Dad made tremendous contributions to NASA and was honored with the Presidential Glass Award.

After he passed away, I—also a NASA engineer—kept his death a secret, escorting his belongings back to Chicago by myself. Along the way, I planned to discuss a wedding date with my childhood fiancé, Tyler Norval.

But the moment I stepped off the plane, I was knocked to the ground by his secretary.

When I saw the special aviation case pop open and the Presidential Glass Award inside shatter into pieces, I drew in a sharp breath. Before I could react, the secretary turned on me.

"Are you blind? You knocked my earring off!"

Stunned, I tried to reason with her.

"Excuse me, but it was you who charged into me and damaged my father's belongings. How can you turn around and blame me?"

She looked at me like I'd just told the funniest joke in the world.

"So what? It's just some dead guy's stuff. Who cares if it's broken?

"These earrings are a global limited edition—worth hundreds of thousands! Do you know who you're messing with? I'm the future Mrs. Norval, of the Norval Group. Can you afford to offend me?"

I froze, then pulled out my phone and dialed Tyler's father, Sir Norval.

"Sir Norval, I must've missed something—since when does your family have two future daughters-in-law?"

***

The engagement was arranged over 20 years ago, and I never took it seriously.

Especially now, with Dad gone.

But Mom kept nagging, saying Sir Norval cherished old ties, and Tyler was successful, so I should settle the wedding date soon.

Truth is, Tyler and I hadn't seen each other in over a decade. This trip was less about setting a date and more about ending things gracefully.

But the moment I called Sir Norval and spoke a single sentence, he snapped.

"Who are you? What business do you have with the Norval family's daughters-in-law?"

Before I could explain, he hung up on me.

That's when I remembered—I'd just changed my number before coming back to the States and hadn't told anyone.

Seeing me get shut down, the secretary gloated.

"So much for your tough act! I thought you had connections. Guess not! You'd better pay up.

"But these earrings are a Tiffany global limited edition, over 300,000 dollars. Even if I sold someone like you, you couldn't afford them!

"Here's an idea—get on your knees and apologize. Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll give you a discount!"

She pointed provocatively at her feet.

By now, a crowd of travelers had gathered, whispering and gossiping.

"Over 300,000 dollars? Who is this woman, so arrogant?"

"Right? She broke someone else's stuff and is demanding compensation? Is there no justice?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. Didn't you hear her say she's the future Mrs. Norval? In Chicago, the Norval family is a big deal. Who else could it be?"

Hearing this, the secretary became even more brazen.

"In Chicago, the Norval family is the law!

"Even the police have to show respect!

"You'd better kneel and pay up, or when Mr. Norval gets here, things won't be so simple!"

She shot me a contemptuous look, probably judging me by my T-shirt and jeans—clearly not the attire of the wealthy.

Staring at the shattered award, I was both heartbroken and furious.

"I think you've got more than just bad eyesight—your brain's not working, either!

"There are cameras everywhere; they'll prove you ran into me! I haven't even started asking you for damages, and you're already putting on airs!

"You want an apology from me? Dream on!"

The secretary lunged at me and slapped me across the face.

"You bitch! How dare you insult me?

"These earrings were a birthday gift from Mr. Norval just yesterday—the receipt's right here! Three hundred and seventy thousand dollars!

"I was going to give you a discount, but not anymore! You'll pay every cent!"

I snapped out of my shock, mustered all my strength, and slapped her right back.

"Take that! I'm not paying you a single penny!

"Go ahead, call the cops! I refuse to believe the Norval family can do whatever they want!"

After all these years abroad, I barely kept up with Chicago's news.

But even so, I'd heard enough from Mom about the Norval family.

Tyler was supposedly a huge success, not the little boy who used to trail after me, calling my name.

Now, he was a hotshot on the country's rich list—a real diamond bachelor.

All I wanted from this trip was to fulfill Dad's last wish, bringing his belongings home. I had no desire to get mixed up with the Norval Group.

But who would've thought I'd run into this mess the moment I landed?

The Luthen family may keep a low profile and avoid trouble, but we're not afraid of it.

Besides, I've practiced self-defense martial arts since I was a kid. If things got physical, I wasn't sure who would come out on top.

Sure enough, my slap sent the secretary sprawling to the ground, where she stayed for a good while before getting up.

