Sophie just shrugged, at a loss for words. “Maybe all my luck just waited for the perfect moment to show up.”

Suddenly, with no mortgage looming over her head, she felt richer than ever—like her bank account had magically doubled overnight.

A new idea popped into her mind. They could use a car.

She had always gotten by on buses and subways, but Adrian clearly wasn’t a fan. Every time he picked her up, it was always in a taxi.

Sophie squeezed his hand, grinning. “Want to go car shopping?”

Conveniently, the mall’s ground floor was packed with shiny new cars in a full dealership.

Adrian cleared his throat and coughed a bit. “Yeah, sounds good. You go ahead—I just need to hit the restroom again.”

Sophie gave him a worried look. “You sure you’re alright? Lunch messing with you? Didn’t you just go to the restroom?”

Adrian waved it off. “Probably just drank too much water before we left.”

“Alright, don’t take forever,” Sophie said, still a little uneasy.

As soon as she turned away, Adrian slipped into a quiet stairwell and pulled out his phone. He spoke quickly and quietly. “Same routine as last time. Mercedes showroom on the ground floor. Move fast. And that sales rep—handled everything perfectly. Send him a bonus and make sure he keeps quiet.”

At the booth, staff were busy fielding a flurry of disappointed questions from the crowd. “Sorry, everyone—the raffle’s finished for today. If there’s another event, we’ll let you know.”

Just then, the manager strode in, waving for the sales rep’s attention. “Come here for a second.”

He pulled the sales rep aside into a quiet corner lounge, voice dropping to a low murmur. “Where’s the raffle box?”

The sales rep slid it out from beneath the counter. “Right here. Did it exactly how you told me. No one else got to draw.”

The manager gave a curt nod. “Nice work. You’ll see your bonus—twenty grand, already sent.”

The sales rep’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, sir.”

“Thank someone else, not me.”

The sales rep’s curiosity finally spilled over. “Who was all this for, boss? Why go to such lengths for her?”

The manager shook his head, gaze hard. “Don’t ask questions. This stays quiet. Not a word to anyone—unless you want trouble.”

His tone left no room for argument.

The sales rep nodded quickly. “Understood, sir!”

“Get rid of that box. Make sure it’s gone for good.” With that, the manager strode out, vanishing into the flow of the mall.

When the lounge emptied and no one was watching, the sales rep took a peek inside the raffle box. Every single slip read grand prize.

It hit him like a ton of bricks—this was a staged win, made just for Sophie. Someone wanted to gift her that sky-high penthouse without a hitch.

But who had the power to pull something like this off?

His mind flashed to the masked man at Sophie’s side.

No, best not to dwell on it. Whoever was behind this was way above his pay grade. He would keep his mouth shut if he knew what was good for him.

Meanwhile, Adrian strolled back over to Sophie, looking relaxed.

Sophie grabbed his arm, practically vibrating with excitement. “Adrian, you won’t believe what just happened!”

“Oh? What’d I miss this time?” Adrian raised an eyebrow, playing along.

.

.

.