For my boyfriend's mom's birthday, I bought her a $600 Estée Lauder gift set. That same night, I found the exact set listed on eBay by my boyfriend for a fraction of the price. I bought it immediately. The moment it arrived, I confirmed receipt. Then I called my boyfriend. "Honey, did your mom try on the heavy gold bracelet inside the box? Does it fit?" 1 I was doom-scrolling eBay when a listing caught my eye. [Estée Lauder Gift Set. Brand new in box. Authentic. Urgent sale! Only $299!] That price was suspiciously low. Was it fake? I just bought this exact set yesterday at Sephora for nearly $600! Wait. The more I looked, the more familiar it seemed. That was the exact set I gave to Lucas’s mom. Even the gift bag was the one I picked out. And that ribbon? I tied that bow myself. I clicked on the seller's profile. ID: Luke_Skywalker99 Location: Seattle, WA (Same as me) I opened the chat. Me: Hi, is this still available? Is it authentic? Why is it so cheap? Luke: Hey gorgeous! 100% real. It was a gift, hasn't even been opened yet! He sent a voice message. That voice. It was undeniably my boyfriend of three months, Lucas. I scrolled through his other listings and felt my stomach drop. Everything valuable I’d given him over the last few months was listed there. Birthdays, holidays, his sister's graduation... last week he wouldn't shut up about his mom's birthday coming up. Turns out, I wasn't his girlfriend; I was his supplier. I wanted to confront him right there and dump him. But that would be too easy. I changed my shipping address to my neighbor’s house. I used my housekeeper, Mrs. Wong’s, name and number. Ensuring he wouldn't suspect a thing, I clicked "Buy Now." Luke: Wow, quick payment! Since we're both in Seattle, I'll send it via Uber Connect right now! Luke: Please confirm receipt as soon as you get it! I played along enthusiastically, eyes glued to the tracking. When the Uber arrived next door, Mrs. Wong was waiting. The gift set was back in my hands. Even though I knew, seeing it hurt like a punch to the gut. The ribbon was untouched. He hadn't even bothered to look inside before selling it for quick cash. Luke: Hey, app says delivered! Can you release the funds? I kinda need the money ASAP. I recorded a video of the box and sent it. Me: Hi, I shook the box and heard a clinking sound. Do you think a bottle broke? In the video, I gently shook the box while playing a sound effect of breaking glass on my iPad. Lucas panicked. Three voice messages came through instantly, his voice high with anxiety. "It was perfect when I sent it! If it's broken, that's on you!" "You didn't check it in front of the driver, so it's your problem! Release the money now!" "Listen, lady, don't try to scam me! Once it left my hands, it's not my problem. Whether it's broken glass or a gold bar inside, it has nothing to do with me!" Perfect. That’s exactly what I needed to hear. I confirmed receipt. The moment the money hit his account, I got a notification: "You have been blocked by this user." Trash. He couldn't wait to cut ties. Don't worry, Lucas. In five minutes, you'll be begging me on your knees. 2 I FaceTimed him. Lucas answered immediately, beaming. "Hey baby, miss me?" "You look happy," I smiled. "Good news?" He paused for a second. "Just... reminiscing about childhood stuff at dinner. Good memories!" "How did your mom like the gift?" Lucas’s face stiffened. Behind him, his mom and sister smirked, rolling their eyes. "Uh... Emily, about that. Mom wasn't really a fan." "She's never been into fancy creams and stuff. She's not... high maintenance like you." I cut him off. "Oh, if she doesn't like it, bring it back! I'll return it." Lucas panicked. "No, no! You can't take back a gift! She opened it already. Even though she hates this stuff, she respects you too much not to try it!" He glanced back at his mom for backup. She gave a fake, tight-lipped nod. I tried not to laugh at his terrible acting. Lucas continued, trying to steer the conversation. "Emily, maybe stop buying these impractical things. They cost a fortune and hold no value." "If you ever need cash, you can't resell this stuff for much... unlike..." "Unlike what?" I asked. His mom chimed in loudly from the back. "Unlike gold! Gold holds value! Much better than jars of cream!" Ah, I see. No wonder his mom's face fell when she saw the skincare set today. She wanted something she could pawn. They were already hinting for next time. Well, why wait? "You're so right, Auntie. Gold is the best." "So... how does the gold bracelet fit? Do you like it?" 3 Lucas looked like he’d been electrocuted. "What?! What gold bracelet? You bought a bracelet?" I gave a playful smile. "Yeah. Didn't Auntie open the box? She must have seen it." Lucas turned pale. