5

Gabriel entered the store, hoping to find a beautiful dress for Lily. Since he beat Daniel to the dress, the opportunity to win her back was great, and he was ready to capitalize on it. She was his wife, and he wasn’t going to give up easily.

When he got to the counter, he met a blonde lady dressed in a bright red suit. She was on a phone call with her back to him. Gabriel took a deep breath, praying that she would go lighter on him, but the universe had other plans for him.

“Hello, I am here to buy the best dress in this store,” he told the lady who was on the phone. The lady turned around abruptly and hissed when she saw Gabriel.

“What were you saying, Mr. Whitewood?” she inquired, and Gabriel attempted to compose himself, knowing his father was on the phone.

He could have easily spoken and obtained whatever he desired, but he wanted to know if he would be treated as trash. Since he had been rejected everywhere, he prepared himself for what was to come. He waited until the lady finished the call, but she ignored him, sitting still over the counter as if he did not exist. She took a file from the drawer and began filing her nails.

“Hello, I need some clothes, please,” he said to the lady, who rolled her eyes. Gabriel was persistent, causing her to rise in anger.

“As you can see, this shop is closed to freeloaders and beggars. You can do me a favor and get lost, or I will contact security!” She yelled.

Gabriel stood firm because it was late and he needed to get a dress for his wife, who would freak out if she was not the best dressed at the event.

“Look, believe it or not, I am not here for free stuff; I am actually looking for a dress for my wife.

Because the blonde lady wasn’t paying attention,she filed her skin, causing her to scrunch her face.

“Then go to the fucking Lost and Found!” She fumed, tossing the file at Gabriel.

The lady did not stop there; she grabbed an air freshener and sprayed it straight at Gabriel.

“You are contaminating the atmosphere with your odor!” she yelled.

It was obviously a lie, but she pressed hard on her nose and continued spraying Gabriel until he coughed.

“Can’t you see? You are making everything smell like poverty!”

Gabriel, who was already losing his temper, considered calling his father, but then another lady walked out of the clothing aisle.

“What is going on here?” The brunette inquired, and Gabriel sighed. He was already tired, and he did not want to be insulted repeatedly.

“Isla, you should focus on making sales, not discriminating,” she said, and the woman behind the counter scoffed.

“Be mindful of the way you address me, little rat! And if he is so important to you, then take care of him!”

The young brunette apologized to Gabriel and decided to attend to him. Gabriel told her what he wanted, and she disappeared into the clothing aisle to get it for him. The lady behind the counter kept making passing remarks about his appearance.

Gabriel thought he had seen the worst, but at that moment, a lady entered the store.

“I saw the special edition Valentino gown here and would like to pay for it if you have not already sold it.”

“Finally!” the blonde lady groaned.

Gabriel turned to see Lily standing in flesh and blood, dressed in an expensive gown and gold jewelry, and wearing black shades. As soon as she locked eyes with Gabriel, she removed her glasses and burst out laughing.

“What is a lowlife like you doing here?” She inquired, then turned to the woman behind the counter. “I hope you have CCTV cameras here, because he is nothing but a thief. He is going to steal from you while you are not looking. He is a lowly cleaner and for him to be here, he is either looking for a job or trying to steal.”

Gabriel’s heart shattered into pieces when he heard Lily say that. How could he have been so blinded by her evil nature? He questioned himself. He had been in love with Lily for years, but this single act ended the spell.

“I knew it, and if you know what is best for you, you get out of here.” She said to Gabriel as she stepped out of the counter. “I will be back, ma’am.”

The blonde lady quickly left, intercepting the brunette who had already packaged Gabriel’s gown.

“I will take that,” she said, grabbing the gown roughly and pushing the brunette, who nearly knocked over a clothing rack.

She ran off to meet Lily, unwrapping the paper bag. Gabriel witnessed what had happened, but before he could speak, the lady grabbed Lily’s hand.

“Try it on,” she said, grinning.

She handed the cloth to Lilly and directed her to the dresser.

“Sir, please forgive her behavior; I can show you another dress, if you do not mind,” the brunette said, and Gabriel shook his head.

“I want that dress.” He asserted.

His plan was to pull out his black card and wave it at them, but he didn’t know the universe had a better plan.

“I like the dress very much, and I would like to pay for it,” Lily exclaimed. She walked past Gabriel, pushing him roughly with her elbow and handing her card to the lady.

The lady swiped it, but it declined.

“I think there is something wrong with the card.” The lady said, and Lily frowned.

“What are you saying? My boyfriend is about to become the CEO of the city’s largest company, and his card cannot be declined; do not test me or you will be arrested!” She spoke in a lofty tone.

“Sure, I am sorry, ma’am; let me clean it.” The blonde lady explained, wiping the card on her cloth.

Lily’s body trembled, and she searched the room for an alternative. Perhaps Daniel failed to load the card as promised. How could it have reached the credit limit? She questioned herself because Daniel was stinking rich.

Gabriel chuckled as he waited to show his newly acquired card to his ex-wife.

“Why are you laughing, you disgusting shit?” Lily yelled, then heard the card decline again.

“Ma’am, do you have another card? This one is clearly not working.” The blonde lady spoke, and Lily walked to a rack in the first aisle and grabbed a random dress. When she checked the price tag and saw five hundred dollars, she swallowed hard. But that was better than purchasing the dress, which was ten thousand dollars. She didn’t have that much money to spend. But she had to save her face, so she took the gown and placed it on the counter.

“I called, and my sister will no longer need the dress. She wants this one; please take this card.” Lily said.

“You said you loved the dress, so you can have it instead,” the blonde lady said, and Lily frowned.

“Do not test my patience.” Lily gritted her teeth, and then the blonde last rolled her eyes as she put away the expensive dress.

“I will pay for the dress,” Gabriel said, pulling out his black card, causing both Lily and the lady behind the counter to drop their jaws.

The brunette appeared from the aisle, and Gabriel made his decision clear. She grabbed the dress from the two women.

“Never judge a book by its cover,” she told them. “Right this way, sir.” She said to Gabriel, leading him to another register.

He swapped the black card, and Brittany walked through the front door as soon as the payment was processed.

“Gabriel, what is taking so long with my dress?” Brittany yelled at Gabriel…