Just then, someone in the crowd shouted, "Mr. Norval is here!"

Sure enough, it was Tyler. He was nothing like the shy, awkward boy I remembered from childhood.

Broad shoulders, trim waist, dressed in a tailored suit, hair slicked back to perfection.

If not for the dozen bodyguards trailing behind him, I'd have thought I'd stumbled onto a magazine shoot.

But when his eyes swept over me, there wasn't an ounce of warmth—just the cold appraisal you'd give a stranger.

I was about to say hello when his gaze shifted to Lily, who was still kneeling on the floor.

His brow furrowed, but there was a hint of softness, almost too subtle to notice.

"Lily, why are you on the ground?"

The moment Lily Ercott saw Tyler, the malice and arrogance vanished from her face, replaced by a look of wounded innocence.

She looked up at him, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Mr. Norval, thank goodness you're here!

"This woman came barreling through with this huge, busted suitcase and knocked me right over!

"My poor Stellar Tears—I only wore them for a day, and now they're ruined. Look at that deep scratch! And she refuses to take responsibility!"

She shot me a vicious glare as she spoke.

Tyler's eyes finally settled on me.

"You're Sir Luthen's daughter? Mabel Luthen?"

His tone was flat and devoid of emotion.

I met his gaze, answering calmly, "That's me."

The shattered remains of Dad's Presidential Glass Award were still in the case behind me, but the man in front of me—the one I was supposedly engaged to since childhood—only had eyes for Lily's damaged, outrageously expensive earrings.

"Tiffany custom, only 12 pairs worldwide. The scratch is deep—probably beyond repair. They're basically ruined.

"Lily's not lying. Three hundred and seventy thousand dollars. How do you plan to pay for it?"

His eyes were icy, as if he were simply stating a fact.

Despite our families' long friendship and our years as childhood playmates, he didn't even ask if I was hurt or what had been broken in my suitcase.

All he cared about was Lily's six-figure earrings and how I, the supposed culprit, would compensate her.

He didn't even bother to find out what actually happened—just lumped all the blame on me without question.

A cold fury surged through me, breaking the last of my patience.

It wasn't about the earrings or the insane amount of money. It was his attitude—his utter disregard for my dad's keepsake, his complete contempt for me.

I let out a bitter laugh and spoke up.

"Mr. Norval, let's get the facts straight. Your secretary was running through the crowd in heels and knocked over my suitcase. Inside were my dad's belongings. Now they're destroyed."

But he cut me off, impatient.

"Enough, Mabel. I get it. Whatever was in the suitcase, I'll pay for it—full price.

"If that's not enough, I'll triple it. Consider it my compensation to you.

When I didn't respond, he took my silence as agreement and went on, "As for this so-called childhood engagement, it was just something the elders joked about years ago. You can't take it seriously.

"These days, it's all about matching backgrounds and pooling resources."

He stepped closer, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Look at you now—just another low-level researcher overseas, scraping by on a fixed salary.

"You couldn't afford those 300,000-dollar earrings, not even if you scrimped and saved for months. Honestly, you probably couldn't even afford the outfit Lily's wearing.

"Do you really think, with your background and status, you're worthy of me? Worthy of being Mrs. Norval?"

The crowd erupted in a fresh wave of chatter.

"Whoa, did he just break off the engagement to her face? She was actually Mr. Norval's childhood fiancée?"

"No way, this is wild—a real-life billionaire breakup! Is it because her family's too ordinary?"

"Has to be. No wonder Mr. Norval wants nothing to do with her. The gap's just too big. Even his secretary wears earrings worth over 300 grand. Poor girl!"

Lily stood behind Tyler, her eyes brimming with smugness and glee at my misfortune.

The Luthen and Norval families had always been close, though they moved in different circles.

As a classified NASA engineer, Dad had devoted his entire life to the country—his accomplishments were no less than the Norvals' immense wealth.

Otherwise, he would never have been awarded the priceless Presidential Glass Award.

I'd come back to the States with Dad's belongings, intending to call off the engagement anyway.

But Tyler, right now, looked at me with outright disgust, as if he couldn't wait to be rid of me.

Well, if that's how he wanted it, I saw no reason to protect his reputation.

I let out a cold laugh and slowly lifted my head.

