Chapter 110: Chapter 110

Chapter 110:

“Miss Warren,” Judie greeted, glancing subtly at Vivian and Bryan. She harbored the hope that fostering a good relationship with Vivian would make Bryan pay attention to her. With that thought, she couldn’t help but smile warmly. “I’ve already requested time off for tomorrow. Where shall we meet?”

Vivian cast a glance towards Bryan and replied hurriedly, “Let’s decide later. What brings you here today?”

“I thought I’d prepare for our shopping trip to Vicin Mall tomorrow by clearing up urgent work today,” Judie explained. “While spending time with you is a priority, I must also keep up with my duties.” She glanced at Bryan, wanting to prove that she was skillful in balancing her work commitments with her social plans.

Upon hearing the mention of “Vicin Mall,” Bryan furrowed his brows, but he quickly composed himself and lit a cigarette as if nothing had happened.

“Alright, you can go back home now,” Vivian dismissed Judie impatiently, then led Bryan to leave.

Her heart raced, knowing that Bryan showed no concern over her plan to visit Vicin Mall. With relief washing over her, she thought about her next moves to make Stella happy.

The store manager’s meeting on Monday morning would run until nearly noon.

Before heading out, Charli expressed a nagging worry. “I’ve got a strange feeling something’s up today. Eileen, stay in the warehouse and go over the employee handbook again.”

“Got it,” Eileen agreed without objection and went to the warehouse with the handbook. She had only been in the warehouse for a few minutes when Aniya approached her. “Eileen, I need to step into the break room to sort out some new gowns for customers. Could you watch the front for a minute?”

It was just for a short while. Eileen set aside the handbook and stepped out just in time to spot Vivian and Judie at the entrance of the store. She understood the situation immediately.

L𝓐tєѕτ chʜɑρτєrs ιn g𝒶l𝑛ovєl𝑠.ⲕоm “Eileen?” Judie expressed surprise upon seeing Eileen. “What are you doing here?”

“Can’t you tell?” Vivian said, pulling Judie into the store. “Eileen works here now. Let’s support her business.”

Eileen’s change of employment was common knowledge within the company, and Judie was certainly aware. As a matter of fact, many had questioned Judie about Eileen’s whereabouts. When Judie claimed ignorance, no one believed her, assuming she was merely withholding information. In truth, she didn’t know. Ever since Roderick’s outburst, she had avoided contacting Eileen.

“I don’t usually attend to occasions that require me to wear gowns,” Judie muttered. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to afford one.

Vivian just said, “Choose any gown you fancy. Consider it my gift to you.”

Judie’s heart surged with excitement, prompting an almost audible laugh, but she quickly masked her reaction with a feigned reluctance. Then, Vivian pulled her into the lounge, with Eileen following behind after taking a deep breath.

Upon seeing Vivian, Aniya and Essie quickly pocketed their phones, greeted Vivian with a nod, and promptly exited.

“Bring us two cups of coffee first,” Vivian ordered arrogantly as she settled into a chair, placing her purse beside her.

“Okay,” Eileen responded and left. She returned shortly with coffee and two types of snacks. Judie was astounded. She had gone to a clothing store where coffee and snacks were offered for free.

She was so nervous that she barely spoke, fearing any mistake might draw ridicule. She anxiously fidgeted with her clothes.

“Pick a gown that will suit Judie,” Vivian instructed Eileen. Eileen quickly selected one that complemented Judie’s skin tone and overall style.

“Try this one on,” she suggested.

“Sure!” Judie exclaimed, reaching for the gown with careful hands. The fabric flowed like water through her fingers.

To conceal her excitement, Judie bit her lip and followed Eileen to the fitting room. Inside, Judie whispered to Eileen, “Please don’t be upset. Miss Warren insisted I join her shopping, and I couldn’t say no. Without you at the company, I have no one else to turn to, so I have to play along, right? Don’t worry, Miss Warren is buying me this gown, and it will count as a sale for you—a win-win situation!”

Eileen pondered whether Judie was genuinely naive or simply oblivious. Still, she chose not to reply.

Minutes later, Judie stepped out of the fitting room clad in the gown, her reflection in the mirror causing her eyes to light up immediately. She had never seen herself this beautiful! The black strapless gown accentuated her figure, adding a touch of elegance that she hadn’t known she possessed.

“This one is perfect, Miss Warren! Just buy this one!” she exclaimed, her eyes shining as she turned towards Vivian.

Vivian, who had been leisurely sipping her coffee, glanced up and directed her question to Eileen. “What’s the price of this?”

“It’s eighty-eight thousand, but after the discount, it comes to over seventy thousand,” Eileen replied.

Judie gasped at the price. Seventy thousand for a single dress was beyond her usual spend, especially for something she couldn’t wear regularly to work.

“This is far too cheap. Pick another one,” Vivian remarked, pointing towards a red gown displayed on a mannequin. “Try that one.”

Judie was taken aback by Vivian’s words. She hadn’t expected Vivian to think that the price for the black gown was cheap.

