Chapter 55 – Wrong Store?
Emma and Mrs. Braxton headed for the most expensive perfume stall in the city, which they were one of the store’s most favored customers given the uniqueness of their reception.
She looked around the sea of luxurious scents, deciding she might find something she fancied but was quickly driven away by the price tags.
What in the world?!
Emma was stunned at the exorbitant prices and as a result, called Mrs. Adams with a little voice, hoping she didn’t already do something that’d put them in debt.
She was so broke that she couldn’t take chances with the little money she expected to turn the tides over for her. She felt convinced that any little mishap could send her entire plan and foreseeable future to hell. Someplace she wasn’t quite fond of.
Mrs. Braxton spotted a gesturing Emma, wondering if she saw something she liked already. She walked over to her with a kind smile, expecting to see the little gem that caught the attention and heart of Emma within minutes of entry.
” Which is it, Mrs. Braxton?” She asked upon reaching Emma who conveniently stood before some woodland-scented perfumes well below the price range of the usual bottles they got. Taking note of the choice of her scent, she decided to find similar scents but with an enhanced and luxurious feel, befitting her new status as the Lady of the house.
Knowing what a Lady entailed and having served the elder Mrs, Mrs. Adams was there to play guide and vet for everything that was to be purchased. Not necessarily choosing for her, but getting the best of whatever it is she chose. And if push came to shove, she was well within her rights to get things she deemed befitting for royalty.
Poor Emma was in the dark, losing her mind by the second. They couldn’t risk being here, a place she deemed outside her capabilities. Whether she had money or not.
” I think we are in the wrong stall,” Emma spoke immediately Mrs. Adams drew nigh. Her tone was low, one wouldn’t be able to tell there was some conversation going on. that is with exception to mind and lips readers.
” I can’t hear you, Can you be a bit more outspoken? My ears seem to be growing old.” Mrs. Adams said, about as subtle as a gun.
Emma felt exposed, Now all eyes were on them. She wondered if having glasses in an enclosed and luxurious place added to the entire room darting their naked eyes toward their direction.
” Could you be any louder? I’m trying to be discreet here.” She said, complaining.
” Oh don’t be shy! The Braxton households are age-long friends and customers of this store. They surely don’t mind.” She said, aiming to diffuse whatever semblance of discomfort brewing from their exchange in the stall.
Abhorring any more pairs of eyes wandering their way, Emma nodded, showing acceptance although she was far from it. It was a little price to pay to get the attention off of them. Or so she thought.
” Okay, I think we need to exit this store, like right now.” Emma declared hurriedly as soon as they were out of sight and hearing.
Mrs. Adams felt confused. ” Is there a problem?” She asked, thoroughly concerned.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
” Yes!” She said with a low voice, ” the products in this store cost about an arm and leg, something I’m unwilling and unable to do.” She declared, seeming taut.
” Of course, this is the best place to shop for perfumes for a reason. I, unfortunately, don’t see why that is an issue.”
Emma sported a look that almost deemed Mrs. Adams crazy. ” The prices are out of this world, totally out of my budget AND I’m not about to wait for customers or clean floors to pay for them.”
Mrs. Adams had a burst of genuine laughter. ” And what gave you the impression of paying, Mrs. Braxton,” She asked, showing off a sleek black limitless card. ” All you need to do is choose, anything at all, and it’s yours, We’ve got it covered.” She added, waving the card for good measure.
Emma, once again, had to adapt to being taken care of. The secret life of a married woman. Or rather, The life of a woman married to the infamous Asher Braxton. ” So what, I don’t get to contribute to anything? What do I do now? Inform you at every corner if I see something I want?” She asked, incredulously.
” Exactly.” It was obvious just how excited Mrs. Adams got when it came to shopping. It restored the semblance of control after a day of waiting on people and whatnot.
Emma couldn’t bring herself to understand how rich her contract husband was that made spending as much as five million dollars on perfume normal. Yes, she knew he was wealthy, that was clear from the amount of money he committed towards their fake marriage and the company’s worth entirely.
Despite knowing that, it didn’t make the idea of spending that much on something so mundane acceptable. Matter-of-fact, she thought it absurd and insane. A feeling that Mrs. Adams, unfortunately, didn’t relate to.
” Since we’ve gotten to an understanding, I’ll wrap things up over here.” Mrs. Adams said as she moved in to pay for the items and be well on their way to other stores. They had a long way to go with the shopping and it felt wise not to spend any more time than required on a single store.
After a few minutes of Emma casually browsing through the store, Mrs. Adams appeared, requesting they move along to other stores. Noticeably, there wasn’t any sign or bag that indicated they bought anything, which begged the question,
” Where’s the product?” Emma asked, holding a look of confusion.
” Oh don’t worry, we usually have the items delivered to the doorstep. It makes for a more convenient and productive shopping experience.” Mrs. Adams said with a smile, ” chop! chop! We have a long way to go.” She added, urging her as they left the building.
Emma didn’t know what to say, matter of fact, she just tagged along, wondering if she made the right decision coming out with Mrs. Adams. Unknown to her, she was in for greater surprises. The duo walked out, conversing on their next point of action.
On their little walkout, Emma noticed they were being followed. Being a victim of a similar circumstance, she immediately lost peace and turned out of the supposed conversation she was having with Mrs. Adams.
” What’s next?” She asked, stopping for a second to speak to Emma.
” First,” Emma started, coming up closer, ” I think we are being followed, something’s fishy.” She shared, tethering on the borders of panic.
” Followed?” Mrs. Adams asked, taking a sweep of their environment. ” We are alright, nothing’s wrong,” she added after the sweep and continued on her journey like the case wasn’t one to be wary of.
Emma gritted her teeth, nearly angered, ” Excuse me, can you focus? There’s a man tailing us and if you can’t see that, I propose we leave immediately,”
Mrs. Adams flinched, only now understanding the severity of the situation. Emma seemed out of it but she was too busy to even notice or ease her fears. ” I understand your concerns, Mrs. Braxton. I Apologize for giving the impression of being uncaring of your safety.” She said, resuming her formal position. ” Those men are from Braxton’s security arm. As the Lady of the home, you are naturally entitled to security details for safety precautions.” She explained.
Emma released a sigh, ” And when were you all planning to inform me?” She asked exasperatedly.
” I apologize, they were supposed to be inconspicuous as they carried out their duties before being formally introduced by the boss.” She explained, staring daggers at the supposed security man, doing a great job pretending to be reading a news magazine, upturned.
He couldn’t be more discreet than that even if he tried.
Emma nodded, deciding to end it at that, ” What’s next? ” She asked and at that moment, Mrs. Adams’s phone rang.
” Excuse me.” She said, stepping a few meters from her to answer the call.
Emma stood for a second and decided to take a stroll around. She was covered after all, and although they were doing a poor job at maintaining a hidden stance, she believed that if push came to shove, they should be able to protect her, they were trained men saddled with the responsibility of protecting the most prestigious family in the state.
Armed with that knowledge, she decided to take her chances and waltz around the mall for something she liked. That money couldn’t spend itself.
A few steps away from Mrs. Adams, in the middle of the mall, her eyes caught a familiar item, displayed in a store. With quick steps, she headed for the store which screamed luxury.
It was one of the Steele Distribution stores. Her masterpiece was displayed amongst their star pieces, which were equally some of her previous creations, hers and her mother’s, going for a ridiculous amount of money and in limited quantity.
Her heart pricked as she watched people admire the setup but were not allowed into the store. Upon clear observation, it was clear that there was some sort of discrimination going on, and selected individuals were allowed in to gain access.