Chapter 4

I had just set foot in the Hermès store when Flora swooped in with her entourage trailing close behind.

Just then, the sales associate showed me the latest mini bag, fresh off the shelves.

Flora marched forward, making a bold gesture with her hand, completely owning the room.

"I'm taking this one," she declared.

The sales associate blinked, then flashed a friendly smile. "Sorry, miss, but for this bag, you'll need to purchase other items as part of the spend requirement. Would you be interested?"

Flora, obviously it was her first time at Hermès, looked completely baffled. "Spend requirement? What does that mean?"

The sales associate explained, "To get a popular bag like this, you have to buy other products of equal value from Hermès."

Flora's eyes went wide as she pointed straight at me, practically accusing me. "Then why doesn't she have to?"

The sales associate kept her smile professional. "Because Ms. Sullivan is one of our VIPs. She's earned enough points, so she doesn't need to meet the spend requirement."

Flora shot me a look that could've set the place on fire. Her jealousy was practically radiating off her.

"Well then, I don't need the requirement either," Flora retorted, full of herself. "From now on, whatever she owns is mine. That makes me your VIP, too. So hurry up and give me the bag."

The sales associate looked momentarily stunned, a bit lost as she glanced in my direction.

I simply gave a subtle nod, my face betraying nothing.

Since I'd known this sales associate for years, she caught on right away and gave Flora a polished, professional smile.

She said, "Certainly, miss. I'll take care of your purchase now. Will you be paying by card?"

"Of course," Flora answered with a smug look, fishing her card out of her pocket.

One of her sidekicks couldn't help but blurt out, "Flora, hurry up and show us. Did your dad really give you that legendary black card...?"

But the sidekick's words suddenly died in her throat.

Because instead of the fabled card, Flora was holding up a plain old debit card.

Flora's face flushed a little, but she tried to keep up her haughty act.

She said, "My dad says we're loaded, so he doesn't mess with credit cards. He just put some cash on this card and told me to go have fun."

I almost burst out laughing at that.

No doubt that card was from Evan, a dad just wanting his girl to enjoy herself.

But all that "loaded" talk? Flora was trying to show off.

I guessed Evan never actually told Flora how much was on that card, and she hadn't bothered to check, just confident it was some massive stash.

The sales associate took her card with that smooth luxury-store smile. "Alright, miss, that'll be 23 thousand dollars. Let me ring it up for you."

"What?" Flora nearly jumped. "This little bag costs twenty-three grand!? Hold up—"

Clearly, Flora might flex knowing Hermès, but when it comes to the real prices, she's totally out of her depth.

Before she could even finish, the sales associate had already swiped her card.

Beep. Payment accepted.

Flora looked like she could finally breathe again.

Her sidekicks were already gushing over her.

"Flora, your dad really spoils you. He must've loaded up your card with so much cash. Buying a twenty-three grand bag in one swipe? That's insane!"

"Come on, listen to yourself! Look at the way Brittany used to strut around. Her family wouldn't even flinch at twenty-three grand. I bet Flora's card has a million or more on it."

Flora couldn't hide the smug grin spreading across her face.

"Alright, enough already," she said, forcing herself to sound humble. "It's just a bag, nothing worth fussing over. Let's get out of here."

With that, she slung her brand new bag over her shoulder and swaggered out of the store right in front of me, head held high like she was showing off for an audience.

She looked like she'd just scored a huge win.

But just as she was about to walk out, the sales associate stopped her.

"Miss," the sales associate called out with a warm, inviting smile, "since you're already here, why not check out our newest release? It's a little pricier, 160 grand, but trust me, this is an ultra-rare masterpiece everyone's dying to get their hands on."

The color drained from Flora's face. She looked like reality just slapped her across the cheek.

Her sidekicks practically shouted in disbelief.

"What the heck! Over 70 grand for a single purse? That's nuts."

"You don't know anything. I've seen tons of A-list celebs and heiresses flaunting this exact bag. Flora, it's crazy rare. You've gotta snag it before someone else does."

Flora hesitated, her eyes flickering with doubt.

But the sales associate wasn't about to let her off the hook. "Honestly, I just reached out to Ms. Sullivan because she's been dying to get her hands on this bag. The moment it came in, I called her right away."

As soon as Flora heard the bag was meant for me, she suddenly perked up, like she'd just been injected with pure adrenaline. She waved her hand dramatically and declared, "I'll take it."

With a confident wave, she handed her card straight to the sales associate once more.

Flora's friends practically squealed with excitement, even more hyped than Flora herself.

"Flora, you're seriously living that high life. Dropping seventy grand on a purse like it's nothing."

"She's a true heiress. Of course she can just pick any designer bag she wants—"

Beep!

Just as her sidekick was still busy sucking up to her, the credit card machine blared with an awkward beep.

Their praise froze mid-sentence. They looked up to see the sales associate grimacing uneasily as she said, "Sorry, Ms. Wallace, but it looks like your card doesn't have enough balance," the sales associate said, trying to sound apologetic.