Sienna was lost in thought.
Suddenly, the fitting‐room door swung open, and Jasmine stepped out wearing her new blazer.
Her cheeks flushed slightly; she looked a bit embarrassed—as if a shy girl had been unexpectedly pulled onto a stage.
But Grayson stood there, speechless.
She looked so stunning.
The blazer was a tailored piece in soft pink and white, cinched at the waist, and it made Jasmine appear both sharp and subtly alluring—noble yet carrying just a hint of bashfulness.
Jasmine had always been slim but perfectly proportioned. She didn't have Sienna's voluptuous figure, yet she possessed a sleek elegance, a delicate grace.
"Wow, you look gorgeous," Madeline gushed, clapping her hands as she hurried over in small, excited steps.
Madeline knew perfectly well that this was the girl their boss liked—she couldn't afford to be anything but attentive.
She took Jasmine's hand in a friendly yet deferential way and guided her in front of a full‐length mirror. Then, acting almost like a personal attendant, Madeline straightened Jasmine's collar, tugged gently at the jacket's hem in front and back, fussing over every detail.
"Look up and see yourself in the mirror, Miss," Madeline said through a hand covering her mouth, her tone a mix of warmth and respect.
Jasmine hesitated. Of course—this jacket cost over a thousand dollars, and she'd never owned anything so fine. She was afraid of even smudging it, since it was just a trial fit. Her heart was pounding, and she didn't dare raise her gaze. But at Madeline's encouragement, Jasmine finally summoned the courage to lift her eyes.
When she caught sight of her own reflection, she barely recognized the person in the glass.
Her complexion was luminous, her natural golden hair gleaming, and against the pastel pink of the jacket, her face seemed to glow.
Jasmine—so pretty, after all. Though she remained silent, her eyes shone with newfound confidence.
She looked even more beautiful than before.
Watching this, Sienna's envy flared up inside her.
At first, she'd only thought Jasmine was "okay" because of her plain, mismatched clothes. But now, in that high‐end pink blazer, her look had instantly leveled up.
That little nobody was suddenly giving off a celebrity vibe.
And seeing Madeline fuss over Jasmine with such deference made Sienna even more upset.
Hmph. When Sienna had tried clothes earlier, the sales clerk hadn't been this enthusiastic—yet she lavished all that attention on a "country bumpkin."
"Lovely. Package that for me, please. I'll take it," Grayson said, clearly impressed—Jasmine in that jacket far exceeded anything he'd expected.
Madeline knew Grayson was the owner but also understood that many bosses liked to "pay their own way" to avoid awkwardness. She said nothing and obediently went to wrap up the jacket.
"Grayson, let's go," Jasmine murmured, gently tugging at his sleeve.
The clothes in this store were ridiculously expensive. Buying even one piece cost her a fortune; she had no intention of splurging on more. Besides, Sienna was still in the store, and Jasmine didn't want to face her any longer—especially since she was Grayson's ex.
"Heh, you're leaving already?"
Unexpectedly, Sienna stepped right in front of them.
"Sienna, what do you want now?" Grayson furrowed his brow. He found it hard to be harsh with her—so many memories from their past flashed in his mind. One stood out above all: that night in the campus woods when Sienna had grabbed his hand and slipped it inside her blouse. Grayson would never forget how that felt. Indeed, that had been their most intimate encounter.
"Well, what do I want? Heh, Grayson—really, I can't figure you out. You tried to pull that stunt on me. I actually thought you donated all that prize money."
Sienna sneered at him. She had assumed his lottery winnings were being used to wine and dine Jasmine. So she'd been genuinely surprised when she learned he'd kept some funds—she thought he'd given everything away. That he'd lied to her infuriated her.
"Besides, a lottery winner with a fat check can never stack up to a true born‐rich trust fund kid. You come here with your new little flame to show off, and you only buy one item? Man up and buy a few more!"
As she spoke, she pointed at a pair of pants. "Salesgirl, I'll take those, too." Then she turned to Sebastian to pay.
Sebastian—another trust fund kid—grinned as he swiped his card. He could certainly afford Véra Calisé, but he'd already fallen head over heels for Sienna. Plus, he couldn't lose face in front of his girlfriend's ex. The situation was complicated, but he had to post a confident front.
"Purchased!"
Laughing boastfully, Sebastian handed over his credit card.
"See that?" Sienna waved three shopping bags at Grayson and Jasmine. "I've already gotten three pieces. To Sebastian, that's pocket change. You, on the other hand, can only afford one measly item. Pathetic, Grayson—clowning yourself in front of me."
The more she taunted, the more fired up she got.
