The Urban God Of Riverdale

Chapter 6: He's A Thief

For a few moments, neither of them could speak. The echo of Mr. Kane's words continued replaying in their minds.

Then Emma's teeth ground together.

"That bastard," she hissed.

"No wonder he held on to it like it was so important. He must have stolen it from the Hart family and given it to me. Does he have any idea how much trouble this could bring down on me?" Her voice sharpened with rising panic.

"You're right. There's no way that ring truly belongs to him, and it could cause serious problems. The Hart family is the most powerful in the city and beyond. We cannot afford to get on their bad side."

Emma's expression shifted, fear bleeding into her features as the implications crashed over her.

"What do we do?" Her voice wavered, her words breaking into anxious fragments.

Fred smiled as though the matter were trivial.

"Fortunately for you, I know the Hart heir personally. I can easily speak to him and smooth things over. Then we'll have Rowen dragged in to beg and answer for what he's done—just to satisfy them."

"You do?" Even Emma was stunned. Knowing someone that powerful—someone so rarely seen in public—seemed close to impossible.

And of course, only Fred could pull off something like that. She had made the right choice by leaving her worthless husband for him.

Emma exhaled a long, shaky breath of relief.

Rowen walked back to the apartment he had once shared with Emma. It wasn't large by any measure, but it had always been decent enough.

He could hear their voices from outside the door, their contempt for him thick in every word.

"That bastard—how could he have gotten hold of that kind of money?" Emma's voice cut through the wall. She clearly refused to believe he could be anyone of significance.

Outside, Rowen let out a quiet breath, almost amused.

"He must have stolen it. There's no other explanation for how someone like him could come into that much money. If he's going to waste it, you should consider getting close to him again and taking what you can, Emma," Fred suggested.

"You're right," Emma agreed, already turning the idea over in her mind, considering how she might draw Rowen back in.

"I'm just sorry about what happened at the event. I genuinely didn't know those tickets were the wrong ones." Fred pressed his hands to his face in a show of regret.

Emma moved closer and wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace.

"It wasn't your fault," she said softly.

Rowen had heard enough. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. Emma shot to her feet, her face flushing with immediate hostility.

"What are you doing here? Come to beg again, have you?" she snapped, her hands balling at her sides.

"I came for the heirloom I gave you. We're no longer together, so I want it back."

"Heirloom?" A sharp laugh escaped her. "You're delusional, Rowen. You could never afford something like that in your life. It was given to me by my classmate and childhood friend, Rachel. So stop trying to dress up your theft as something sentimental."

And for the first time, something flickered across Rowen's expression—a brief, barely visible flinch that cut deeper than any blow.