Ephyra lifted a brow, did the staff read her thoughts? "With heels and accessories?"
"Yes, and if you’d like, we can have one of our stylists assist you with hair and makeup as well."
She glanced at Jania, who sighed and shook her head.
"Sure," Ephyra said, a slow smile forming. "Why not?"
Fifteen minutes later, she stood before the full-length mirror, draping a luxurious white fur coat over her shoulders.
The transformation was striking. The deep red cropped halter top, hugged her figure perfectly, paired with the flowing satin maxi skirt that stopped around her ankles. White high-heeled shoes elongated her legs. A white quilted handbag with a gold chain strap rested at her side, complenting the gold and pearl drop earrings that glead softly under the boutique’s lighting.
Her nails, painted a rich, matching red, tapped lightly against the handbag as she adjusted her grip. The sa deep shade colored her lips, adding a final touch to her look. Her long red hair cascaded in soft waves down her back, the loose curls framing her face with an effortless elegance.
Ephyra tilted her head slightly, examining herself in the mirror.
There was sothing undeniably powerful about this look. Bold yet refined. Feminine yet commanding.
Jania let out a low whistle. "Well, damn."
Ephyra smirked, adjusting the fur coat over her shoulders. "Not bad."
"Not bad?" Jania scoffed. "You look like you’re about to walk into a gala and steal soone’s fortune—and maybe their heart while you’re at it."
Ephyra chuckled. "I do have that effect, don’t I?"
Jania rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched in amusent. "So? Are we finally taking this shopping trip seriously, or are you just going to stand there admiring yourself all day?"
Ephyra turned slightly, the skirt swaying with the movent as she studied her reflection one last ti.
"Maybe a little of both," she mused, a slow smile curving her lips.
"Okay, let’s continue and take that off."
Ephyra rolled her eyes, "Let take so pictures first."
A staff mber suddenly rushed into the room, her expression tense and anxious. Before her superior could scold her for the abrupt entrance, she leaned in and hurriedly whispered sothing into the woman’s ear. The manager’s face imdiately darkened, and a sharp curse slipped past her lips.
"Where is she? Is soone handling the situation?" she demanded in a low, urgent whisper.
Both Ephyra and Jania overheard the exchange, though only Ephyra spared a glance in their direction. She wondered which insufferable custor had arrived to make even a high-ranking staff mber turn pale. Jania, on the other hand, remained entirely uninterested, still sifting through the dresses with an air of indifference.
"Yes, I left Linda and Sam with her—"
"Linda and Sam?!" the manager cut in, her voice strained with disbelief. "You know very well they dread dealing with her! They wouldn’t even be able to utter a single word to pacify her!"
"That’s why I ca to get you—"
"?" The manager scoffed, shaking her head in irritation. "Can’t you see I’m busy? These custors are just as important, if not more so. I can’t possibly leave them just to deal with that spoiled little brat!"
"But ma’am—"
"Go get Ariana. She’s the deputy manager—she should be able to handle it."
"What? But ma’am, you know that—"
The hushed argunt was abruptly cut off by the sharp sound of heels clicking against the boutique’s marble floors, followed by a commotion just beyond the door.
"Get out of my way."
"Miss Celine, please—you can’t just—"
"Miss Celine, we ask for your understanding. The manager is currently occupied and—"
"Occupied?" A sharp, disdainful laugh rang out. "Do I look like I care?"
Ephyra finally turned her full attention to the scene, her gaze flickering toward the entrance. The na sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.
Jania, still unfazed, casually plucked another dress from the rack and muttered dryly, "Great. Just what we needed—so entitled little princess throwing a tantrum."
The door burst open with a sharp bang, cutting off the hushed conversation between the boutique staff.
A dainty yet arrogant figure strode in, her presence imdiately shifting the atmosphere in the private shopping lounge. She was petite, draped in a designer ensemble—an intricately embroidered white coat cinched at the waist, paired with nude stilettos that clicked against the polished floor with each step. Golden earrings glead against her flawless skin, and her dark, perfectly curled hair frad a strikingly delicate yet arrogant face.
Her expression was a practiced blend of feigned innocence and cold entitlent, her lips painted a soft rose.
"Busy?" she echoed in a lilting, incredulous tone, her gaze sweeping across the room before landing on the boutique manager with thinly veiled disdain. "You can’t possibly be too busy for ."
The manager stiffened, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Miss Celine, as I was trying to explain—"
Celine lifted a manicured hand, cutting her off effortlessly. "Spare the excuses. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting? Twenty minutes." She let out a dramatic sigh, placing a hand on her hip. "I don’t wait. You wait for ."
The staff behind her looked uncomfortable, eyes darting toward the manager, silently pleading for intervention.
Ephyra, who had been watching the exchange with mild curiosity, now felt an amused smirk tug at her lips. So this is the infamous custor who has the staff shaking in their overpriced heels.
Jania, on the other hand, barely spared Celine a glance, still idly sifting through the dresses.
"Twenty minutes is hardly an eternity," the manager said, voice carefully asured. "We have other VIP clients in the lounge, and I—"
Celine’s gaze flickered toward Ephyra then, as if only now noticing her presence. The second their eyes t, sothing shifted in the air.
Recognition.
Surprise.
And then, unmistakable distaste.
Ephyra’s smirk widened slightly. Ah. This just got interesting.
Celine’s expression froze for a fraction of a second before she smoothly recovered, straightening her shoulders. "Well, well," she murmured, her tone laced with sothing saccharine and sharp. "I was wondering who could possibly be important enough to steal my ti." Her gaze flicked over Ephyra’s outfit, a quick, assessing glance that barely hid the flicker of surprise. "I should have known."
Ephyra remained seated, utterly unbothered, running her fingers along the plush fur of her coat before lifting her gaze lazily.
"Oh? You know ?" she mused, her tone perfectly polite but threaded with mock curiosity.
Celine’s lips curved into a thin smile. "Everyone does. Aren’t you the pathetic little girl that was abused by her stepmother, insulted by her stepsister, and cheated on by her fiance?"
Ephyra humd, tilting her head as if considering the statent. "Your description is so detailed, you must have watched the full video then. It seems I got popular overnight. Strange. I don’t recall ever eting you."
A flash of irritation passed through Celine’s eyes, gone as quickly as it ca. "You must have heard of , then."
"No," Ephyra said simply.
Jania snorted.
Celine’s smile stiffened.
The boutique manager, sensing the tension thickening, cleared her throat quickly. "Miss Celine, we can arrange a private session for you in another lounge—"
"I like this lounge," Celine interrupted coolly, eyes still locked onto Ephyra.
The challenge in her gaze was unmistakable.
Ephyra’s smirk didn’t waver, but there was an unmistakable gleam in her blue eyes now—a dangerous, lazy sort of amusent.
She set down her handbag with deliberate ease, lacing her fingers together as she leaned forward slightly, her posture still relaxed but her presence shifting into sothing sharper.
"Oh?" she mused. "You do?"
"Yes, and I want you to get out."
The boutique manager, anwhile, looked one wrong word away from collapsing.
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