I Called Dibs on Mr. Jackpot Chapter 07
Even though I was technically a millionaire now, broke-girl habits didn’t disappear overnight. My frugal DNA was basically
permanent.
Like right now.
At the Bellmont Senior Art Show setup, everyone else stood around directing hired workers to move frames and fix lighting.
Meanwhile, I was on the floor in a paint-stained apron, hammering nails myself.
A snicker came from behind me.
“Well, if it isn’t Mia Madden.”
Jada Lenon. The oil painting department’s queen bee.
Ever since Grace transferred out, Jada had basically become Bellmont Art Institute’s resident mean girl.
Jada crossed her arms and looked me up and down. “What, did Ezra get bored of you? He can’t even hire people for your setup? You seriously have to do it yourself? That’s sad.”
A few girls nearby covered their mouths, giggling.
I hammered in the last nail, dusted off my hands, and stood.
“What would you know? It’s called craftsmanship. Getting hands-on gives the art a soul.”
The truth?
A few days ago, I fell hard for a discontinued art supply set that cost a casual few million.
Ezra had given me one of his premium credit cards, but buying his birthday gift with money I earned-or saved-just felt different.
Jada rolled her eyes. “You’re just too stubborn to admit it. I heard Ezra just took over the family business. He’s swamped Why would he have time for someone li-”
She never got to finish.
A sudden commotion broke out at the entrance.
Then a line of men in black suits and white gloves marched in.
Uniform. Intimidating.
And leading them?
Leo. Ezra’s executive assistant.
He walked straight over and gave me a polite nod. “Sorry we’re late.”
I blinked. “Uh… what is this?”
Leo lifted a hand.
The men behind him moved fast.
Some carried fresh flowers flown in that morning. Others wheeled in professional lighting equipment. Two guys were literally hauling a leather couch.
“Mr. Everton was worried you’d get tired during setup, so he had us bring in a lounge area,” Leo said with a smile. “And he wasn’t happy with the school’s lighting temperature. These are museum-grade lights borrowed from Francia.”
The entire exhibition hall went dead silent.
Jada looked like she was choking on her own words
I stared at the ridiculously expensive leather couch sitting in the middle of the messy hall and twitched.
Ezra wasn’t being thoughtful.
He was blowing the whole place up.
“Um… where is he?” I asked quietly.
“Right behind you.”
Leo stepped aside.
A tall figure appeared at the entrance.
Ezra wore a perfectly tailored dark gray suit, gold-rimmed glasses resting on his nose, his tie flawless.
That reckless edge he used to have had turned sharp and polished. Untouchable.
Dangerously handsome.
One hand in his pocket, he walked in and swept his gaze across the hall before locking onto me.
The coldness in his eyes disappeared instantly.
“Mia.”
He crossed straight to me, completely ignoring the shocked stares around us. Then he frowned and brushed a streak of dust off my cheek.
“Didn’t I tell you to wait for me?”
There was a hint of reproach in his voice, but mostly concern.
I shrank back a little. “I just wanted to save some money-
“Save money?” Ezra lifted a brow, the corner of his mouth tugging up. “The one thing I’ll never run out of is money. So you trying to save it for me is that supposed to be an insult to my earning ability?”
Gasps spread through the room.
Jada’s expression instantly turned ugly. She bit her lip and jumped in anyway. “Ezra, Mia’s just used to being poor It’s not like the rest of us-”
He didn’t even look at her.
Instead, he shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over a nearby stand. Then he rolled up his sleeves, exposing strong forearms.
“Hand me the hammer.”
“Huh?” I blinked.
Ezra took the hammer from me, grabbed a handful of nails, and secured the frames like he’d done this a million times before.
