Avery couldn't help but burst into laughter as the reality of the situation hit her. “Wait— you’re actually skipping school just to go shopping?” she asked, still a bit shocked by the idea. Anna just flipped her hair over her shoulder with a confident look and said, “This isn’t just any type of shopping.” Avery narrowed her eyes playfully and let out a curious “Oh?” to which Anna grinned and replied, “This is emotional therapy shopping.” They both laughed, and suddenly the atmosphere in the penthouse felt so much lighter— excited, and maybe even a little dangerously carefree.The girls started getting ready, and Anna was the first to change. She stepped out looking incredibly expensive in a fitted ivory blazer over a champagne silk top, paired with tailored beige shorts and a gold chain belt. With her white designer boots and diamond studs, she looked effortlessly high end. Avery came out a few moments later, looking fresh and naturally beautiful in a soft blue pleated skirt, a cr

The silence between them seemed to stretch out like forever. Even the busy, echoing sounds of the mall— the footsteps, the distant music, the chatter of shoppers— seemed to fade into the background until it was just the three of them in a world of their own. Anna didn't even blink as she stood her ground, her small frame radiating a kind of power that made Tristan look small. Her eyes were locked onto him with a chilling, predatory steadiness. “If you win,” she repeated, her voice as calm and flat as a still lake in the middle of a graveyard, “you can have Avery back.”Tristan took a slow, deep breath, and you could almost see the arrogance rushing back into his chest like a physical wave. He stood up a little taller, adjusted the collar of his expensive jacket, and looked at Anna with a mocking smirk that made Avery irk in disgust. “And if I lose?” he asked, his tone filled with sarcasm, as if the very idea of him losing to someone like Robert was the funniest joke he’d ever heard

The air in the boutique suddenly felt freezing cold. Avery reached out and grabbed Anna’s arm the very second the silence in the room began to thicken like a heavy fog. “What are you doing?” she whispered, her voice urgent and shaking with a bit of panic. “Why are you challenging them?”Anna didn’t even glance at her friend. Her eyes were locked onto Bella and Carla with a steady, dangerous focus that didn't waver for a second. “They’re stepping on my toes,” Anna said, her voice eerily calm. “And I don’t like it.”“Anna, please,” Avery insisted, her grip tightening as she tried to pull her away. “Let’s just leave. We can get something else. There are hundreds of necklaces here.” But Anna just shook her head slowly, her face straightened unwillingly. “I don’t want something else. I want this one.”Behind Carla, one of the famous influencers stepped forward. She had sharp, model like features and a high pitched voice that carried easily across the quiet store. “I’m sure you don’t realiz

The heavy silence in the boutique didn't even last for ten seconds before the entire room was turned into total chaos. It was like a switch had been flipped, and suddenly, everyone who had been looking down on Anna was tripping over themselves to get in her good graces.“Miss Graham, please forgive us!” the manager shouted as he rushed forward, bowing so low and so many times that he looked like a bobblehead. “If we had only known who you really were, none of this ever would have happened! I am so sincerely sorry for my total incompetence!”Behind Bella and Carla, their group of influencer friends scrambled forward too, their faces full of fake smiles and desperation. “We’re so sorry, Miss Graham!” one cried out. “We really didn’t know who you were!” added another, while a third pleaded.“Please, just forgive how we were acting earlier!”Even Bella, who had been the meanest of them all, stepped forward with her head down, her pride completely gone. “I truly apologize,” she said, he

The Bullion Empire Corporation didn’t just sit on the street, it loomed over the city like a giant monument to pure power. It wasn’t just a building— it was a reminder of the power houses in the financial industry. Three massive glass domes sat on top of the structure, with one giant central dome towering over two smaller ones like a king standing over his guards. The sunlight hit the curved glass and the reflection made it look shiny and blinding, while the rest of the building was wrapped in black steel and mirrored panels that reflected the entire skyline.A wide marble staircase led up to the front doors, which were trimmed in real gold, and rows of water fountains lined the plaza, their streams jumping up and down in a perfect, synchronized beat. Everything about the place screamed three things: Wealth, Authority, and Control.At that exact moment, a Ferrari SF90 Stradale rolled into the driveway. It was low, aggressive, and looked deadly elegant. The engine didn't roar, it pur