"Grayson, what's so impressive about you? You just hit a jackpot, right? Look—and you'll see—no matter how much you spend, a lottery‐winner loser is always beneath a real rich kid like me. You'll never be on Sebastian's level. Heh, Grayson, I know exactly what you're doing: stalking us. You trailed us all the way to this store, didn't you? With your little hillbilly girlfriend. Otherwise, how could you possibly have walked into NovaMart at the exact same time? Just one step behind me, right into Véra Calisé?"
She continued mercilessly: "Bottom line, you've got a little cash in your pocket, and you dragged this country bumpkin to follow me. You wanted to show off, let everyone know you can actually afford high‐end clothes. But—surprise! You got slapped in the face. You can only buy one thing, and I already have three. How do you compete with that? You still not convinced? Let's settle this—right here, right now."
"Settle how?"
Grayson couldn't believe how twisted Sienna's logic was. But after her relentless provocation, he found he didn't want to back down either.
"Let's see who can buy more clothes in this store," Sienna challenged, her eyes daring him. To ensure he couldn't wriggle out, she added, "If you're a man, let's see you go for it. You too scared? Hah—so much for your big talk. All you can do is cozy up to that country girl. You'll never measure up to someone like me."
"Forget it, Grayson. Let's go," Jasmine pleaded, genuinely worried that Grayson would embarrass himself. These clothes were terrifyingly expensive—why let Sienna's antics drag him into a fight?
"Heh, Grayson—don't chicken out. Are you in or not?" Sienna blocked their path again.
"All right, fine. I'll take the bet," Grayson said firmly.
A wry smile crossed his face. After all, this was his store—they couldn't out‐buy him here.
"Salesgirl, I'll take that skirt, and those leather ankle boots," Grayson instructed, pointing to a short skirt on one side and a pair of shoes on another. He told Jasmine to pick the right size and let
Madeline wrap them up.
Madeline couldn't help grinning inwardly—these two really were ridiculous, trying to outspend the boss. Of course, she had to keep a straight face. If she exposed him, she'd be in big trouble. So she politely bagged up the two items Grayson had chosen. That made three items on his side.
"Okay," Sienna said with a cold laugh, seeing she was one up. She thought to herself, "Let's see how many more he can buy."
She pointed again. "I'll take those wide leg trousers!" Turning to Sebastian, she gave him a look.
Sebastian's heart sank, but he gritted his teeth and swiped his card again. He couldn't let his precious Sienna lose. Besides, he figured Grayson must have gone through less cash than he had—he had plenty of family money; Grayson only had lottery winnings at best.
"I'll take that silk scarf," Grayson said.
"That Tshirt for me," Sienna immediately shot back without hesitation, diving for it.
And so they chased each other around the store. Before long, both sides had each picked seven items.
"I'll take this one, and this one, and that one!" Sienna's eyes were reddening. She was determined not to let Grayson win—she'd lose face in front of Sebastian otherwise. So she grabbed three more pieces in one go. That brought her total to ten items.
Sienna glared victoriously at Grayson. "Beat that!"
Grayson had been watching Sebastian's face the whole time—he was getting paler by the second. Grayson figured that was enough—if Sienna bought any more, Sebastian might not have enough funds to pay.
"All right, I give up," Grayson said decisively.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Sienna sneered, looking down at Grayson. "See? Your little jackpot money is gone. Ha—Grayson, you really thought you could go toe to toe with Sebastian? What a joke!"
"You'll never match up to me, you hear that?" Sienna declared triumphantly to Jasmine, then hoisted her shopping bags and walked off with Sebastian, leaving Véra Calisé behind them.
Grayson let out a laugh and motioned for Jasmine to head back into the fitting room and swap out her old clothes for the new ones.
Once she was gone, Madeline dashed up in excitement. "Boss, you're amazing! That stunt sold ten items in one swoop!"
"Haha," Grayson chuckled. In truth, his bet with Sienna was just a way to drive sales—and it worked like a charm.
"By the way, do we have any membership cards?" he asked abruptly.
"Sure—silver, gold, and diamond tiers," Madeline replied. "But our store's membership threshold is very high. Even buying ten pieces just now doesn't qualify them for a silver card."
"Okay. Go catch up with them and give each of them a gold card," Grayson instructed.
"Uh—boss, they were so rude to you earlier. Now you want to give them gold cards?" Madeline pouted, still peeved about Sienna's attitude.
"It's fine. A gold card doesn't cost me anything tangible. If I give it to them, they'll definitely come back to shop again—and I'll earn the profit later." Grayson offered a faint smile, his eyes revealing a depth beyond most people's understanding. He knew Sienna's temperament well: once she had that gold card, she wouldn't resist going back.
He thought to himself with a smirk: Someday, when Sienna realizes that every piece she buys here is actually putting money right back into my pocket—how will she react?