Mia opened her mouth to retort, but Claire’s unwavering confidence silenced her. With a calm and collected deanor, Claire turned on her heel, not sparing Mia another glance, and strode toward Sissy and Eliam with her head held high.
Mia stood frozen in place, her face flushed with anger, fuming as Claire disappeared into the crowd. She clenched her fists, humiliated and seething with frustration at having been dismissed so effortlessly.
Sissy let out an exaggerated sigh of relief when Claire finally rejoined them. Her eyes were still fixed on where Mia had stood monts before. "What a drama queen! Honestly, Claire, how did you ever put up with her?"
Claire smiled faintly, pulling Eliam closer and planting a gentle kiss on the top of his head. "I didn’t... not for long, anyway."
"Good," Sissy replied, grabbing Claire’s arm in a show of support. "Now let’s forget about her and get back to spoiling this little prince."
Eliam cheered, raising his tiny arms in triumph. "Yay! Mommy and Aunty Sissy are the best!"
Claire chuckled, her earlier tension lting away. She wanted to make the day morable for Eliam, not letting the joy on his face replace the sting of her unpleasant encounter. They wandered together back into the vibrant racks and displays, imrsing themselves in their shopping spree.
But as they laughed and browsed, the atmosphere in the store began to shift. Murmurs started to ripple through the other shoppers, their whispered conversations growing louder and more obvious.
"What the hell?"
"Is it true?"
"I can’t believe this!"
Claire noticed the sideways glances and hushed tones, her brows furrowing in confusion. Even Sissy, who was usually oblivious to such things, couldn’t ignore it.
"What’s going on here?" Sissy asked, her voice sharp as she turned to face the growing crowd. "Is there sothing wrong with you all? Why are you staring at us like that?"
Before anyone could respond, the store manager appeared, his expression tense but condescending. He approached Claire directly, his gaze flickering between her and the others.
"Excuse , Miss," he began, his tone falsely polite. "I am afraid we can’t sell our products to you anymore."
Claire blinked, taken aback by the sudden hostility. "Excuse ? What do you an you can’t sell to us? We haven’t done anything wrong."
The manager straightened his posture, clearly uncomfortable but resolute. "We have received nurous complaints from one of our VVIP custors," he explained, his words carefully chosen but his tone laced with disdain. "They have requested that we not serve you, and we must prioritize their concerns."
"VVIP?" Sissy scoffed, stepping forward with her hands on her hips. "Let guess—it’s Mia, isn’t it? She is the only one petty enough to pull a stunt like this!"
Claire’s expression darkened, her earlier calm now replaced by a simring anger. She stared the manager down, her voice sharp and unwavering. "Let get this straight—you are refusing to serve us based on a complaint? No proof, no valid reason, just soone’s word?"
The manager hesitated but didn’t back down. "Miss, we value all our custors, but VVIPs are... a special category. I apologize, but my hands are tied."
"Apologize?" Claire repeated, her voice icy. "No, you are not sorry. If you were, you wouldn’t be standing here treating paying custors like this."
Sissy snorted, her irritation bubbling over. "Claire, let’s just leave. This place isn’t worth our ti or money."
But Claire wasn’t ready to walk away just yet. She narrowed her eyes as she leaned slightly closer to the manager. "Do you really want to leave because of one person’s baseless complaints? Is that how you run a business?"
The manager faltered, the confidence in his expression beginning to waver under her piercing gaze. Around them, the murmurs from other custors grew louder, so watching with curiosity, others with discomfort.
Claire straightened, her voice firm and resolute. "If you insist on siding with people who bully and lie, then fine. But rember this— I don’t need to shop here to prove my worth. Your store, on the other hand, just lost not only a custor but its dignity."
She turned to leave, her grip tightening on Eliam’s hand, but sothing made her pause. Claire’s eyes narrowed as she glanced back at the manager. "But..." she said, her voice sharper now, "before I go, I would like to et the store owner. I want to see what kind of person runs a place that condones this kind of behavior."
The manager’s polite facade crumbled as his disgust finally showed. "Do you even deserve to et our boss?" he scoffed, his tone dripping with contempt. "Let tell you sothing— our boss hates cheaters. Especially won who cheat on their husbands, abandon them, and run off to chase even richer n."
