Chapter 210
Aria’s POV
I had reached the door, about to exit, when Sophia’s voice rang through the store. “How dare you pull out some random photos and pretend they’re yours! The sheer audacity p>
Vivian surveyed me with an exaggerated smile. “I’ve never seen such nerve in my life p>
Lillian, who had been simmering with resentment, finally erupted.
“You two might not be pretentious, but what good is wearing expensive brands when you snatch parking spots and drunk drive? No amount of Jo Malone perfume can wash away the stench of your bad taste!” She finished with a contemptuous sniff. “From head to toe, utterly vulgar and tasteless p>
This was probably the first time anyone had publicly insulted Vivian and Sophia. The manager seemed to quickly realize there was pre-existing bad blood between us. She signaled to her staff to de-escalate the situation, while a colleague tried to calm Vivian and her friend.
Vivian, however, refused to back down, insisting that they still wished to clear the store for private shopping.
Lillian, feeling satisfied after her verbal revenge, prepared to leave. “Aria, let’s go somewhere else. The air here is polluted p>
I had just finished replying to Aidan’s text, and Lillian’s comment almost made me burst out laughing.
Glancing at Vivian and Sophia’s flushed faces-they were now red with fury-I suddenly felt it wasn’t worth bothering Aidan over such a minor incident.
“You’re right-it’s a bit stuffy in here,” I agreed earnestly, leaving the manager momentarily speechless.
Outside the store, I gave Lillian a thumbs-up. “Brilliant p>
“Of course,” she said triumphantly. “What else did you expect p>
As I was praising her, my phone lit up with a reply from Aidan: “S Brand just delivered a batch of new dresses to the Global store. Three of them will be sent to our house. You might want to drop by to try them on and get them altered.” He included photos of the three dresses he mentioned.
I felt a rush of heat creep up my neck as I realized Lillian was looking at me. “I didn’t mean he was more important than you,” I quickly explained. “I was just trying to ask if Aidan had a membership card for this store p>
Lillian hadn’t intended to peek, but the images were clearly visible on my screen when she glanced over. “It’s fine, I’m used to being a third wheel p>
My cheeks grew even hotter. “Should we go look at handbags instead?” Since Vivian and her group were still inside, I didn’t want to deal with any more of their sarcastic comments.
Lillian nodded, but then suddenly grabbed my arm. “Wait—those dresses Aidan just texted you about, aren’t they the ones they’re looking at p>
We stopped in front of the store’s glass window, through which the interior was clearly visible. Following Lillian’s gaze, I saw Vivian and Sophia handling the very dresses Aidan had shown me in his message.
The sales assistant seemed to be explaining something to them-most likely that Aidan had already reserved the dresses and they couldn’t be purchased. Judging by their increasingly displeased expressions, the conversation wasn’t going well for them.
I raised an eyebrow, recalling their earlier condescending tone. A thrill of schadenfreude washed over me.
“What a coincidence,” I murmured. “It looks like I really *should* try on my dresses p>
As we turned and strode back into the boutique, Lillian gave me a conspiratorial thumbs-up.
This time, Lillian remained silent as I approached the manager.
I deliberately cast a slow glance at Vivian, who was still arguing with the sales assistant. “I apologize for the misunderstanding,” I told the manager calmly, “but those dresses do appear to be mine.” While strictly speaking, Aidan bought them, they were for me which was close enough, especially for making a point.
My declaration brought a clear look of shock to everyone’s faces.
