I paced around my apartment, my fingers knotted into fists so tight my nails left crescent marks on my palms. Sebastian's texts had left me confused. What "financial situation" had he handled? I hadn't told him about my money troubles.
My phone pinged with a notification from an auction site. The listing for my mother's jade bracelet had updated—the reserve price increased by thirty percent. My stomach dropped.
"No, no, no," I whispered, staring at the screen.
Ivy. It had to be her. After my call with Alistair, she must have found out about the bracelet. Now she was driving up the price just to spite me, just like she'd done with everything else in my life.
I called Vera.
"Hey, what's wrong? Is it Alistair again?" Vera answered immediately.
"Worse. The bracelet's reserve price just jumped. I think Ivy's behind it."
"That witch," Vera hissed. "How much do you need now?"
I told her the new figure. The silence on the other end said everything.