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Behind him, chaos erupted. His mom and sister started frantically pacing. I heard his mom hiss at his sister, Mia. "Why didn't you check inside?! There was gold in there, you idiot!" "I wanted to open it to post on Instagram!" Mia whined. "You and Lucas screamed at me not to touch it so you could sell it faster! You said I wasn't worth using expensive lotion!" Lucas shushed them aggressively. I pretended not to hear. "Honey? What's wrong?" I dragged out the syllables, feigning concern. "Does she not like the style?" "I know it's a bit chunky. I bought a heavy one—70 grams—because I wanted to show my respect." "If it's too tacky, I can take her to the jeweler tomorrow to exchange it. 70 grams of gold... we could melt it down into a necklace and earrings set instead..." Lucas interrupted me, his voice trembling. "Emily... you put a 70-gram gold bracelet inside the skincare box? Why didn't you tell me? Where did you get that kind of money?" "I saved up my bonus! I just wanted to make a good impression." Then, I gasped dramatically. "Wait... is it gone? Did you guys lose it?!" Dead silence on the other end. Finally, his mom stammered, "No... no, of course not! I just... missed it when I was putting on the cream!" I let out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god. That bracelet cost nearly $6,000 with the crafting fee! I would have died if it was lost." I pulled out a receipt and flashed it at the camera. "See? $5,800 total." I also sent him a photo I took at the jewelry store of the heavy, ornate bangle. "Isn't it gorgeous? It'll look so classy on Auntie." Truth was, I did buy that bracelet. But it was for my own mother's birthday next week. "Six... thousand..." Lucas muttered, looking like he was about to faint. His mom saw the receipt and pinched his arm hard. "Emily, I gotta go! We probably just overlooked it in the box!" He hung up before I could say bye. A second later, Mrs. Wong’s phone started blowing up. And my eBay notifications went wild. 4 Luke: Hi! Do you still have the Estée Lauder set? Please don't open it! Luke: I'll pay you double! No, triple! $800! I'll transfer it now! Luke: Where are you? I'll come pick it up! Please, I'm begging you! I tried not to laugh as I typed back. Me: I was just about to open it, but your messages keep popping up. He replied instantly. Luke: I was an idiot before! There's something in the box! Something very important to my mom! Me: What is it? He paused for a long ten seconds. Luke: Just a cheap trinket my girlfriend put in there! Luke: It's worthless, but sentimental! Luke: I'll give you $1,000 for the box back! Luke: If she finds out I sold her gift, she'll dump me! He kept emphasizing "worthless," terrified the buyer would keep it if they knew it was gold. When I didn't reply, he spiraled. Luke: Answer me! Luke: I have your address! I'm coming over! Luke: I'm calling the police! I sent him a screenshot of his own voice message: "Whether it's broken glass or a gold bar inside, it has nothing to do with me!" Me: Police? For what? You sold a gift and now you want to take it back? The typing bubble appeared and disappeared for a full minute. Luke: I'm sorry. How much do you want? I looked at the skincare set on my table. Me: $2,500. I expected him to haggle. Luke: Deal. Send the link. Of course. $2,500 to get a $6,000 bracelet back? He still thinks he's profiting $3,500. I recorded a video showing the sealed box and the intact ribbon, proving I hadn't opened it. Then I called the same Uber Connect service. While waiting, I texted Lucas on iMessage. Me: Did Auntie try the bracelet yet? Me: Baby? Why aren't you replying? He ignored me. I tipped the Uber driver $50 to record the handoff. I told him not to give the package until the guy confirmed the order was complete on his phone. Lucas agreed instantly. He was desperate. Thirty minutes later, the app said "Delivered." Lucas texted me immediately on iMessage. Lucas: Baby! Mom loves it! She says it's the most beautiful bracelet she's ever seen!
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "386611", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel