Chapter 127
Seeing that Gaia had finally made up her mind, Lucinda smiled. Then her brow furrowed.
Gaia was wearing a gray hoodie that had been washed until it was nearly white. The cuffs were frayed. Her pants were from three years ago—the hems had gotten too short.
Lucinda's gaze swept over her from head to toe. Her frown deepened.
She'd never seen Gaia wear anything else.
It seemed like she wore the same thing every day—drab and faded, like someone who'd been wrung out by life until only the base color remained.
"Gaia."
"Yes?"
"Come with me after work."
Gaia froze, clutching her files tighter. "Ms. Wipere, where are we going?"
"Shopping for clothes."
Gaia's eyes widened slightly. She immediately shook her head, her voice rising in urgency. "No, no, Ms. Wipere, I have clothes. I—"
"The one you're wearing has frayed cuffs." Lucinda cut her off. "It's getting cold. You need a few warmer pieces."
Gaia's lips moved. She wanted to say something, but when she met those eyes that left no room for refusal, she swallowed all her words.
She lowered her head and pressed her lips together. "Ms. Wipere, I… I really don't need them. You've already helped me so much. I—"
"It's a company benefit." Lucinda turned and headed toward the elevator without looking back. "Key technical staff receive an annual clothing allowance. You didn't get the notice?"
Gaia opened her mouth.
She'd never received any such notice.
But she knew that this so-called "company benefit" had probably just come into effect a second ago.
She clutched her files and jogged to catch up.
Six o'clock in the evening. Westfield Mall, at the heart of Starlight City's CBD commercial district.
The car stopped in the underground parking garage. Lucinda pushed open the door. Gaia followed behind her, her steps a little hesitant.
She'd never been to a place like this.
When she was still with the Fisher family, her mother used to buy her clothes at wholesale markets—fifty dollars for three pieces, enough to last an entire winter.
Later, after she'd been kicked out and started earning her own money, she only dared browse the clearance sections of fast-fashion brands. Whenever she saw a price tag over two hundred dollars, she quietly put the item back.
Now, standing in the first-floor atrium of Westfield Mall in her gray hoodie, faded pants, and cracked sneakers, she looked completely out of place among the other customers carrying Hermès bags and wearing custom coats.
She instinctively shrank back behind Lucinda.
Lucinda didn't look at her. She walked straight to the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor.
"Ms. Wipere, the things here… are too expensive." Gaia's voice was barely a whisper, as if she were afraid the salespeople at the nearby counters might hear.
Lucinda murmured an acknowledgment. The elevator doors opened. She walked out without slowing down.
The third floor was the premium women's clothing section. Brand-name boutiques lined the corridor, their windows displaying the latest seasonal collections.
Gaia's gaze flitted across the displays. She didn't dare look too closely.
Lucinda's phone suddenly buzzed.
She pulled it out. It was a call from the research lab. Her brow furrowed slightly. She answered.
"Ms. Wipere, the quantum node parameters are drifting again. The fluctuation range is two orders of magnitude larger than this morning. We don't dare adjust it ourselves. What should we—"
"Got it. Ten minutes."
She hung up and turned to look at Gaia. "I need to make a call. Browse around on your own. Try on anything you like when I get back."
Before Gaia could say anything, Lucinda had already turned and headed toward the quiet area at the end of the corridor.
Gaia stood in place, watching that slender, upright figure disappear around the corner. She took a deep breath, shoved both hands into her hoodie pockets, and started browsing on her own.
She didn't dare enter any of the stores.
The sales associates stood at the entrances in crisp uniforms. When their eyes swept over her, it felt like they were appraising an item that wasn't worth much.
She kept her head down, pretending to study the window displays. Her steps quickened.
Halfway down the corridor, she suddenly stopped.
In one store's window, the mannequin was wearing a misty blue coat.
The fabric was a wool blend. The color was an extremely pale, soft gray-blue. The tailoring was sharp and clean. A white knit sweater peeked out at the collar.
Gaia stood in front of the window for a long time without moving.
She thought of a photograph of her mother from when she was young.
In the photo, her mother wore a blue coat and stood in a garden, holding her as a newborn in her arms. Her eyes were crinkled with a smile.
Her grandfather stood behind her, one hand resting on her mother's shoulder, the other pointing at the camera. The wrinkles on his face were smoothed out with joy.
That was when the Fisher family had been at its peak.
Later, her grandfather passed away. That third woman had yanked her mother's coat out of the closet, thrown it on the ground, and stomped on it several times. Then she and her mother had been kicked out of the house they'd lived in for twenty years.
Gaia's hands, hanging at her sides, slowly clenched into fists.
She blinked, forcing the surging emotions back down. Then she pushed open the door and walked inside.
The sales associate was standing behind the counter organizing receipts. When she heard the door, she looked up. Her gaze paused on Gaia for a moment. Her smile was polite. "Welcome. Feel free to look around."
Gaia didn't pay much attention. She walked straight toward the coat.
She reached out. Her fingertips were about to touch the collar when another hand shot out from the side, grabbing the coat by the collar and yanking it off the hanger.
"I'm taking this one."
The voice was shrill and overbearing, laced with an unquestionable sense of superiority.
Gaia's hand froze in midair. She turned her head.
A young woman stood beside her, her features carrying the kind of arrogance that came from being spoiled.
Behind her were two similarly well-dressed girls, carrying shopping bags of various sizes, chattering away about something.
"Miss, this coat just arrived. It's a new release. You have excellent taste." The sales associate's attitude instantly became ten times more enthusiastic. She hurried over and took the coat with both hands.
Gaia stood to the side, watching the sales associate's face shift like a mask. Her fingers slowly curled at her sides.
She opened her mouth. Her voice wasn't loud. "…I saw it first."
The young woman turned her head. Her gaze landed on Gaia, sweeping from top to bottom, then bottom to top. Her expression grew increasingly disdainful.
Gray hoodie. Faded pants. Cracked sneakers.
Her mouth curved into a mocking smile. "You saw it first?"
Her voice rose several notches, growing louder. "So what? Can you even afford it?"
The girls behind her burst into laughter. In the quiet store, it was especially grating.
Gaia's face went instantly pale. She lowered her head. She couldn't get a single word out.
"This coat is a hundred and eight thousand dollars." The young woman took a step forward, looking down at Gaia. "How much do you make in a month? Three thousand? Five thousand? You'd have to save for half a year without eating or drinking to buy one coat?"
She paused. The contempt in her voice practically overflowed. "What makes you think you're in any position to compete with me for clothes?"