Emily knew what could happen if Catrin found out about it.
But she couldn't bring herself to imagine it happening. Shaking her head, she wanted to refuse, but she knew no matter how many tis she shook her head now, nothing of this would turn out to be the nightmare she wished it to be.
"Emily, our family will disown us if they co to know about this. Please do sothing."
Her friends pleaded, but more than them, her own situation scared her.
What if Catrin changed her decision?
No, that couldn't be happening.
Her head snapped towards Arwen as she stared at her desperately.
"Arwen!" she called with urgency, lunging forward toward her.
However, before she could reach her, Aiden stepped forward, gently pulling Arwen behind him.
"Please don't do this," she implored, "This will ruin my reputation. We are cousins, and soon, we are going to share an even closer bond as sisters. Please help today. I promise I will never try to insult you again. I —"
"Emily," Arwen interrupted her, cutting her pleading smoothly, "You know this better than that a species of your kind doesn't learn from their mistakes. If it did, then you wouldn't have repeated the sa stunt for the third ti after getting humiliated twice already. You simply won't learn."
"No, no, Arwen, I would," Emily cried desperately. "I am promising you. Just let go this ti." It pained her to beg like this, but at this mont, nothing stood more important than saving the situation.
Arwen watched her as if considering. She felt a slow caress on the back of her hand, and her attention shifted to Aiden. His eyes were fixed on her, waiting for sothing.
"What do you want to do?" he asked, and she blinked, for a mont, not understanding what he ant. And as if he read her confusion in her gaze, he continued further. "I will leave it for you to decide. Just know that kindness always cos at one's own expense."
She knew.
Being selfless, caring, and compassionate —everything cos at one's own expense. People might not see it, but they do realize it at so point in ti. And that's when regret seeps in.
And she already has a lot of regrets in her life. She doesn't want to have even the tiniest one now.
Taking a deep breath, she gave one last fleeting glance to Emily. But before Emily could make another plea, she turned to look back at Aiden.
"I think it's been a while since we entered this store." Her gaze darted to look around, glancing briefly at everything. "I already selected what we liked. There is nothing more we can get here."
"So?"
"Let's leave," she said as if she had made it very obvious. "If you have forgotten, we even have other places to go. We can't take forever at just one store."
Emily was befuddled. She didn't understand what Arwen ant when she said that. But Aiden did.
Smirking, he nodded before extending his hand for her.
Arwen stared at it for a second before intertwining her fingers with his.
"Arwen, you forgave , right?" Emily asked, still as anxious as before. "You will ask them to revoke the ban on from the mall and the stores."
However, Arwen no longer cared to respond to her. Holding Aiden's arms, they left.
Only when they were out of sight, the manager gestured to his guards on the side to co forward to drag Emily and her minions out.
Emily didn't realize it until her arms were held. "Wait, what are you doing?" she snapped at the two uniford n. "Leave . Did you not just hear ? Arwen is my cousin. She said she would let go. How dare you still lay a hand on ?"
"Ma'am, please don't make it difficult for us," the manager said, frowning. "Please leave our store at once." He then signalled the n, who soon dragged her out.
Along with her, even her minion friend was thrown out. If they had known that following Emily would cause them such trouble, they would have never accompanied her.
"Emily, I don't know you anymore," one of them said, frustrated. "Don't call anymore. I feel so humiliated, and it was all because of you." With that said, she turned to leave.
Watching her, even the other one also burst up. "Yes, don't call us anymore. We are no longer friends. Bye." And then she also left.
Emily was left alone. She gritted. "Arwen, why did your stars always end up getting lucky. Even leaving Ryan, you were able to rope in another exceptional man." She wanted to curse, but she feared the curse would only backfire on her.
————
anwhile, after stepping out of the store, Arwen didn't plan to stay in the mall anymore.
Since they already have all the best clothes from the best brands in their closet, shopping more simply didn't make sense —just as owning the mall doesn't.
As they were walking down the parking lot, she watched Aiden from a step behind.
"Since we are out now, don't you think you have got sothing to explain now?" she asked, stopping in her steps, clearly with an intention to not move until he tells her everything.
Aiden paused as well, turning to look back at her. "Huh?" he asked, feigning the sa innocence that he often does.
But she wasn't buying that anymore.
"Don't look at like that," she said, crossing her arms. "Explain to how I ended up having the ownership of the mall."
"First, it was the chocolate company, and now this, the most luxurious mall in the country." She paused only to continue soon after. "Please enlighten . As far as I know, the ownership transfer of a company doesn't happen just like that. It goes through procedures like docunt signing. And I don't rember signing anything such. Then how did it happen?"
No matter how confident she gets, she wouldn't sign papers without reading them. And she doesn't rember signing any papers as such, then how co —
"You did sign the papers," he said, and Arwen narrowed her gaze, shaking against it.
She didn't. If she did, she would have known.
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