the same.
No diamonds.
No dramatic transformation.
No visible proof that he had misjudged her.
Just Lily.
Derek noticed her walking toward the car.
His face twisted.
“Excuse me!”
Lily continued.
Derek hurried over.
“Ma'am, you can't come through here.”
Lily stopped.
“Why?”
“This area is for clients.”
“I see.”
“Are you looking for the service department?”
Jason stepped out of the car.
Chloe turned.
“Who is she?”
Jason's throat tightened.
“No one.”
Lily heard him.
Their eyes met.
No one.
After four years.
No one.
Lily smiled slightly.
“Hello, Jason.”
Chloe looked between them.
“You know her?”
Jason adjusted his jacket.
“My ex.”
Recognition flashed across Chloe's face.
“This is Lily?”
Jason had told Chloe stories.
Not true stories.
Convenient stories.
Lily had lacked ambition.
Lily had been jealous of his success.
Lily had never understood his lifestyle.
Chloe looked Lily up and down.
Then smiled.
“Oh.”
One syllable.
But Lily understood exactly what it meant.
Derek stepped between them.
“Ma'am, unless you're shopping, I need you to step away from the display.”
Lily looked at him.
“I'm here for the X-One.”
Jason laughed.
Derek smiled condescendingly.
“The vehicle you're standing beside has an estimated value north of three million dollars.”
“I know.”
“And we don't offer public test drives.”
“I know.”
Chloe folded her arms.
“Jason, is she following you?”
Lily almost laughed.
Jason looked embarrassed.
“Lily, whatever this is, don't.”
“Don't what?”
“Make a scene.”
“I walked into a dealership.”
“You knew I'd be here.”
“Actually, I knew someone submitted an unauthorized financing request.”
Jason's face changed.
Derek quickly interrupted.
“Ma'am, financial applications are confidential. You have no access to that information.”
Lily looked at him.
“Interesting.”
“Yes.”
“You should remember that.”
Derek frowned.
Then Lily noticed a young man nearby.
He wore an inexpensive jacket and stood beside his teenage son.
The boy was staring at a blue sports car.
Another salesman ignored them.
The father finally asked Derek:
“Excuse me, sir, could someone tell us about the GT model?”
Derek barely looked at him.
“It's probably outside your budget.”
The man's expression fell.
His son looked embarrassed.
Lily watched.
There it was.
Exactly what Martin had warned her about.
Derek saw only money.
Or what he believed money looked like.
Lily turned back.
“I'd like to speak with Martin Vale.”
Derek laughed.
“Our general manager doesn't meet random visitors.”
“Call him.”
“No.”
Lily took out her phone.
Derek sighed.
“Ma'am, I'm asking you politely to leave.”
Jason shook his head.
“Lily, seriously. Have some dignity.”
Lily stared at him.
The irony was almost beautiful.
Chloe stepped forward.
“Look, I don't know what happened between you two, but Jason moved on.”
“I know.”
“So whatever jealous-ex thing you're doing is embarrassing.”
Jason relaxed slightly.
Chloe was defending him.
Lily looked at Chloe.
“You think I'm here because I want Jason back?”
Chloe shrugged.
“Why else would you show up?”
Lily thought about answering.
Then decided not to.
She tapped Martin's number.
Before the call connected, Derek reached toward her phone.
“I'm done with this.”
His fingers closed around Lily's wrist.
Everything changed.
“Take your hand off me.”
Her voice was quiet.
Derek tightened his grip.
“Security.”
Several people turned.
Jason muttered:
“Jesus, Lily.”
Then a voice thundered from across the showroom.
“MR. SLOAN!”
Derek froze.
Martin Vale was rushing toward them.
Behind him came the dealership's operations director and two security employees.
Derek immediately released Lily.
“Mr. Vale, this woman was causing—”
Martin ignored him.
He walked directly to Lily.
“Ms. Chen, are you all right?”
The showroom went silent.
Lily rubbed her wrist.
“Yes.”
Martin looked furious.
“I am so sorry.”
Jason stared.
Chloe frowned.
Derek's mouth opened.
“Ms… Chen?”
Martin turned toward his employee.
“Step away from her.”
Derek obeyed.
Jason looked at Lily.
“Why does he know you?”
Lily said nothing.
Martin answered instead.