"What the hell!" Sissy exploded, her face flushed with anger. She raised her hand, ready to slap the man, but Claire quickly stepped between them, catching Sissy’s wrist.
"Don’t," Claire said softly but firmly, her eyes flicking to her friend. "It’s not worth it. We don’t need to stoop to their level."
Sissy seethed but dropped her hand, muttering under her breath. "This is unbelievable, Claire. Soone needs to put him in his place."
Claire turned back to the manager, her expression icy. "Call your boss. Let talk to him. Let’s see if I am the kind of person he supposedly hates."
The manager sneered but hesitated, glancing at the growing crowd around them. Custors were murmuring louder now, clearly uncomfortable but intrigued by the confrontation.
"Go on," Claire pressed, her voice calm but cutting. "If your boss values honesty and integrity as much as you claim, I am sure he will be interested to hear what I have to say."
The tension was thick, the air almost crackling with anticipation. Even Eliam, sensing the gravity of the situation, clung tightly to Claire’s leg, his wide eyes darting between the adults as he sliently slipped his hand into his pocket and dialed Evander’s number.
Sissy crossed her arms and smirked at the manager. "Well? What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? Or are you afraid your boss will see through your lies too?"
The manager’s jaw tightened. "Fine," he snapped, pulling out his phone. "But don’t say I didn’t warn you. Our boss has no patience for won like you."
Claire raised a brow but said nothing, her calm deanor only fueling the manager’s frustration.
As he stepped away to make the call, Sissy leaned closer to Claire. "Are you sure about this?" she whispered. "What if their boss is as bad as he is?"
Claire smiled faintly, her confidence unwavering. "If that’s the case, we will leave. But I want them to hear the truth —from ."
Sissy sighed but nodded, muttering, "You are braver than I thought you would be."
The crowd continued to murmur as the manager spoke into his phone, his voice low and hurried. Monts later, he returned, his expression smug. "Our boss will see you," he said. "But don’t think for a second this will go the way you want."
Claire nodded, her expression unreadable. "Lead the way."
"There is no need to lead the way!" The manager responded. "Our boss is on his way here already; he will see to it!"
Eliam shook Claire’s hands and looked into her eyes as he whispered, "Mommy, are we in trouble?"
Claire kneeled briefly, cupping his face with a reassuring smile. "No, sweetheart. Sotis, we have to stand up for ourselves. That’s all."
Eliam nodded his trust in her unwavering.
Mia stood a few steps away with arms crossed and a smug smile plastered across her face. She watched the unfolding scene with poorly disguised glee, eagerly anticipating the mont Claire would be humiliated and kicked out of the room.
She hadn’t expected Claire to demand to see the store owner. The request threw her off for a brief second, but Mia quickly shrugged it off.
Let her try, Mia thought, smirking. It won’t change a thing.
After all, the owner of the store was Diana’s close friend. Claire didn’t stand a chance, not with the strings Mia had pulled. She had done this before, countless tis, and it had always worked in her favor. Why should this ti be any different?
Mia leaned casually against the wall, her eyes glinting with malice. "Go ahead, Claire," she murmured under her breath, the corner of her lips twitching into a grin. "Make a fool of yourself."
In her mind, she pictured Diana’s friend, the store owner, siding with her as usual. A few harsh words, a patronizing lecture, and Claire would be escorted out in sha. The image was so satisfying that Mia nearly laughed out loud.
She doesn’t know what she’s up against. Mia thought triumphantly.
"Let’s go inside the office and wait for our boss to arrive." the manager said and escorted them to the office against his wishes.
But as they reached the office door, Mia noticed sothing strange. Claire didn’t look nervous or defeated. She looked... composed. Unbothered by everything that was happening to her!
The confidence in Claire’s stride sparked a flicker of doubt in Mia’s mind. A whisper of unease crept in, but she quickly shook it off.
"Let’s see how long you can keep that facade," Mia muttered, her arms tightening across her chest.
She lingered just outside the office door, ready to savor every mont of Claire’s impending humiliation. What Mia didn’t realize, however, was that this ti, the script wasn’t going to play out the way she had imagined.
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