Chapter 3

"May I have everyone's attention, please?"

I picked up the microphone from the podium and cleared my throat.

Dozens of eyes locked onto me in an instant.

Victoria stood to the side with her arms crossed, a smirk tugging at the edge of her lips.

"Thank you so much to all my family and friends for coming to celebrate my birthday today."

I turned my gaze warmly toward Ethan, who was standing beside me.

"And a very special thank you to my boyfriend, Ethan. Thank you for everything you put together for me today."

Ethan smiled back, his eyes full of adoration.

I paused, directing everyone’s attention back to the massive cardboard box.

"I know everyone here is dying to know what’s inside this box."

"To be honest, Ethan told me a while ago that this gift is something built to carry our entire future together."

I deliberately hyped it up.

Whispers immediately broke out among the crowd.

"Carry their future? Did he buy her a car?"

"Could a car even fit in a box that size? Maybe it's a luxury home appliance set!"

Victoria chimed in from the side, her voice dripping with sweet condescension.

It wasn't too loud, but it was just loud enough for everyone around to hear.

"Maybe he filled the whole box with giant stuffed teddy bears! Girls love that kind of cheesy stuff, right?"

Her comment drew a wave of polite chuckles from the relatives.

[Look at this snake. The moment her trap is set, she immediately starts belittling the guy.]

[A room full of stuffed animals... only her shallow brain would think of that. Talk about low-class.]

I ignored her completely.

I smiled at the room and spoke into the mic.

"My cousin Victoria suggested that I film this unboxing and submit it to a couple's vlog contest to win the hundred-thousand-dollar prize."

"So right now, I invite everyone to witness this surprise with me."

I caught the fleeting freeze in Victoria's smile.

She masked it quickly, returning to her poised stance.

Under everyone's eager eyes, I picked up a pair of scissors.

I sliced through the heavy packaging tape along the top of the box.

The flaps fell open.

Inside rested an exquisite, handcrafted walnut trunk.

Gasps rippled through the room.

"Look at that trunk! That looks ridiculously expensive!"

"Look at the grain of the wood and the brass fittings. That’s custom designer work! The trunk alone must be worth thousands!"

Ethan looked visibly relieved.

He stepped closer, gazing at me tenderly. "Go on, open it."

I gave him a soft nod.

My fingers brushed against the brass latch.

Click.

The latch snapped open.

Slowly, deliberately, I lifted the heavy wooden lid.

Instantly, everyone’s expressions froze.

Sitting dead center in that luxurious trunk was a cheap, flimsy, peeling plastic music box.

The sheer contrast between the gorgeous trunk and that piece of trash was grotesque.

Dead silence fell over the hall.

The air felt like it had turned to solid ice.

[Holy sht.]

[Holy sht x 10000000.]

[My eyes! The visual damage is fatal!]

[LMAO, I'm sorry, I can't breathe! Did she buy that off Wish for two dollars with free shipping?!]

[Hang in there, Chloe! We're with you!]

A solid ten seconds ticked by in agonizing stillness.

Finally, someone in the crowd let out a stifled snort.

"After all that hype... that's it? A plastic toy?"

"I thought it was some kind of treasure. Is Ethan playing a joke on us?"

"Joke? Sounds more like he bit off more than he could chew and tried to act rich!"

My dad's face had already turned the color of a bruised plum.

My mom looked like she desperately wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

And Ethan? He was completely paralyzed.

He lunged forward.

He grabbed the plastic music box in disbelief.

He turned it over and over, inspecting it frantically.

Shock and confusion were written all over his face.

"This is impossible... How is this here? Where’s my real gift? Chloe, I swear—"

He was panicking so hard his words were tripping over each other.