‘That’s not true!’ Daniel piped up. ‘I already explained everything to Mira. I’m not here because of Rhys. I want to work. That’s all. You think just because I’ve got the Granger na I’m trying to screw soone over? You should know better. I’m the illegitimate one. Clive won’t even speak to . They treat like a stain. I’ve got nothing to gain from them. I’m not on their side. I never was.’
He looked at like I was supposed to back him up.
When I said nothing, he carried on. ‘I’m just trying to earn a wage. I don’t have a trust fund or a penthouse. If I don’t work, I don’t eat. What’s so suspicious about wanting a damn job?’
He sniffled.
Ashton let out a short, amused breath.
He watched Daniel for a few seconds, then said, deadpan: ‘You’re lying.’
‘I’m not. Why would I lie? I’ve been here for more than a month. If I wanted sothing from Mira, I’d have taken it already. I’ve done nothing wrong. You’re making out to be so kind of manipulative creep just because I’m broke?’
He turned it back on Ashton, voice pitching up.
‘Accusing of so twisted agenda without proof? That’s just low.’
‘Then explain the staged photos,’ Ashton said.
Daniel widened his eyes. ‘What photos? I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
I leaned in and asked Ashton quietly, ‘You think he set those up?’
‘Yeah,’ Ashton muttered, jaw tight. ‘Can’t prove it. Yet.’
He refocused on Daniel. ‘Forget the photos for now. Tell why you pretended to be broke.’
‘I didn’t pretend. I am broke. If I had money, why the hell would I be scrounging for hourly shifts?’
Ashton looked Daniel up and down, slow and deliberate.
‘The jacket alone costs more than most people’s rent. Those trainers are limited release and sold out in two minutes. You want to believe you’re living off instant noodles?’
‘They’re all replicas. Mass-produced knockoffs. Not worth anything.’
Ashton let out a quiet snort. His tone flattened. ‘And I’m supposed to take your word for it? You think I can’t tell the difference?’
Daniel turned to . ‘Mirabelle, seriously? He’s insulting for owning fake clothes. I admit it, yeah, I bought a few lookalikes because I didn’t want to show up looking like a total nobody. Now he wants receipts? What next, my tax returns?’
Ashton looked at too, quiet for a mont.
Then he pulled out his phone. His thumb started scrolling through sothing fast.
‘Two properties in Wessexia. Both bought by Clive Granger. Three supercars, each priced in the eight figures, also paid for by Granger. You claim he treats you like shit, but he’s out here buying you half the city. You get a monthly transfer from him. Two hundred grand. Minimum. And you expect to believe you’re struggling?’
He tilted the phone just enough for to see, then turned the screen towards Daniel.
The image was of a marble townhouse with manicured hedges and a five-car driveway.
Daniel’s face shifted, not all at once, just slowly drained of the smugness he’d been clinging to.
Ashton continued, ‘You never bought property after you ca back. Fine. But don’t act like you’re couch-surfing. You’re renting a place for fifty grand a month. Still crying broke?’
He swiped his screen again.
He flicked it towards .
Another photo.
A high-rise flat with glass walls, long terrace, pale stone floors, and floor-to-ceiling curtains.
‘A pampered little heir waking up in two hundred square tres of air-conditioned silence, then dragging himself here on a bike for a minimum-wage gig. For what? Pocket change?’
He handed the phone.
I took it.
The report ran long.
Photos. Transaction logs. Lease docunts.
I scrolled through all of it, one by one, and my grip on the phone kept tightening.
He’d worked with for weeks, gotten the job done without complaints, covered for more than once.
I’d actually thought he was decent.
When he told Clive froze him out, I believed him.
I knew what the Grangers were like, knew Louisa was the only one in that family with a conscience.
It wasn’t hard to imagine Clive abandoning a kid overseas and pretending he didn’t exist.
But now I was staring at proof that Clive funded his whole damn lifestyle.
I lowered my arm and stared straight at him.
‘So everything you said just now was a lie. Back in Sunset City, you said you didn’t have a grand to buy a phone. That was a lie too? What are you actually after? Why pretend?’
‘I’m not—!’ Daniel struggled to stand. ‘The flats in Wessexia, yeah, I live there with my mum, but they’re not in my na. Clive’s na’s on the deeds. He never gave us anything extra. No allowances, nothing. It just looks fancy from the outside. We couldn’t even afford prescriptions when my mum got sick. And the cars? I was allowed to drive them, but they weren’t mine. Not one of them.’
His eyes pleaded with .
I looked away.
‘I’m renting a place now. Well, technically crashing at a friend’s. He knew I had nowhere to go, offered the keys. That’s all. And that whole “two hundred grand a month” thing? That’s bullshit. You’ve got no proof. You’re accusing of stuff that never happened.’
He turned to Ashton, chin lifted. ‘You found so wires to Wessexia. That’s it. No receipts with my na, no direct transfers. Just a theory. You’ve got nothing.’
Ashton shrugged. ‘You’re right. I’ve got no proof. But you’ve got an agenda, and I know it.’
Daniel’s face flushed.
He looked at .
‘Mirabelle, co on! You know . You’ve seen here every day, I’ve never crossed a line with you. I wouldn’t. I’ve got no reason to—’
‘I trust him,’ I said.
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