Chapter 1 · The Aged Lady Came Back

Chapter 1

For three years straight, Emma Lewis showed up at the mall every single day, never buying a thing. She was just there for the air conditioning.

My manager, Cameron Martin, pointed right at me and snapped, "You're way too soft-hearted. No wonder you'll be stuck as a broke sales clerk forever."

My coworkers all told me to kick her out, saying she was bad for business.

I just couldn't bring myself to do it, and because of that, I lost my job.

With my resignation letter in hand, I was just about to leave the city for good.

Right then, a row of luxury cars lined up neatly outside the mall. Emma, the aged lady who'd been coming every day just for the air conditioning, stepped out of the lead Rolls-Royce and waved at me. "Hey, get in. We're going home."

*****

Three years.

That was 1,095 days.

Every single day at 2 PM, Emma would show up right on time at the entrance of our Vogue Place.

She never bought a thing.

She'd find the most out-of-the-way sofa in the corner, where she wouldn't bother anyone, and sit there.

She'd sit there for hours, all afternoon, only getting up to leave at 7 PM, when the cool air started to fade, and the mall began to warm up.

Her faded blue shirt, so worn that it was nearly white, stood out like a sore thumb against our sparkling designer counters.

Kaylee Monroe, one of my coworkers, would grumble in my ear more than once. "Alyssa, look, that old lady's back again.

"She really treats this place like her hideout, just coming every day for the AC.

"Mr. Martin's fuming. She's ruining our store's image."

I didn't say anything. I quietly filled a disposable cup with water, walked over, and gently placed it on the coffee table beside Emma.

Each time, she'd slowly look up at me, her wrinkled eyes cloudy, yet they seemed to hold secrets.

She never spoke, just nodded at me.

Today, Cameron finally lost it.

He'd just finished showing a big client around the store, and when he turned around, he spotted Emma sitting in the corner.

His face instantly turned stormy.

Instead of going over to Emma, he stormed right up to me, his finger practically poking my nose. "Alyssa. Do you not get it?"

His voice was so piercing that everyone at the nearby counters turned to stare. "How many times have I told you? Get her out of here. Out!

"We sell luxury goods here. We're not a shelter."

I kept my head down and mumbled, "Mr. Martin, it's 100 degrees outside, and she's elderly..."

"I don't care how old she is." Cameron's voice got even louder. "She's bad for business. If customers see her, they'll think we're some cheap flea market."

Kaylee chimed in, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Yeah, Alyssa, Mr. Martin's just trying to help us out. Look at last month's sales. Our team was dead last again.

"Maybe it's her messing up our store's vibe or something."

I clenched my fists.

Our lousy sales were because hardly anyone was coming to the mall these days. What on earth did that have to do with Emma just quietly sitting in the corner?

Cameron saw the defiance on my face and was about to blow his top. "You're way too soft-hearted. No wonder you'll be stuck working here, broke for the rest of your life.

"Alyssa, I'm telling you, this is your last warning.

"If you do this again, pack your stuff and get out."

He threw those words at me, gave a loud grunt, and turned to walk away.

My coworkers shot me looks, some sympathetic, some just waiting to see me crash and burn.

Kaylee walked over and patted my shoulder. "Alyssa, don't be stupid. Losing your job over that old woman isn't worth it."

I looked into her eyes, not a hint of concern, just that smug look like she was enjoying the show.

I didn't bother with her and walked off toward the corner.

Emma sat quietly in the corner, totally unfazed, like the drama from earlier hadn't even touched her.

The only sign anything had happened was that her cup was already empty.

I picked up the empty cup and refilled it with water for her.

When I set it down in front of her, her cloudy eyes seemed to shine a little brighter than usual.

She opened her mouth, made a raspy sound in her throat, but she stayed silent.

I smiled softly at her.

In a city this cold, a cup of water was the least I could do.

I had no clue that this simple cup of water would be the last straw, tipping my whole life upside down.

And I never expected it would open a door to a world I never even dared to dream of.

*****

A week later, the real test came.

The weather forecast said the city had issued an orange heat warning, the kind that only happened once every ten years.

The ground temperature shot past 104 degrees.

