Chapter 208
Aria’s POV
The tension between Aidan and me finally dissipated. He didn’t let his stern facade show again, but we didn’t have much more time together because he had to leave for a business trip.
As for Julian, I chose to avoid him. There was no way I could ever like him.
But some encounters were unavoidable. Today, he sent me the final cut of our promotional video. His message was brief: “Final version complete.” I quickly sent a ‘thank you’ emoji and downloaded the video.
Lillian waved a hand in front of my face. “Hello? Aria, Earth to Aria p>
I quickly turned off my phone screen. “Sorry, I zoned out for a moment p>
“What are you thinking about?” Lillian raised an eyebrow meaningfully. “Already missing your husband p>
My cheeks flushed. “No, it’s not that p>
“Don’t be shy, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. A little absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? If Aidan hadn’t gone on a business trip, I wouldn’t have had the chance to have dinner with you tonight p>
Lillian’s comment successfully pulled my thoughts away from Julian. I decided it was best to avoid him in the future—after all, it was unlikely we’d work together again.
“After this, want to go shopping?” Lillian leaned forward excitedly. “The fall collection just dropped this week. We could check out Global Shopping Mall p>
With Aidan away, the thought of returning to an empty mansion alone felt dismal. “Sounds perfect p>
After lunch, we headed straight to the mall. I was driving the Maserati my father had given me the first time I’d driven it since I received it. The sleek sports car purred gently beneath my hands, but I drove with extreme caution, terrified of scratching its beautiful paintwork.
Everything went smoothly until we prepared to park. I spotted an empty space and was carefully backing into it when a Ferrari suddenly swerved in and snatched my spot. Lillian sprang out of the car, her face flushed with anger. “What the hell? We were clearly going for that spot p>
The Ferrari’s door swung open, and a stylish young woman emerged, deliberately taking her time to remove her designer sunglasses. She scanned Lillian dismissively. “Just because you saw it first doesn’t mean it’s yours p>
Another woman stepped out of the passenger side, her head down, fiddling with her phone. “Come on,” she mumbled without looking up, “don’t waste our time on them p>
I unbuckled my seatbelt and walked over to Lillian. “That spot was mine p>
The driver rolled her eyes dramatically. “So what? Is your name written on it p>
Her companion finally looked up from her phone and squinted when she saw me. “You!” Lillian stepped in front of me protectively. “Who do you think you are, pointing at her like that p>
I recognized her instantly and let out a dry laugh. “Miss Duncan, are you drunk driving again today p>
The woman-Vivian Duncan-recoiled, remembering our last encounter when she had rear-ended my car and tried to pin the blame on me. My assistant had called the police, who then discovered she was driving under the influence.
Vivian glanced back at our car, her face darkening. “Why don’t you call the cops again? See if I care.” She grabbed her friend’s arm. “Let’s go, I’ve had enough of these people p>
They strode away haughtily, leaving us stuck in the middle of the road. Cars behind us honked impatiently. Lillian looked ready to chase after them, but I tugged on her sleeve. “It’s not worth it. Let’s not stoop to their level p>
Lillian reluctantly got back into the car, muttering curses under her breath.
We eventually found another parking spot. As we walked towards the elevator,
Lillian was still fuming. “Aria, how do you know those bitches p>
I shook my head. “I don’t remember, I really don’t. Remember last week when I went
to shoot the Resonate commercial? My car got rear-ended, and Summer stayed to
wait for the police, who then found out the driver was drunk p>
“That was her? The one who had her license suspended for too many points?” Lillian asked incredulously.
“Exactly. No wonder she wasn’t driving today,” I said, pressing the elevator button.
Lillian frowned. “I’ve never seen them before p>
“Probably not from New York,” I shrugged as the elevator doors opened. We stepped inside, and I tried to lighten the mood. “Alright, let’s not let them ruin our shopping trip p>
Lillian nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Let’s go check out the new collection p>
Our streak of bad luck continued. Walking into the first designer boutique, we immediately spotted the two women from the parking lot. The driver noticed us, a mocking smirk playing on her lips. “Vivian, I told you today wasn’t a good day to go out. Look who it is p>
Vivian, lounging comfortably on a sofa, looked up from her phone screen and surveyed us disdainfully. Without hesitation, she called out to a sales assistant, “Where’s your manager p>
Sensing trouble, the assistant quickly summoned the store manager, who rushed over. “Miss, how may I help you p>
Vivian didn’t waste time with
pleasantries. She rattled off her
phone number. “This is my membership number. Check it-I’m a high value client. If I’m not mistaker high-value clients can request private shopping, right?” She shot us a venomous glafe. “I want them removed. They’re ruining my shopping experience p>
The manager was clearly in an awkward predicament. Her gaze flickered between us, taking in our casual designer wear and mid-range handbags, then back to Vivian, who was carrying a limited-edition handbag worth at least $200,000 and clad in a costly runway gown. The comparison was stark, and even before the manager spoke, I knew exactly what she was going to say.
She flipped the Closed for Private Shopping’ sign and walked over apologetically. “Ladies, I’m terribly sorry, but we’re short-staffed today. To ensure every customer receives proper service, I’d trave to ask you to come back another day.” She handed us two small gift bags. “Please accept these small tokens
as an apology for the
inconvenience p>
Normally, Lillian would have happily accepted the gifts and left. But after the parking incident, combined with this blatant display of elitism, her pride was wounded.
“Don’t pretend,” Lillian snapped. “We know you’re just kicking us out for them.” She continued provocatively, “VIP status? Anyone can be a VIP p>
The manager maintained her professional smile. “In that case, miss, could you please provide your membership number p>