Eileen retrieved the red gown for Judie, who found it even more to her liking. However, Vivian deemed the color too vivid and casually selected another one. One by one, green, blue, and white gowns were tried on until Judie began to feel something was off.

Judie was still in the last pink gown, which did not flatter her complexion.

“Miss Warren, the first one is lovely and more affordable. It seems wasteful to wear such expensive ones when I don’t need to,” Judie suggested, glancing at the mountain of gowns piled on the sofa and then back at Eileen.

It was clear that Vivian was making trouble for Eileen on purpose.

“What are you worried about?” Vivian stood up and approached Eileen, her voice laden with implication. “Are you concerned that Eileen will struggle to clean up after us? She’s serving us now. Attending to our needs is her job. As soon as you walk into the store, she needs to listen to you. It’s not just about fetching dresses and serving drinks; she should even be expected to massage you.”

Eileen remained poised. Her gaze was calm yet penetrating as she looked at Judie. Even though she wasn’t uttering a word or doing anything, it was enough to leave Judie feeling uneasy.

“Today, you can try on every gown here and pick your favorite,” Vivian declared. Then, she turned to Eileen and asked, “Do you have any objections?”

“Of course not,” Eileen responded, wearing a courteous smile.

Witnessing Eileen’s subdued reaction, Judie experienced a mix of satisfaction and an inexplicable sense of triumph. She paused for a moment before pointing to another gown. “I’d like to try that one next.”

“Got it,” Eileen replied and went to retrieve it.

However, when Eileen handed the gown to Judie, Judie accepted it and said, “It doesn’t look as nice as it did on the hanger. Maybe… I should try another one?”

Seeing that, Vivian laughed and said, “Of course; try as many as you like.”

Eileen, still holding the gown, said nothing, patiently waiting for Judie to make another selection. Now, Judie was convinced that Eileen had no power to change the dynamics of their interaction.

“I want to try that one,” Judie said, pointing to a diamond-studded gown in the display case.

Eileen looked at it and replied, “That’s the most expensive gown in the store.”

“Am I not allowed to try it?” Judie asked, her tone sharp and confrontational, mirroring Vivian’s earlier demeanor.

After a brief pause, Eileen’s gaze softened as she replied with a polite smile, “You can try it on. However, I must inform you, as a precaution, that if any damage occurs to the gown during the fitting, like lost diamonds or stains, you will be responsible for purchasing it at full price or covering the repair costs.”

The potential cost of even a single missing diamond was more than Judie could afford. Judie turned to look at Vivian, who had resumed drinking her coffee. Vivian appeared oblivious to their exchange. Clearly, she wouldn’t be helping Judie if anything happened.

“Then I’ll try on this one instead,” Judie said, choosing a light grey gown.

Eileen quickly retrieved it for her.

As Judie tried on several more gowns, Eileen maintained her silence. Judie’s anxiety grew with each gown she tried. Seizing a moment while Eileen was fetching another, she got next to Vivian.

“Miss Warren, isn’t this enough?” she whispered, glancing at the pile of tried gowns. Half of the store’s gowns had already been tried.

“What do you mean by ‘enough’?” Vivian responded with a look of disdain. “When she was sleeping with my man, did you ever think that was enough? If you’re going soft on her, remember, I can easily find someone else to take your place.”

The threat in Vivian’s words was alarming. Judie quickly responded, “I’m just concerned you might become weary from this for so long.”

“Weary? Not at all. I’m merely bored, wanting to see something more entertaining,” Vivian said, making her intentions clear.

Judie understood Vivian perfectly. She bit her lip, lost in thought for a moment. Eileen returned carrying two glasses of juice and set them down on the table just as Judie made another request. “Could I have some milk tea instead? And these snacks aren’t very appealing. Do you have any other choices on the menu?”

“Sure,” Eileen replied promptly, turning to get milk tea and different snacks.

The second she encountered Vivian, Eileen had braced herself for a challenging morning. Since confrontation was futile and would only worsen matters, she chose to handle the situation with calm, learning from past errors.

The morning dragged on, consumed by continuous demands, and by nearly eleven, the lounge was more disorderly than before. Having satisfied her taste for amusement, Vivian was now feeling hungry and decided that it was time to leave. Judie didn’t dare to mention that Vivian hadn’t actually purchased the gown for her. She followed Vivian out of the lounge, and Eileen wasn’t far behind them.

At that moment, just back from the meeting, Charli noticed the unfolding drama and frowned slightly. Vivian murmured something to Judie. Then, Judie declared loudly, “I want to file a complaint!”

Essie had been waiting for this moment, so she quickly took out the complaint book, but Charli intervened and stopped her. “What seems to be the issue you’d like to address?” Charli asked.

Overwhelming with feigned indignation, Judie said, “I’m filing a complaint against Eileen. Her service was subpar, making us feel unwelcome, and she failed to make us happy.”

“Our staff’s duties are to serve and provide information, not to ensure your happiness,” Charli responded with a faint smile. “Could you elaborate on what specifically was inadequate about her service?”

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