Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
As for the presents, she planned to have Martin foot the bill for new ones. That way, she’d have extra cash in her account and still show up with gifts. It was the perfect plan.
Dawnstar’s most prestigious Style Plaza was a haven for luxury brands.
Upon landing, Serena headed straight there, wielding Martin’s credit card like a queen, splurging on designer bags worth tens of thousands and jewelry worth even more. If it caught her eye, it was hers.
Martin, in the midst of a meeting, noticed his phone lighting up with notification after notification of Serena’s shopping spree. His eyes softened. She was finally using his card.
After a shopping spree, Serena had the salespeople ship the haul to a domestic address, planning to have Martha secretly sell the goods in exchange for cold, hard cash.
The sales associates could barely contain their smiles, bustling about as they packed up the items and arranged for delivery, squatting down now and then to rub Serena’s legs.
Perched regally on the sofa, Serena sipped the coffee handed to her by a salesperson and wrinkled her nose in distaste. “This coffee isn’t even as good as what my maid at home drinks.”
Nicola, the salesperson, nodded enthusiastically, heaping on the flattery. “You’re so generous with your spending. It’s clear you don’t come from an ordinary family. I bet your servant’s salary is higher than ours. We’re just wage earners, and without the little extra you’re letting slip through your fingers, we wouldn’t meet our targets this month.”
“Indeed, we’re so grateful you graced us with your presence. Otherwise, we’d be facing termination this month; Guti chimed in, diligently massaging Serena’s shoulders, and couldn’t help but gossip, “Young lady, is it your family or your boyfriend who spoils you with the card?”
Serena airily mentioned it was her boyfriend, which prompted a new wave of compliments and envy from the sales team, praising her for having such a generous boyfriend.
Serena couldn’t help but bask in the glory.
“If your boyfriend is so willing to spoil you, why not try these boots?” Aurora interjected, hastily donning gloves to fetch a pair in Serena’s size from the new arrivals that had come in just yesterday. “These are exclusive. Only one pair per size, and with your dainty feet, you’ll look much more elegant than the other ladies.”
She knelt down and carefully slipped the boots onto Serena’s feet. Serena relished the royal treatment, glancing at her reflection in the mirror.“Not bad, go ahead and pack them too, she said, handing over the card. “The PIN is 123456.”
Aurora was taken aback by Serena’s decisiveness. There wasn’t a second of hesitation. “These boots are different from your other purchases. They are designed by a renowned fashion designer and are quite pricey, costing ninety-nine thousand dollars.”
Ninety-nine thousand dollar boots would have once made Serena hesitate.
But today, she was shopping with Martin’s card, and after all, it was Martin who had begged her repeatedly to use it.
So she felt no burden at all, even challenging Aurora with a raised eyebrow, “I’ve already bought things worth over a million, so what’s ninety-nine thousand to me? Do you think I can’t afford it?”
“Of course not, you’ve misunderstood”
“You’re the most lavish lady we’ve ever seen.”
“Envious, truly. Just your aura speaks of nobility, and to have such a doting boyfriend, not to mention your beauty. It’s almost unfair.”
“You’re now our store’s top VIP. Anything you desire, other customers must step aside.”
At that moment, Serena caught sight of a familiar fiqure in the distance. Squinting, she realized it was Mirabella.
What was she doing shopping in this store?
Given that the store was a global flagship and spanned three floors, Serena hadn’t noticed Mirabella until now.There was Mirabella, elegantly holding a dress, starkly alone compared to Serena’s surrounding crowd, not a single sales associate in sight!
It must be that Uncle Bard was too busy to mind her, and she’d snuck out for a bit of shopping on her own.
Serena’s lips curled into a smirk, turning to Guti, “Didn’t you just say I’m your store’s top VIP? That I have first dibs on anything I fancy? I want that dress she’s holding!”
Guti followed her gaze to see a pretty girl holding a dress from yesterday’s new arrivals.
The dress was expensive, likely out of reach for the average person.
Seeing that Mirabella’s attire was less flashy than Serena’s, Guti muttered a ‘just one moment’ and went over to negotiate.
“Excuse me, miss,’ Guti approached Mirabella with a courteous tone, “this dress has already been spoken for.
Perhaps you’d be interested in another style?”
Mirabella hadn’t been particularly taken with the dress in the first place. She was merely intrigued by a few creative touches in its design. Seeing the clerk moving to take it away, she handed it over without a moment’s hesitation.
“Thank you.” Guti gratefully accepted the dress and delivered it to Serena.
Serena, looking like the cat that got the cream, cast a victorious glance Mirabella’s way. Noticing Mirabella had picked up a champagne-colored evening gown, a smug smirk played across her lips.
“I’ll take that one as well.”
Upon hearing Serena’s command, Guti approached Mirabella again.
This time Mirabella sensed something strange and looked up, “And who might the other customer be?”
