“Miss, you have a good eye indeed! This suit, the pride of our store, was personally designed by our designer.”
The suit had caught the eye of many, but all of them were shocked by its price.
As Sophie's fingers ran over the suit, she could feel the quality of the fabric.
Captivated by the design, she could imagine how good Tristan would look in it.
“I'll take this.”
“Sophie, do you know what size Uncle Tristan is?”
“I do.”
I wouldn't deserve to be his girlfriend if I didn't.
After giving the salesperson Tristan's size, she handed over a black card to pay for it.
Sophie's decisiveness took the salesperson by surprise, for the latter didn't expect to close the sale before explaining the suit's design philosophy and the materials used.
Nevertheless, she wasn't going to miss such a God-given opportunity.
Without a moment's hesitation, she took the card and swiped it.
That sale alone was enough to elevate her pay for that month significantly. The commission alone could sufficiently pay for a few months of her living expenses.
“Why don't I get Felix one, too, as I have never bought him clothes before.” Ysabelle was swept up by the moment.
“Of course.”
She can buy as many as she fancies.
After browsing through the other suits, Ysabelle came upon one that she liked.
Unfortunately, she fell into a dilemma when she realized she didn't know Felix's size.
“What's wrong?”
“I don't know what size Felix wears. Let me call him and ask.”
With that thought in mind, Ysabelle rang Felix up, but no one answered for a long while.
“Forget it. He's not answering. If I get the wrong size, I'll still have to waste time coming back here to return it.”
“That's true.”
At that moment, the salesperson returned with the suit all packed up.
“Miss, here's your suit. Is there anything else I can assist you with?” Initially, the store's staff assumed that Sophie was just window shopping and was reluctant to entertain her.
Little did they expect her to buy something so expensive, and they were all jealous of the salesperson who closed the sale.
“No, thanks.”
Upon receiving her black card, Sophie grabbed the shopping bag and left.
However, the moment they stepped out of the store, Ysabelle had a stomachache and had to use the restroom. Consequently, Sophie had no choice but to wait for her outside.
It was during that lull that Nicholas appeared again.
“Did you buy it for Tristan?”
Despite the raging jealousy within him, his calm facade hid it well.
“It's none of your business since I didn't buy it for you.”
There was no way she would get Nicholas a gift in her lifetime. The only thing she would ever consider buying him was a funeral wreath.
“Sophie, I don't understand why you're so hostile to me. Haven't I always been good to you? Even if you don't like me, such treatment is uncalled for. Is there some sort of misunderstanding between us?”
Something must have happened for things to turn out this way.
“There's no misunderstanding between us. I just don't like your face.”
Are my words candid enough to deter him?
“If it's because of my father, I swear to you that he will never pose a problem.”
That was the only possibility that came to his mind.
“It's clear to me that nothing can get through that thick skull of yours.”
Sophie had no desire to entertain him any further.
“How shall I put it? If you don't want to die, you should return to Anglandur at once. This place isn't for you.”
“I can say the same thing to you too. Even in death, I won't go back unless you come with me.” I'm more than prepared to die here.
“Nicholas, I don't understand why you're being so stubborn. There has never been anything going on between us.”
All this while, he has been deluding himself, and it's no one else's fault. He just has a mental sickness that causes him to cling desperately to me.
“Is that so?”
Has it always been one-sided on my part?
“I don't believe that you never had any feelings for me before.”
I'm sure she must have harbored feelings for me at some point in the past. Otherwise, why would I be so persistent for such a long time?
“No, I never liked you before.” I'm sure I've made myself clear. If not, I still have more scathing words to spare.
“Sophie, you're generally nice to everyone, so why are you only hostile to me?”
Doesn't she value her relationship with Mark and Arius a lot too? Why am I the only one to receive such treatment?
“Doesn't that make the answer even more obvious?”
Nicholas staggered back, losing the courage to hear the truth.
As for Sophie, she didn't spare him a glance still.
“Nicholas, you should go back to where you come from. This place isn't for you, and no one likes you here.”
It was during that lull that Nicholas appeared again.
“I refuse. I'm sure my sincerity will move you one day!”
I have within my power to give her everything in this world.
“There's nothing you can do that will change my mind because my heart already belongs to someone else. Moreover, even if there's no one in my life, I still won't fall for you.”
Sophie's words were merciless, for she wanted to drill the fact into his head.
With Ysabelle about to return, Sophie decided to look for her instead of wasting any more time with Nicholas.
The latter was frozen at his feet after being dealt a devastating blow.
Even as he watched Sophie's leaving silhouette, he didn't bother to give chase.
Meanwhile, Ysabelle had emerged from the ladies with her stomach feeling a lot better.
“There must have been something wrong with the cakes we just ate. My tummy hurts really bad,” the grimacing Ysabelle remarked.
“Really? I still feel fine. I think you just had too much to eat.” I couldn't stop her just now despite trying my best. “As an artiste, you're being too liberal with your body!”
Although Ysabelle was far from being fat, an actress would always look relatively plumper on camera.
“Are you saying that I've gotten fatter?”
If that's the case, I need to control my diet right away. I'm still capable of resisting the temptation of desserts for the sake of becoming a professional singer.
By the time they stepped out of Monarch Mall, it was already late.
“Where else do you want to go?” She didn't feel like going home still, as going out was a rare luxury, given how busy she had been.
“I'm planning to go over to Lombard Group. Do you want to come along?” I still have to present him with the gift, don't I?
“Sure, I miss Felix too!”
It was true that Ysabelle was previously more reserved, but now that her feelings for him were clear, she didn't see the need to hide it.
With that, both of them got into a taxi and headed to Lombard Group.
At the same time, Nicholas tailed them there.
All he did was follow them from a distance and observe them from the shadows.
Until then, he still couldn't figure out what Tristan had that he didn't for her to love the latter while hating him.
It wasn't until he arrived at the lobby of Lombard Group and wanted to follow them upstairs that Alex grabbed his arm.
“Mr. Nicholas, you can't go any further!”
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