Chapter 36

Shelly looked a little diffident. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

How did Eva know about that?

Mia didn’t expect to hear about something like that. She pulled out her phone to

show Shelly her invitation. “Take a good look at this-I’m attending the awards

ceremony because my capabilities got me to where I am.

“I’m not like some people who only know how to pull strings and buy their way in

because they don’t have any skills to back themselves up.”

Shelly’s blood boiled. She hadn’t expected Mia to make it to the finals. She looked at

the evening gowns the salesperson held. “Hey, you. Wrap all three of those dresses

up for me.”

The salesperson looked conflicted. Shelly’s expression darkened. “Did you not hear

me? Wrap those dresses up for me. Don’t you know who I am?”

“Yes, Ms. Barrett.”

“Hold it!” Eva stopped the salesperson. “We came first.”

Shelly laughed derisively. “So what? It’s not like you can afford them. Why are you

trying to make yourself seem better than you are?”

“Whoever told you that we can’t afford them? Swipe my card.” Eva pulled out a credit

card and placed it in the salesperson’s hand. “Go on.”

She’d never been on the receiving end of such scorn in her life. No one in Nord City

would dare accuse her of not being able to afford something!

“Wait a minute.” Mia took the credit card from the salesperson and looked at Eva. “I

haven’t even tried those gowns on yet; there’s no need to buy them. Let’s look at

some others.”

Eva had only acted in a fit of rage because she didn’t want to take Shelly’s mockery

lying down. Since Mia had stopped her, she didn’t insist.

Mia linked arms with her and dragged her over to another corner to check out the dresses there. But

whenever something caught their attention, Shelly would

immediately say, “Wrap that up for me.”

Mia’s eyes gleamed. She walked over to the bags. As soon as she picked one up,

Shelly ran over to her. “Wrap this up for me, too!”

Eva couldn’t stand it anymore. She glared at Shelly. “Are you doing this on purpose?”

“Yes, I am. I want some people to see what a disparity in wealth is like! Don’t shop

here if you can’t afford it!”

Mia stopped Eva from doing anything. Then, she checked out several more bags and

dresses. She only stopped after going through more than half of the store’s offerings.

“What, had enough already?” Shelly looked smug.

Mia looked at the salesperson. “Look at all the things Ms. Barrett has decided to buy.

Why don’t you settle the bill now? After all, Ms. Barrett is rich and generous. She

wouldn’t go back on her word and refuse to buy the things, nor would she return the

items at a later date.”

The salesperson was so agitated that she could barely keep a hold of the things in

her hands. How much of a commission would she earn from this deal?

It was only at this moment that Shelly realized she’d picked out too many things.

After all, she’d only been thinking about snatching the things that Mia was

interested in so she could humiliate Mia. She didn’t expect Mia to pull a fast one on

her.

Shelly looked at the small pile of clothes, bags, and shoes. Many of them weren’t to

her liking, and she couldn’t help wincing at the thought of having to spend money

on them. She said angrily, “You did this on purpose, Mia!”

Mia leaned against an empty rack. “Yeah, I did. If you can’t afford them, why make

yourself seem better than you are?”

She’d told Shelly the exact words that Shelly had said to her earlier.

Eva burst into laughter. She thought Mia would get bullied, but it seemed Mia was

better than she gave her credit for. She chimed in, “Some people just love pretending to be wealthy. If

you can’t afford them, you really should drop the act.”

“Who the hell are you saying can’t afford these things? I’m a member of the Barrett family, which is the

largest shareholder of this mall. How could I possibly not be able to afford these things?”

As soon as the words were out of Shelly’s mouth, the salesperson came over with her card. “Ms.

Barrett, the transaction can’t go through. You’ve exceeded your limit.”