The news kept running warnings, telling everyone, especially the elderly, to watch out for heatstroke.

And on that very day, the regional president from headquarters was coming to inspect the mall.

Chapter 1

For three years straight, Emma Lewis showed up at the mall every single day, never buying a thing. She was just there for the air conditioning.

My manager, Cameron Martin, pointed right at me and snapped, "You're way too soft-hearted. No wonder you'll be stuck as a broke sales clerk forever."

My coworkers all told me to kick her out, saying she was bad for business.

I just couldn't bring myself to do it, and because of that, I lost my job.

With my resignation letter in hand, I was just about to leave the city for good.

*****

Three years.

That was 1,095 days.

Every single day at 2 PM, Emma would show up right on time at the entrance of our Vogue Place.

She never bought a thing.

She'd find the most out-of-the-way sofa in the corner, where she wouldn't bother anyone, and sit there.

She'd sit there for hours, all afternoon, only getting up to leave at 7 PM, when the cool air started to fade, and the mall began to warm up.

Her faded blue shirt, so worn that it was nearly white, stood out like a sore thumb against our sparkling designer counters.

Kaylee Monroe, one of my coworkers, would grumble in my ear more than once. "Alyssa, look, that old lady's back again.

"She really treats this place like her hideout, just coming every day for the AC.

"Mr. Martin's fuming. She's ruining our store's image."

I didn't say anything. I quietly filled a disposable cup with water, walked over, and gently placed it on the coffee table beside Emma.

Each time, she'd slowly look up at me, her wrinkled eyes cloudy, yet they seemed to hold secrets.

She never spoke, just nodded at me.

Today, Cameron finally lost it.

He'd just finished showing a big client around the store, and when he turned around, he spotted Emma sitting in the corner.

His face instantly turned stormy.

Instead of going over to Emma, he stormed right up to me, his finger practically poking my nose. "Alyssa. Do you not get it?"

His voice was so piercing that everyone at the nearby counters turned to stare. "How many times have I told you? Get her out of here. Out!

"We sell luxury goods here. We're not a shelter."

I kept my head down and mumbled, "Mr. Martin, it's 100 degrees outside, and she's elderly..."

"I don't care how old she is." Cameron's voice got even louder. "She's bad for business. If customers see her, they'll think we're some cheap flea market."

Kaylee chimed in, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Yeah, Alyssa, Mr. Martin's just trying to help us out. Look at last month's sales. Our team was dead last again.

"Maybe it's her messing up our store's vibe or something."

I clenched my fists.

Our lousy sales were because hardly anyone was coming to the mall these days. What on earth did that have to do with Emma just quietly sitting in the corner?

Cameron saw the defiance on my face and was about to blow his top. "You're way too soft-hearted. No wonder you'll be stuck working here, broke for the rest of your life.

"Alyssa, I'm telling you, this is your last warning.

"If you do this again, pack your stuff and get out."

He threw those words at me, gave a loud grunt, and turned to walk away.

My coworkers shot me looks, some sympathetic, some just waiting to see me crash and burn.

Kaylee walked over and patted my shoulder. "Alyssa, don't be stupid. Losing your job over that old woman isn't worth it."

I looked into her eyes, not a hint of concern, just that smug look like she was enjoying the show.

I didn't bother with her and walked off toward the corner.

Emma sat quietly in the corner, totally unfazed, like the drama from earlier hadn't even touched her.

The only sign anything had happened was that her cup was already empty.

I picked up the empty cup and refilled it with water for her.

When I set it down in front of her, her cloudy eyes seemed to shine a little brighter than usual.

She opened her mouth, made a raspy sound in her throat, but she stayed silent.

I smiled softly at her.

In a city this cold, a cup of water was the least I could do.

I had no clue that this simple cup of water would be the last straw, tipping my whole life upside down.

And I never expected it would open a door to a world I never even dared to dream of.

*****

A week later, the real test came.

The weather forecast said the city had issued an orange heat warning, the kind that only happened once every ten years.

The ground temperature shot past 104 degrees.

The news kept running warnings, telling everyone, especially the elderly, to watch out for heatstroke.

And on that very day, the regional president from headquarters was coming to inspect the mall.