Chapter 43

Stacey's grip on her dress tightened until her nails threatened to break the skin. "Rylie, what are you even saying? I have no idea what you're talking about..."

A sly chuckle slipped from Rylie as she traced lazy circles on the countertop. "So,Phillip kept the truth from the rest of you? The racing team's been barred from competition for five years, all thanks to Stacey's infraction."

Lifting her eyes, Rylie pnned them both with a look as cold as ice. "And now the sponsors want seven million in damages. Mrs. Kirk, was that news to you?"

Tessa's expression faltered for a split second, then she forced out a laugh. "Stacey is on the verge of becoming the Dury family's young mistress. Seven million is nothing to us." She then drew Stacey closer,voice sharpening to a hiss. "But you-betraying your brother and sister, joining others' team, and bringing damage to your own family!"

"Is that so?" Rylie tilted her head, lips twisted in a mocking smile. "You mean I took the championship reward that Phillip was confident in getting and disrupted his original plan? Well, you're right."

"What?!" Tessa's eyes flew open, shock etched across her face. "Excuse me?!"

Now it all made sense-the missing seven million her husband had discovered, money quietly funneled from the company's account that was supposed to pay the workers. The deficit now sat directly on their shoulders.

The more she dwelled on it, the more her temper flared. She snatched her purse from the counter and threw it at the shop assistant. "Throw this girl out! I'm buying the bag!"

The shop assistant hesitated, anxiety flickering across her features. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Kirk, but she's a customer,too.I have no authority to make her leave."

Tessa didn't hesitate-she jabbed a finger at the bag that Rylie had just admired. "That one there? Pack it up for me. I'm buying it for my daughter!"

The shop assistant's eyes gleamed. "Would you like to see our other new arrivals? We just got in a selection of dinnerware, globes, and more."

Tessa,fully aware of the bundling game,made a show of confidence. "Bundle up everything. I'll take it all."

Brightening, the assistant did a quick calculation. "The bag alone is one hundred thousand, and the rest brings the total to two hundred thousand. Mrs. Kirk,will that be cash or card?"

Standing to the side, Rylie finally caught on-the fake shortage was a ruse, just another trick to inflate commissions through forced add-ons.

Tessa hadn't expected the final tally to be so steep;her plan was to cap spending at one hundred and fifty thousand. But pride wouldn't let her back down. She produced her card, voice tight. "If this gets her out, I'll pay right now."

A cloud of worry passed over the assistant's face.After thinking it over, she drifted over to Rylie and dropped her voice. "Technically, we can't throw out customers. Would you mind stepping outside and coming back later? I can give you two thousand for the trouble."

Rylie's eyebrow arched, amused. "You must be making a pretty penny on this."

The assistant's reply came with an awkward grin. "You won't lose out, will you?"

"How about you fetch your manager?" Rylie gave her a friendly but pointed smile, handing over a sleek black card. "Let your manager decide. Ask him directly if there's any stock on that bag. If she says no, I'll leave without another word."

Though she'd never seen this card before, the shop assistant couldn't risk offending either woman-especially not with that kind of money in play. She hurried off to brief the manager on the situation.

Taking the card, the manager checked the number,then scoffed, "If we say the bag's out of stock, it's out of stock. We make our living on those bundles.Even a black card can't change store policy."

The manager's words trailed off as her eyes grew wide and her fingers started to shake. In a hushed voice,she leaned toward the shop assistant. "Wait-this is Vantage Mall's only unlimited black card. The cardholder is that Owen family daughter who just came back!"

The shop assistant felt her knees turn to jelly. "You're kidding!"

Voice barely steady, the manager whispered, "I got the memo last night. She was expected to shop today -the Owen family's patriarch bought out the whole building just for her!"

Color drained from the assistant's face. "I figured the Owen family's daughter would be surrounded by security. I never guessed she'd look so normal. Oh no -I've probably just insulted her..."

Not even five minutes passed before both manager and shop assistant came hurrying out together.

Spotting their rush, Tessa curled her lip in contempt."Finally. Are you going to sell me that bag or not?"

Without glancing at Tessa, the manager bowed deeply to Rylie, her tone nothing but reverent. "Please forgive us for not recognizing you right away. It's an honor to welcome you. Which bag do you like? I'll have them all delivered to your door. Any unpleasantness before was our mistake - please overlook it."

The shop assistant bent low as well, voice trembling."I'm so sorry-I had no idea who you were."

Tessa's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "You're apologizing to her? Are you joking? The true VIP is standing next to me. What sort of business are you running?"

The manager hesitated only a moment before turning to Tessa."I'm sorry, Mrs. Kirk, but we can't throw out our customers. I hope you'll understand."

Tessa's voice took on a sharp edge. "Maybe you don't realize this, but Kirk Group is about to sign a partnership with Owen Group - Mr. Owen himself brought the contract! Didn't Owen Group just buy out this entire mall? I want exclusive access to shop here.How hard is that to understand?"

The manager had meant to keep things civil, but the more Tessa spoke, the more he wondered if the Kirk family understood just how far out of their depth they were.

Turning to Rylie with unwavering respect, the manager asked, "How would you like to handle this?"

Rylie's face remained unreadable. "Show them the door. And make sure Mrs. Kirk and her darling daughter don't set foot in Vantage Mall again."

Tessa let out a derisive laugh. "You're telling me to go?Who do you think you are?"

But the manager calmly motioned for the staff to assist, and soon a small crowd of shop assistants and sales associates formed a gentle but firm wall. "It's time for you to leave. Our store-and all of Vantage Mall-will no longer serve you."

Tessa reeled, stunned. "Have you lost your minds? You can't just throw me out!"

"If you don't go quíetly, security will handle it. Trust me, being dragged out won't do your reputation any favors," the manager replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Stacey stared, just as rattled. "All this because of something Rylie said? My future husband is one of Mr. Owen's top business partners. Aren't you worried about your own jobs?"

A small, knowing smile played on Rylie's lips. "No one told you? That three-hundred-million-dollar contract was canceled this morning."

Tessa's temper flared, and she retorted, "How dare you wish misfortune on our family!"

Her words barely left her lips before several staff members firmly ushered her toward the exit. In the chaos, Tessa stumbled and collapsed, her chronic leg pain seizing up and leaving her writhing on the floor.Stacey hurried to her side, but despite her best efforts,she couldn't get Tessa back on her feet, and together they made a pitiful sight.

Sweat beaded across Tessa's forehead as she grimaced through the pain. "It's never hurt this badly before."

Stacey,her confidence starting to waver, fumbled for comfort. "I went to Marsha- she's supposed to be the Wilde family's medical genius. She even got a special prescription from her grandmother. With the medicine and my massages, your legs should be healing. This must just be a side effect."

Taking Stacey at her word, Tessa clung to her arm and forced herself upright. "Get your father on the phone now! That ungrateful brat Rylie will pay for this humiliation.I won't let her get away with it!"

Stacey tried to offer reassurance, but doubt crept in."Something's off, Mom. The staff here all know the Kirk family. Why would they still side with Rylie and risk crossing us?"