Young and Scambitious (Scambitious #1)

Jane (Last Chapter)

Once upon a time, Margaux and Jane's mom hung out in the same crowd. They were on the fringes of the elite circles of Manila society, both of them going by different names, and they managed to live a lavish lifestyle by preying on people who didn't guard their wallets as closely as they should.

The party ended with a scandal, a fall from grace, an overnight exodus.

Jane wondered if this was how her mother felt, that night, when it all fell apart. The past twenty minutes had been spent doing a mental inventory of the things she could leave behind. Her mind mapped the nearest ATMs, how much she could get, and where that would take her, provided this all ended tonight.

The "Princess Midas" superhero name didn't just come to her, conveniently, because she and two other people happened to be talking about it in a lemon-scented car. It was a nickname her mother used to have, a not so subtle wink at the way she made things out of nothing. And if you had even a childhood memory of the Midas story, you would know why Jane's mom was in hiding today. Blessings can also be curses.

Jane only had a view of Margaux's back from her place at the bar, so she didn't know what the hell was happening when Gabriel arrived. Didn't get any alarm signals when he finally shook Margaux's hand as he left. But this couldn't be good.

He was by the driveway of the hotel, just there, when she all but ran out.

"What the hell was that?" she said, forgetting which voice she needed to use, not caring. "Who are you?"

"Gabriel Grande, like I said," he answered.

"The name doesn't mean anything," she hissed.

"It doesn't have to. Look, apparently we're colleagues of some sort. You probably know that this can happen, if you work in a circle long enough."

But she hadn't worked in this "circle" that long. She wasn't going to admit that just yet. "What do you want?"

"A favor. You can help me do my job today."

Unbelievable. He was wasting her precious escape time. "Why should I do anything for you?"

"Jane, you want Caridad to buy that ring, don't you? I helped make that happen for you. She's probably buying it right now."

He turned in the direction of the busy Makati street that they were in front of, and gestured for her to walk with him. She could at least do that, and keep proper pace, because she wasn't wearing Elizabeth Madrid's ridiculously tall shoes. She knew she wouldn't be accidentally flashing anyone either, having left the short skirts and sheer tops.

It was just Jane, tonight. Jeans and shirt Jane.

"Your people are impressive," Gabriel said, a block away from the hotel. "How did you recreate the inclusion?"

Jane paused. "Trade secret. What do you want?"

"We," Gabriel said, carefully emphasizing the word, "want the amount that Caridad Pasensyosa is about to pay for the ring right now. Minus the cost of the copy and a... talent fee for your entire team."

"But we did all the work."

"And you'll all be compensated for your time."

"We don't do this for an hourly salary." You jackass was how that continued in her head, which conflicted so much with the physical memory of him she still carried. It was making her head throb.

"Look, I helped you out here tonight. That ring wasn't going to pass an actual authentication and appraisal. Not to mention the baggage of the police report and denied insurance claim. You would have ended up with zero. This is better than zero."