Chapter 63: PACK UP
I turned. “I’ll be there,” I said, ending the call.
I connected the location to my car’s GPS, and a robotic voice filled the car: ***‘Location, DeLuxe plaza. Proceed to the highlighted route.’***
Tapping my fingers against the wheel, I pulled out of the compound, my mind drifting back to the whole thing with Frankie as I looked at the side mirror to see her walking back into the house. Not like I cared, but the nerve of her. Dragging me like that, acting like I owed her something. And then trying to guilt-trip me into some forced family bonding session? Yeah, no thanks.
As I turned onto the main road, the GPS continued giving directions, but my mind wasn’t really on the robotic voice. I was mentally listing the things I was going to buy, money I could spend before my mother got another call from the bank about my spending habits.
I smirked to myself. This was going to be fun.
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I pulled up in front of Saks Fifth Avenue, the clean, minimalistic storefront reflecting the late morning sun. Just beside it was Neiman Marcus, another favorite of mine. If Xinmei had dragged me out shopping, at least she had the decency to choose somewhere that wouldn’t make my skin crawl.
Inside, the air smelled like expensive perfume and money. Xinmei was already there, standing by a glass display case, eyeing a Gucci Jackie 1961 bag while an attendant stood beside her, holding a neatly folded silk scarf.
The moment she spotted me, she handed the bag off to the attendant and turned to face me with a dramatic sigh. “I’m probably going to die soon,” she declared, stretching her arms like she’d just been through some war. “I just had a large amount caffeine waiting for you”
I scoffed,. “Oh, noooo, don't die. Shut up. No one told you to drink every coffee you were served”
“It’s Guarana tea,” she corrected, flipping her glossy black hair over her shoulder. “And I had nothing else to do while waiting for you, you took your time looking hot in front of the mirror”
“Uh-huh.”
I barely paid attention as she went on about how she was keeping herself entertained, instead focusing on the nearest rack of Alaïa coats. If the rumors were true about the weather shift inside E.D.E.N, then I was not about to freeze to death because of some “magical” atmospheric anomaly.
Which, by the way, what? How was it summer out here and supposedly snowing inside? Was this Narnia? Another dimension? I wasn’t about to question it too much, but I also wasn’t going to take any chances.
I pulled a couple of coats—one Max Mara camel wrap and a Moncler puffer—before moving to the dress section. Xinmei and I went through racks of Zimmermann, Dion Lee, and Jacquemus, grabbing anything that looked remotely interesting. Between the two of us, we had enough clothes to survive an entire week-long trip, not a day or two.
By the time we checked out, I felt at least two thousand dollars lighter or more. Xinmei looked completely unbothered, twirling the key to her car around her finger like she hadn’t just burned a hole in her own wallet.
Next stop: snacks.
I wasn’t taking any risks with whatever cheap, no-name brand knockoffs they were selling in E.D.E.N. If the place turned out to be some off-grid disaster with stale crackers and off-brand chips, I needed to be prepared.
We drove to the mall, where I loaded up a cart with essentials— Godiva truffle chocolates, Moose Munch, gourmet granola bars, and imported matcha Kit-Kats. I even grabbed a pack of Perrier because, knowing my luck, they’d only have tap water over there.
Xinmei snorted as she watched me pile the cart with enough snacks to last a week. “You’re so dramatic.”
“You’ll be thanking me when you’re stuck eating cardboard-flavored protein bars,” I shot back, grabbing another box of dark chocolate sea salt caramels.
She rolled her eyes but didn’t stop me.
I shuddered at the thought of food poisoning from sketchy snacks and threw in a few more items for good measure.
Better safe than sorry.
By the time we finished shopping, our hands were practically weighed down with bags. Xinmei had insisted on stopping for lunch, and since I wasn’t in the mood to argue, and I was hungry we ended up at a sushi bar tucked between a couple of luxury stores.
I picked at my spicy tuna roll while she went on about some drama with her cousin, something about a stolen dress and a ruined family event. I half-listened, occasionally nodding while scrolling through my phone and stuffing my face.
Like I said. I was hungry.
I didn't have breakfast.
…
After lunch, we decided to end the day there and went our separate ways, with a promise she'll call me an hour or two before the trip so I wouldn't forget anything, and that was also a heads-up just in case I was having another wet dream according to her.
The drive home was quiet, the sky starting to shift into that warm late-afternoon glow. I was glad I had left when I did— 4:15 PM wasn’t too late, which meant I’d have enough time to start packing.
Pulling into the driveway, I exhaled, relieved that the place looked almost empty. Few cars in sight.
Good.
I wasn’t in the mood for questions, small talk, or whatever passive-aggressive remark my mother had waiting for me because I didn't join the family bonding shopping.
As I stepped inside, the faint sound of voices drifted from the kitchen. I didn’t bother checking who it was. Whether it was my mother, Marilyn, or Frankie, I wasn’t interested in any confrontation right now. Sounded more like Frankie and her mother though.
Instead, I tightened my grip on my shopping bags and headed straight upstairs, my heels clicking softly against the marble floors.
By the time I reached my room, I was already exhausted.
I pushed the door shut with my foot and dropped the bags onto the bed, rolling my shoulders as I finally let myself relax.
Time to pack up.
Maybe I should stop saying pack up. It's a two days thing.