Chapter 209
Aria’s POV
Aidan and I had finally smoothed things over. He didn’t let his serious side
resurface, but our time together was cut short as he left for a business trip. As for Julian, I opted to avoid him entirely.
There was no way I could ever develop feelings for him.
Yet, some encounters were simply unavoidable.
Today, he sent me the final edited version of our promotional video.
His message was brief: “Final version complete.” I quickly replied with a “thank you” emoji and downloaded the video.
“Hey? Aria, come back to Earth!” Lillian waved a hand in front of my face.
I quickly shut off my phone screen. “Sorry, I zoned out for a moment p>
“What were you thinking about?” Lillian raised an eyebrow suggestively. “Already missing your husband p>
My cheeks flushed. “No, it wasn’t that p>
“Don’t be embarrassed; there’s nothing awkward about it. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? If Aidan wasn’t on a business trip, I wouldn’t have had the chance to have dinner with you tonight p>
Lillian’s comment successfully diverted my thoughts from Julian. I figured it was best to keep avoiding him—after all, it was unlikely we’d collaborate again.
“After this, want to go shopping?” Lillian leaned forward excitedly. “The fall collection just launched this week. We could check out Global Shopping Mall p>
With Aidan away, the thought of returning to an empty mansion alone felt depressing. “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 receiving it. The sleek sports car purred softly 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 crimson 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 p>
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 nasty women p>
I shook my head. “I don’t remember them, not really. 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 losing all her 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, Sophia, 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 mistaken, high- value clients can request private shopping, right?” She shot us a venomous glare. “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 have 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>
I gave the sales assistant Aidan’s number. Actually, Lillian also had a membership number, but it was under her stepmother’s name. Lifțian and her stepmother didn’t have a good relationship, and I didnt want to embarrass my friend. I hoped Aidan’s membership account would work properly. If I remembered correctly, this boutique’s new collections usually ended up in my wardrobe every season.
“Please wait a moment, miss,” the manager said, tapping on her tablet. A moment later, she returned with a hint of apology. “I’m sorry, we don’t have a membership record under that name. You see She didn’t finish the sentence, but everyone present understood her meaning.
Before I could respond, Sophia, who had been browsing the racks, suddenly burst into laughter. “Some people just love to pretend,” she declared loudly enough for the entire store to hear. “This isn’t just any boutique. Don’t expect some ‘premium’ membership-even the basic VIP status requires over three hundred thousand in annual spending.” She added, sneering at me, “Seriously, driving a Maserati
doesn’t automatically make you part
of high society.” Her target was
clear: me.
I felt a pang of embarrassment. I hadn’t expected Aidan’s phone number to fail in a store where our family often shopped, especially not in front of people I disliked. Despite the awkwardness, I tried to maintain a poker face.
“Oh, really?” I asked nonchalantly, pulling out my phone and scrolling through photos of my walk-in closet that I’d sent Lillian last month. Pointing to one section, I asked, “Aren’t these clothes yours p>
The manager’s eyes widened when she saw several items in the photo. I knew exactly why. Among them
venet
were two limited-edition summen et
dresses, totaling over eighty thousand dollars. It wasn’t just the price; only two of each dress were available in the entire city and they had been pre-ordered before they even hit the shelves. Only a specific type of client could acquire such pieces.
The manager’s demeanor instantly became respectful. “Miss, do you perhaps have
another phone number with us p>
“It’s fine,” I shrugged. “If you’re closing for a private appointment, we’ll just leave.” I exchanged a look with Lillian, then linked arms with her and turned to go.
“Ladies, please wait!” the manager called out.