Rebecca lowered her tone, but the coldness in her voice was unmistakable. “Your ability to stick your nose into others’ business has gotten even better. You should really find yourself a new hobby.”
Emery shrugged her shoulders. Not really angered, she retorted, “How I carry out my business is none of your business.”
“If that’s the case, just mind your own business and shut your mouth in the future,” Rebecca retaliated with an icy glare.
The two of them were not fighting, but their rapid verbal exchange was not exactly comfortable for the people around them. In fact, it was quite childish.
I lightly tugged on Emery’s sleeve, reminding her not to go overboard.
She pursed her lips. Without another word, she turned on her heels and marched into a jewelry shop away from the two of them. As a rule of thumb, nothing works better than retail therapy after an unpleasant encounter.
I gave the two familiar faces one last stare and took my leave as well.
When I passed by Rebecca, she grabbed my arm and stopped me in my tracks. “I will not give up, and I have no intention of giving up. Mark my words, Scarlett. If I cannot have him, you will not have him either.”
I couldn’t help but take back my earlier compliment, for I had overestimated her. Giving her a sideways glare, I raised an eyebrow and countered her in a challenging tone. “Ashton is not an item. He will not simply fall into your arms just because you want him to. He is a person. He has never, and will never love you. If you want to crush me, then bring it on. But if you plan to ruin him, I think you are digging your own grave. Considering everything you have now is given to you by him, including this man beside you; ruining him would only mean ruining yourself.”
I did not fully understand the friendship between Ashton, Joe, and Jared, but I did know that it meant something to the three of them. If Rebecca were to try anything on Ashton, I suppose Joe and Jared would not turn a blind eye to it.
She scoffed coolly and let go of me. “We shall see.”
In relationships, when you no longer care about someone anymore, that is when you can truly let them go. However, the feelings that Rebecca had for Ashton… It was weird.
At first, I thought it was love, but after a long period of time, I observed that it could be a form of dependence. Ashton took care of her for many years. She was used to being the only woman that he cared about. When this attention towards her had diminished, she could not take it.
Emery had already selected a few sets of clothing when I walked in. She raised a brow and asked, “Did she threaten you?”
I gave a light smile. Eyeing the new clothes that she put on, I inquired, “Didn’t you say you wanted to buy some jewelry? Why are you shopping for clothes instead?”
She shrugged and scrutinized her reflection in the mirror. “I have noticed lately that my wardrobe is understocked. Besides, even though K City is cold, this should not prevent me from being my beautiful self.”
I smiled at what she said. Throughout our whole lives, we girls have been relentlessly pursuing beauty. From being cute as a child to becoming sexy as an adult. As we approach middle age, we evolve once more to become intellectual and graceful. At each stage, women exude different forms of beauty.
After helping her select her clothes for a while, she noticed that I did not intend to get anything for myself. She lifted the corners of her mouth into a smirk and poked fun at me. “I guess Ashton’s vast amount of wealth was accumulated by you being prudent?”
I paused for a bit and shook my head. “No, I just don’t really like buying new clothes. Besides, I have enough of them at home.”
My criteria for clothing was so long as they were sufficiently warm, I didn’t really care about anything else.
Emery was speechless. “You are lucky Ashton protected you well. Otherwise, the media would have recognized you right away as Mrs. Fuller and criticized your abysmal taste in fashion.”
She wasted no time in picking out a few outfits from the latest collection and ordered, “Go try these now.”
“No, thank… “ My feeble rejection barely got out of my mouth before I was forcefully interrupted by her. “You came out to shop, and you’re not buying anything. Just what are you thinking?”
“But I really don’t need it!” During my four years in R Province, I had already gotten used to wearing one outfit for many years. The joy derived from shopping was not exactly that gratifying for me.
Emery snorted in disapproval. “I suspect that you are not even a woman. A woman’s wardrobe will always be lacking something. Stop dawdling, go get changed!”
Knowing very well I could not win against her, I entered the fitting room and tried on whatever she had picked out for me.
It was a knitted top and a pair of casual trousers. Maybe because I had lost weight, the trousers seemed kind of loose.
Noticing that I was taking a long time, Emery asked, “Are you done yet?”
I opened the door and tucked the top into the trousers. She inspected the ensemble, approved of it, and said, “There! This would be perfect with a camel toe coat. Your long hair can be tied up too.”
With that, she reached out and put my hair into a topknot.
Emery was 170 cm in height, and she was wearing heels, which made her way taller than I was.
After she was done with my hair, she snapped her fingers to summon the sales assistant. “I’m buying those outfits that I selected earlier along with this one. Also, please throw away the clothes that she just changed out of. Thank you!”
I was startled and exclaimed with disbelief, “I can still wear them!”
She gave a nonchalant shrug, and said, “I know, they were all signature garments from high fashion brands a few years ago. However, they are all outdated by now, but you’re still wearing them. Isn’t it better to just wear the latest ones?”
I was speechless.
Those clothes were bought by Ashton four years ago and kept in the previous villa. After I came back from R Province, he had ordered Joseph to get me new clothes, but since this outfit was comfortable, I just wore it all the time and didn’t really think of being fashionable.
