Chapter 3 Where is Julian?

Ivy’s POV

"Five hundred dollars," Owen breathed out, staring at the green light. "Karen, you owe Ivy five hundred bucks."

The silence on the floor was so thick you could hear the hum of the lights. Karen’s face went from smug to a pale red. She stared at my hand, her lips trembling, 

unable to process what had just happened.

"That’s... that’s impossible," she stuttered, taking a step back. "The machine is broken. Owen, you’re in on this. You rigged it!"

"Rigged it?" Owen scoffed, holding the device up so everyone could see the seal on the back. "This is an industrial-grade gem tester. You can't fake it, Karen."

"Then why was she acting so dramatic?!" Karen snapped, pointing an accusing finger right at my face. "She was sweating and pulling her hand back like she was hiding a crime. She did that on purpose just to make me look bad. You're a fake, Ivy."

"Shut up, Karen!" Tessa stepped into Karen's space, her eyes flashing with rage. "You lost the bet! Pay up or get back to your desk before I take this to HR.”

"Whatever!" Karen sneered, snatching her bag off a nearby ledge. "Keep your stupid ring. He probably bought it with blood money anyway.”

“Oh shut up, you’re just better.” Tessa replied her fast.

Karen turned on her heels and stormed off.

My ears were ringing still ringing. The crowd of coworkers slowly dispersed, whispering among themselves, whilst casting sideways glances at me. 

Tessa hugged me, talking fast about how we were going to celebrate, but her voice sounded like it was coming from underwater.

Just as Owen was about to go back to his own cubicle, I grabbed him. 

“Is it... is it really real?" I asked in a whisper. "Are you completely sure?"

Owen looked at me with furrowed brows. "I've tested ice for pawnshops and even loan sharks, okay?” His smile faded slightly. “That stone on your finger is a real. You guys should stop making me feel like I don’t know what I’m doing.”

"Is everything all right here?" The low, smooth voice cut through the conversation.

Damian stood at the edge of the cubicle. His eyes swept over the scene before settling on me.

"Mr. Wolfe," Tessa said quickly, stepping back. "We were just... Owen was just showing us a gem tester."

Damian didn't look at Owen, nor did he look at the device. His eyes drifted down to my left hand, resting motionless on the desk. 

The blue stone caught the overhead light, throwing a faint blue reflection across his white collar.

A slow smile touched the corners of his lips.

"A blue diamond,” he said softly. His eyes lingered on the stone. “That’s quite a ring, Ivy. Your fiancé must have surprised you.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine as soon as he said it.

"Thank you, sir," I whispered, my throat dry.

"Don't let the excitement distract you from the midday reports," he added before turning back toward his office.

As soon as his door closed, Tessa grabbed my arm. "Girl, we need to get lunch right now. My treat. You look like you just saw a ghost."

Few minutes later, we sat at a corner table in the diner down the street. I kept my left hand tucked inside my pocket the entire time.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Julian’s number under the table.

Ring... ring... ring...

It went straight to voicemail. I dropped the phone back onto the table with a sigh. ‘He’s probably busy right now.’ I told myself.

"Ivy," Tessa called, setting her sandwich down. "Look, I’m happy for you. Really, I am. But... how did Julian manage to get you a real diamond.”

My heart skipped a beat. ‘Yeah, how did her?’ A wave of deep uneasiness settled in my stomach.

"I... I don't know," I admitted, my voice trembling. "I… actually…” I leaned closer to her. “I thought it was fake, Tessa. I swear I did."

Tessa stared at me with a confused expression, her brows knitted. “What?”

I made sure to bring my voice down. “I swear, Jillian told me a friend gave it to him for a cheap price. I don’t know— maybe the tester was wrong? Cause there’s no way he—we can afford real diamonds!” I said through gritted teeth.

Tessa looked at me, a little flustered. “Well… have you tried calling him? Owen does shady business involving jewelry, and he made that clear. So I don’t think he’d pull a trick like that. I mean… if it was a trick, he would’ve also asked for his own share of the bet money.”

I swallowed hard, and picked the glass of water in the side to ease my dry throat. My eyes fell on the bright ring on my finger.

“If the real, I can’t casually wear it outside. It may just be his friend…” my words trailed off as a lot of possibilities ran through my head.

"I'm going to run back home," I said, standing up from the booth. "I'll drop the ring off in our apartment and lock it up safe till he gets back.”

"Do you want me to come with you?" Tessa asked also standing up.

"No, stay and finish your food. I'll be back in twenty minutes. If I get caught in traffic, you could cover for me till I get back.

Tessa nodded. “Stay safe.”

I gave a small smile and ran to take a quick cab back to our apartment, my heart beating fast. 

~~~

When I got to the living room, I walked straight into our bedroom. The black box was still sitting there. I took a deep breath and pulled blue ring off my finger, placing it inside the box.

“Okay… I’ll just leave it here for a while.” I said to myself, turning to return back. But then I noticed the closet door was standing wide open.

I went still, and squinted a bit, as if my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Slowly, I walked over and looked inside. Julian’s side of the closet was completely empty. Even his black duffel bag was missing from the top shelf.

My heart skipped for a moment. ‘What is going on?’

Why would Julian pack all his clothes just for a quick morning shift?