Sophia scoffed loudly. “You must be joking p>
The manager, however, reacted immediately. “Are you… Mrs. Carter p>
A slight smile played on my lips as I nodded subtly, a sly satisfaction blooming in my chest. “Isn’t that just inconvenient p>
The manager quickly composed herself and turned to Vivian. “Ms. Reynolds, I am truly sorry, but these dresses were reserved for Mrs. Carter. We had planned to have them pressed and delivered to her home tomorrow. We hadn’t had a chance to return them to the stockroom yet p>
Vivian’s face crumpled in fury. She threw the dress back at the nearest sales assistant. “How utterly annoying!” She grabbed her handbag from a nearby chair. “Let’s go p>
I watched Vivian Duncan pick up the dress she had just thrown on the floor. A wicked smile played on my lips, and a mischievous thought sparked in my mind. “Miss Duncan, you know what? Since you like this dress so much, why don’t I just give it to you?” I offered with feigned sweetness. “After all, I ordered three dresses today; an extra one is perfectly fine for me p>
Lillian immediately caught on, interjecting with a sharp, indignant tone. “Custom- made couture can’t handle being tossed around like trash. Who knows if the fabric is snagged now?” She crossed her arms, casting a cold glance at Vivian. “Unless… you can’t afford such an expensive gown p>
I could almost see Vivian’s words
catch in her throat. She had probably wanted to say she’d rather die than wear such an “ugly” dress, but Lillian’s challenge left her speechless Vivian still didn’to
respond, so I continued with my sweet facade. “It’s really no trouble. Consider it my gift to you.” The expression on her face was
priceless. I maintained eye contact
with her, witnessing the torment in
her eyes.
“I don’t need your charity!” she finally snarled, her long, manicured nails clenching
into fists. “How much is this damn dress? I’ll pay for it myself p>
I bit my lower lip, feigning reluctance. My teeth gently pressed against my lip, helping me suppress a laugh. “Well, if you insist… Perhaps someone should ring up Miss Duncan p>
“Don’t bother!” Vivian snapped, pulling her platinum card from her designer handbag. “I won’t even look at this ugly thing. Just charge my card and process the refund for her p>
The store manager remained frozen, clearly stunned.
“Please do as she says,” I stated calmly, secretly enjoying this little power play. The manager quickly processed the transaction. Thirty-eight thousand dollars Vivian’s card
stranisterred fol
directly to my account. Vivian stared at the receipt for a few seconds. dumbfounded. Then, seething with anger, she stormed towards the exit, and I couldn’t resist delivering one last jab.
“Thank you for the exquisite gift, Miss Duncan!” I called out to her retreating back, my voice dripping with false gratitude. The look of utter confusion that flickered across her face was fantastic. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she realized she’d been played.
Once Vivian was out of sight, the manager cautiously approached me. “Are you… Mrs. Carter p>
I glanced at her, amused by her sudden recognition. “Yes, I am p>
“I am so incredibly sorry!” she
exclaimed, her professional composure wavering slightly. “I
didn’t recognize you at first. Thisnet
could have been a huge mistake on my part. Please forgive me!”bcould tett she was replaying the entire incident in her mind, scrutinizing it for any errors. Aidan was clearly their super VIP client, receiving preview catalogs even before items arrived in-store. He ordered at least three custom made outfits each month, each valued at over a million dollars. This season alone, he had already pre-ordered three gowns, each costing over a million dollars. But I didn’t want to flaunt my husband’s status.
“Don’t worry about it,” I waved my hand dismissively. “I’m not a celebrity; it’s perfectly normal not to recognize me.” I pointed to the dress that had caused all the commotion. “I’d like to try this one on, as well as the other two I selected earlier.” “Of course! Please, try this one on first, and I’ll fetch the others right away p>
I nodded, taking the dress Vivian had thrown to the floor. After the manager hurried away, I turned to Lillian with a mischievous grin. “Vivian just bought me a thirty-eight thousand dollar dress. Why don’t we take full advantage of her generosity?” I leaned closer to Lillian and whispered, “Pick out a bag you like—my treat. Or rather, Vivian’s treat p>
Lillian’s eyes met mine, and we both burst into laughter. “Well, in that case, I won’t
refuse p>
The fitting process went smoothly, though all three gowns required minor alterations -one was too loose at the waist, one too wide at the shoulders, and another too tight in the bust. I arranged for the altered gowns to be delivered to our house.
We triumphantly ascended to the handbag section. With the remaining thirty-two thousand dollars from Vivian’s unplanned purchase, I bought two new designer bags —one for Lillian and one for myself.
As Aidan’s driver pulled out of the shopping center, Lillian sighed contentedly, leaning back into the leather seats. “My goodness, I truly hope we run into another one of those wealthy, ostentatious girls soon. I wish they’d just shower us with
money all day p>
I gently stroked the soft leather of my new bag, unable to suppress a smile. This shopping trip had turned out even better than expected.