Chapter 3

Shane brought up my "sugar mommies" with certain undertones. Only when Christina and I turned to him in shock did he realize he had slipped up.

He scrambled to explain himself. "Mr. Bellway, I-I didn't tell on you on purpose. I just recalled I've seen you before."

Christina gave me a confused look. "Zachary, what's with the sugar mommies?"

Before I could explain myself, Shane interrupted, "Ms. Wellington, please don't misunderstand…"

Pretending to be hesitant, he added, "I ran into Mr. Bellway and an older woman decked in jewelry last month. They were here to buy an apartment. I heard him call that woman… 'Lisa.' He also chatted intimately with this woman named Bethany over the phone…"

After that, he added with a sheepish smile, "I might have misheard, though."

I hummed, drawing out the sound. Amused, I confirmed with him, "You were right. I bought two apartment units here. Anything wrong with that? As for the sugar mommies…"

It took Christina a few minutes to compose herself. She raised her voice at Shane. "How could you make up nonsense? Zachary isn't that type of guy."

Shane shook his head furiously. "But our apartment comes with security cameras and facial recognition technology. If you don't believe me, why don't you check the footage?"

I couldn't be bothered with him. Marching out of the apartment, I announced, "The realtor who served me on the last visit was called Ethan. He's more professional than you. I'll look for his help instead."

Shane finally panicked when he heard I wanted to switch to another realtor. "Mr. Bellway, I was wrong!"

Christina hurried over to comfort me. "Zachary, I trust you. Let's get another realtor."

Back at the sales gallery lobby, Ethan Leichman marched over to me. "Mr. Bellway, I can't believe we're meeting again so soon!"

Christina's eyes darted between him and me. I said to her, "Christina, I did buy two units here."

My dad built his fortune through his property business. Although he was living abroad, he loved buying and collecting properties all around the world, a fact that Christina was aware of. Hence, she didn't question me for buying two units in the same apartment.

She patted me on the shoulder. "Look, I trust you. We're buying our newlywed home, aren't we?"

Ethan chuckled upon hearing that. "Ah, looks like you're buying a home with your fiancée. Congratulations to you, Mr. Bellway!"

Out of the blue, Shane rushed over from behind and pushed Ethan away. He cried at him, "Ethan Leichman, I'm sure you're aware of the rules of sales over here! I was the one who greeted Ms. Wellington first. How could you snatch my client?"

His shrill voice attracted everyone's attention. Even the sales manager ran over to check out the situation.

Ethan stared at Shane in confusion. "Their newlywed home will certainly be registered under Ms. Wellington and Mr. Bellway's name, but Mr. Bellway is my client. His last transaction with me happened less than 45 days ago. Based on the rules of sales, he remains my client!"

The sales manager quickly got the general idea. She agreed, "Ethan's right. According to our rules, the client is his."

Shane shot me a glare. "Well, Mr. Bellway, why didn't you tell me from the start?"

I stared at him innocently. "First of all, you should have known I was Ethan's client when you recognized me. Plus, you were the one who clung to my fiancée from the moment she set foot into this place. We never requested for your service. Besides, I'm just a customer. How would I know your rules of sales?"

All color left Shane's face. He tugged at Christina's arm, hoping she would side with him. "Ms. Wellington, I was wrong for offending Mr. Bellway. How about… we put down your name on the title deed? You're not married yet, anyway."

I let out a snort. Christina wouldn't dare agree to that ridiculous idea, as my parents were the ones who put down the downpayment for our newlywed home.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed Shane's hand away. "I'll do as my fiancé says."

The sales manager could tell I was a VIP client. As such, she dared not ignore me. She yelled furiously at Shane, "Apologize to Mr. Bellway, now!"

Under the manager's wrath, Shane reluctantly offered a word of apology. After that, we decided on a 6,800-square-foot luxury apartment that came with a garden in the sky and a pool priced at 230 million dollars.

Shane looked utterly regretful and angry for losing millions in commission, which was a rather cathartic outcome for me.

Just when I thought the issue had been put to rest, Ethan called me weeks later with an update. "Mr. Bellway, I spotted Shane Moss playing golf with your fiancée at a luxury golf club in the suburbs."