“That lady over there. She’s one of our top-tier VIPs!” Guti explained apologetically, “I’m really sorry, but you might want to check out our other selections.”
Mirabella’s gaze followed to where Serena lounged on a sofa, being pampered by two clerks massaging her shoulders and calves.
When did she start coming to Dawnstar?
She looked quite at ease.”Does she want every single thing I’m interested in?” Mirabella smirked, finding Serena’s childish antics laughable.
“My apologies for any offense; Guti said as she swiftly took the champagne gown from Mirabella to present it to Serena.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Eunice, who was browsing the racks, overheard the exchange between her beloved niece and the clerk. Seeing the clerk’s actions, she peered down to catch her niece’s gaze fixed in a certain direction and quickly surmised what was happening.
It seemed some spoiled young lady was trying to one-up her beautiful niece.
From her vantage point, Eunice couldn’t see who the other woman was, but she knew her niece was being wronged.
As she casually sifted through a rack of dresses, her tone was leisurely yet icy, “My niece is having trouble over a dress, and you’re not intervening?”
The store manager, upon hearing this, rushed downstairs. She didn’t know who Serena was, as she had never seen her with Eunice in the store before.
But the manager knew full well that Eunice was Bard’s wife, and Bard’s clout in all of Dawnstar meant no one dared to cross him.
One moment Serena was basking in service, the next she was being informed by the clerks that she was now on the store’s blacklist. She was given an ultimatum: leave with her purchases immediately or get a refund.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Serena was baffled by their sudden change of attitude. Just moments ago, they treated her like royalty, and now they were giving her the cold shoulder.Was it because she had claimed the two dresses Mirabella wanted?
Had Mirabella orchestrated this?
Did Mirabella really have that much pull?
“Sorry, but we can’t sell these dresses to you after all!” Guti hastily reclaimed the champagne evening gown and the stylish day dress from Serena. She had been scolded by the manager and was now bowing her head, fearing for her job.
Serena’s laugh was laced with fury, “Do you all have any idea? My spending alone is a hundred, maybe even a thousand times what your average customer shells out.”
“Yes, we have considered this. Please leave as soon as possible,’ came the unwavering reply.
The sales associates neatly arranged her thirty-some shopping bags at the entrance, a silent signal that her patronage was no longer desired.
Fuming and humiliated, Serena snapped, “Fetch your manager! Is this how a top-tier brand treats its VIP clients?”
“I’m sorry, but you’ve been blacklisted by our store. And yes, this comes straight from the manager.’ the salesperson said.
“What did you say?” Serena’s face turned a shade of thunder.
“This way, please,’ the sales team said in unison, bowing slightly with a gesture that suggested she exit the premises.
Enraged beyond belief, Serena could barely contain herself. “It seems your brand doesn’t value its VIPs. Fine, I’ll take my complaint to your superiors and see if they also turn away from good business!”
“Even a complaint to our headquarters won’t change a thing. Please, leave.”
With that, Serena stormed out, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
Once she was gone, the manager turned to Guti. “You too, get out!””Manager: “If you don’t stop your blabbering and upset Mrs. Griffith further, we’ll all suffer the consequences! Now go!”
Tears in her eyes, Guti cast a longing look towards the second floor, wishing Mrs. Griffith would show mercy.
She had no idea the plainly dressed girl downstairs was Mrs. Griffith’s own niece.
If she had known, she wouldn’t have dared to cross her, not for all the money in the world.
As Guti left in tears, the manager sternly warned the rest, “Keep your eyes open from now on. Don’t cross someone without knowing who they are! If this happens again, the fallout will be much worse!”
“Yes, Manager, they chorused.
The manager, having scolded staff, hurried upstairs to find Eunice and explain.
“My apologies for disturbing your shopping, ladies. The ignorant lady from before has been escorted out. She’s on our blacklist and will never set foot here again. Also, the sales associate—Guti—who offended Miss Bella has been dismissed. The two dresses that caught your eye, please consider them a gift from our store. I hope you and the young miss can forgive the unpleasantness caused by those uncouth individuals.”
Eunice, still browsing the racks, asked languidly without glancing up, “Does the Griffith family need these two dresses?”
“Of course not, ma’am. The whole world knows of your family’s wealth. The dresses are a token of our sincerest apologies for the discomfort you’ve experienced in our establishment. As the manager, the quilt weighs heavily on me.
“It seems our discomfort isn’t a grave concern in your eyes.”The manager, taken aback and troubled by the implication, hastily offered, “Furthermore, from now on, when you or the young miss shop here, you will receive an additional 20% discount on top of the membership price!”
It was practically selling at cost.
They had no choice. Offending someone of such stature had already cost them dearly.
“What was she wearing?” Eunice asked casually, picking out a particularly stylish dress from the display. “What did she look like?”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.