"You're right, Mr. Norval. A 300,000-dollar earring is nothing. I'll pay for it."

Tyler's eyebrows shot up. Lily's smile froze, and the crowd gawked as if I'd finally snapped, ready to go down in flames.

Ignoring them all, I looked past Tyler, locking eyes with Lily.

"Now, let's talk about your precious secretary smashing my things. How do you plan to make that right?"

Tyler scoffed, his gaze dropping to the plain black aviation case at my feet.

"You mean that pile of broken glass?

"Mabel, I get that getting dumped is hard for you, but be realistic. Don't make a scene here, and don't try to shake us down.

"Even if that case was full of antiques, I could pay for every piece. Just name your price, take the money, and get out of here. Don't embarrass yourself."

I gave a soft laugh.

"Pay? I'm afraid you can't afford it."

Tyler looked at me like I'd just told the world's funniest joke.

"I can't afford it?"

Even his bodyguards and Lily snickered behind him.

The bystanders shook their heads, convinced I'd lost my mind from the humiliation, talking nonsense.

"She's lost it, totally lost it."

"The Norval Group is worth billions! She actually said Mr. Norval can't afford it?"

"Poor thing, dumped in public, can't pay for those earrings—she must be having a breakdown. That old case of hers probably holds, what, a few antiques worth tens of thousands at most? That's nothing to the Norvals!"

Tyler's face twisted in disdain as he snapped, "Mabel, do you have any idea what the Norval Group is worth? Do you even know how much just one of my properties goes for?

"Forget your little pile of junk—even if you had ten cases full of antiques, I could—"

Before he could finish, I pulled out my phone and dialed a number—one with no name, just a string of special characters.

A few seconds later, the call connected.

A deep, gravelly voice answered, "Who is this?"

Expressionless, I clearly recited the unique code engraved on the base of the glass award, the one marking its singular status.

"Mr. Rothmere, code 'Artemis 9.' It's been destroyed."

The other end went dead silent. Three long seconds ticked by before the calm voice rose in panic, all composure gone, leaving only shock and disbelief.

"What! What did you say? Artemis 9 is destroyed? That's impossible! Where are you?"

At that moment, Lily shot me a look of utter disdain and muttered, "It's just a broken piece of glass, isn't it? Stop trying to scare people with your smoke and mirrors!

"Artemis? Please. Why not call it Apollo while you're at it!

"If you've got the guts, let's settle this face-to-face!"

Watching Lily act so clueless, I couldn't even be bothered to argue. Instead, I did exactly as she wanted and stated my location loud and clear.

"Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Terminal 1, Exit A."

On the other end of the line, Mr. Rothmere's voice had completely changed. He was no longer calm—he was shouting, barking out orders.

"Stay right where you are. Don't move an inch. Secure the scene and don't let anyone near that case!

"To the security team—lock down Chicago O'Hare immediately! Maximum alert!

"Notify the head of airport security, alert the top experts from the Department of Antiquities—everyone, right now!"

With that, the call abruptly ended.

But Tyler still didn't believe a word of it.

He looked at me coldly, his eyes full of ridicule.

"Mabel, have you finished your performance?

"All this just to squeeze Lily for money? You really will stoop to anything.

"I knew it—the best decision I ever made was breaking off our engagement! How could Sir Luthen have raised such an uncultured daughter?"

Lily stood behind Tyler, her face smug with satisfaction.

"That's right, you just don't know when to quit. I can't wait to see how you get yourself out of this one!

"Even if you begged me on your knees right now, it wouldn't do you any good!"

The onlookers were all abuzz, waiting for my humiliation.

But less than five minutes later, the piercing sound of sirens began to swell, growing louder and closer by the second.

Not just one siren—an entire fleet.

"Everyone move aside! Step back, all unauthorized personnel!"

With sharp, commanding shouts, a squad of armed guards in tactical gear—each bearing the NASA insignia—burst through the crowd, moving with military precision. In moments, they had the entire terminal locked down, not a single gap in their perimeter.

Every bystander went pale, instinctively retreating.

Tyler, who just moments before was eager to watch me fall, turned ghostly white. He stared at me, then at the overturned case at my feet, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Lily's smirk vanished, replaced by blank terror.

In that instant, she finally realized the magnitude of the disaster she'd caused.

But by then, it was far too late.