Chapter 72
When Nola came to the office to find me, I was just about to head back to the Morgan mansion to see Celestia.
Aiden told me to come back for lunch, and specifically mentioned that today's dishes were all my favorites.
But Nola's matter was more urgent. She said she had a blind date tomorrow, and she'd been so busy with work lately that she hadn't had time to buy clothes. She really wanted me to go shopping with her.
I had just gotten to the parking garage when she honked to get my attention, so I had to get in her car.
"Blair, cheer up. Why do you seem so down?"
Nola was in a good mood, playing really upbeat music and occasionally moving to the rhythm.
"What counts as being cheerful? Showing all my teeth in a big grin?"
"Haha, you..."
Nola burst out laughing. She'd been trying to lighten the mood, but I'd turned it around on her instead.
I hadn't been to see Celestia in a while, and I really missed her.
"Let's make this quick. Isn't HR supposed to give you the consolidated plan this afternoon? Since you've decided to do a major overhaul, just be decisive about it and get it done."
Nola pouted. "It's after work hours now. Can't we just relax a bit?"
"Sure."
I closed my eyes, ready to take a quick nap. Nola knew this habit of mine. She focused on driving while I caught up on sleep.
There was a big shopping mall near the Morgan Group. Nola really liked going there, while I was the complete opposite. I used to buy a lot of clothes for Levi there and had become pretty familiar with the staff at several stores.
Sometimes when they saw Nola and me together, they'd wonder how I had such a wealthy friend.
When Nola woke me up, fifteen minutes had already passed.
"Blair, are you sure you don't want to grab lunch before shopping?" Nola said her stomach was growling.
I looked at my watch. "If we strictly follow our company's lunch break rules, I think we don't have much time left."
Nola gave me a playful look. "Can't we make an exception? Look, if my blind date works out, won't you have some peace and quiet from then on?"
"Stop making empty promises. You hate blind dates. I think you just purely want to buy stuff. Maybe you can tell me what's been bothering you lately."
"You really know me best."
"If you can't handle it, we can grab a quick bite."
I was actually a bit hungry, but didn't have much appetite. Maybe I was influenced by Levi - sometimes I just don't feel like eating food from outside.
"Let's eat after shopping. Once I eat, my stomach puffs right up."
I touched my stomach - I seemed to have gained quite a bit of weight recently.
Nola giggled. "Blair, you're not pregnant again, are you? Your stomach looks a bit round lately."
"Say that again, and you'll lose me."
"No, no, no, I'm just kidding."
We walked into her favorite store. The staff would contact her almost every time they got new items. Seeing them wave so familiarly, I knew they must have been in touch beforehand.
"Miss Skye, I'm sorry, but the piece you liked is about to be sold. Since you only said you wanted to come try it on, I couldn't reserve it."
"Sold?"
Nola was displeased. She'd come specifically for that piece.
The staff pointed to the fitting room. "A customer is trying it on and seems pretty satisfied."
"Does she have to buy it? Why don't you look at something else?" I saw Nola was a bit down - she'd skipped lunch to come try on clothes.
Nola put her hands on her hips. "I'll wait."
"Okay, Miss Skye. As you know, we only have one piece per size. Our whole thing is no matching outfits. I'm sure that's what you value about us."
Wearing the same outfit as someone else is just a matter of chance. Since there's only one piece per size, as long as you're not at the same event, it's totally fine.
The main thing is that this store's clothes are pretty pricey, so they don't mass-produce.
"Cleo, I have to say, you look absolutely stunning in this. Your husband will definitely be crazy about you."
"Who wants to please him? I'm just doing this to look good for myself."
The voice sounded familiar. I frowned. Could I really run into them here at this time?
But when Jessa and Cleo came out of the fitting room together, I completely froze. What kind of day was this? How did I run into them?
This Chanel-style outfit was practically clinging to Cleo's body. The size was too small, a bit too forced. She should have chosen a size up.
"Blair, I don't want it anymore. Let's go."
Nola didn't want to get tangled up with them over a piece of clothing. Mainly because Cleo had always been disrespectful to me, and she didn't want me to feel awkward.
"What are you doing here? Came to blow through Levi's money during your lunch break?"
Had Cleo forgotten about our unpleasant encounter a few days ago?
"Just browsing."
Nola tugged at my sleeve, signaling me to keep it short and leave quickly.
"Cleo, if you like it, just buy it. It's rare to find a style you really like." Jessa seemed natural, as if everything from before had been erased on her end.
"You're the best, unlike some people who deliberately annoy me."
Cleo looked at herself in the mirror, admiring herself.
The staff said quietly, "Ms. Morgan, if I may say so, I think one size up would suit you better."
"I heard you muttering earlier. Do you want to buy this one?"
Cleo turned her gaze to me, thinking I liked it.
"Cleo, this style looks best on you."
Jessa was kissing up on the side. I was speechless - this was clearly lying through her teeth.
"Mm, I like hearing that. I'll definitely put in a good word for you with my brother."
Jessa smirked at me. "Cleo, Levi and I aren't meant to be. You'd better not mention me to him - he's still mad at me."
"It's fine, I'll take care of it."
The two of them going back and forth like this made me uncomfortable.
Even though Nola squeezed my hand, I still couldn't hold back and snapped.
"Don't you already have a boyfriend? You should focus on how to pay back that 20 million instead of showing off here."
"Cleo, look at her."
Jessa instantly redirected the fire to Cleo's side.
"There's no need to talk like that. Are you jealous of her? My brother liked her all along anyway."
I clenched my fists. "Who he likes is his freedom. As long as we're together for one day, I'm still a Morgan. And as a family, aren't you afraid people will laugh at you for saying things like that?"
"Always trying to set up girlfriends for your brother, openly encouraging him to cheat. I don't care - go tell Grandpa at the Morgan mansion. Telling them would be more useful, wouldn't it? What's the point of talking big here?"
Cleo was left speechless by my retort. She thought I was still that silent pushover who'd let her bully me, but I'd really had enough. If I didn't fight back, she'd mock me endlessly.
"Cleo, it's all my fault. I'm sorry."
"You don't need to pretend either. Do you think apologizing like this will make her pity you? She can barely take care of herself - she doesn't have time to deal with your problems."