Boutique thief.

Boutique thief.
“Hey!” Claudia yelled as she tried to free herself from the aggressive grip of the lady.
Almost everyone present suddenly had their gaze fixed on her; some glared in pure disgust, others stared with hatred, while a few looked on in confusion.
The lady scoffed, rolled her eyes, and raised her other hand in the air, signaling for the security personnel to approach.
“Hey, better watch what you’re saying, lady. How on earth am I a thief? Did you catch me stealing anything?” Claudia demanded, eyeing the woman from head to toe. For some reason, the lady’s face seemed strangely familiar.
‘Where on earth have I met this lady before?’ Claudia thought, but the answer remained far from reach.
As she pondered, the security personnel had already rushed toward her with a lethal gaze. “Miss, you have to cooperate with us unless things might end up getting messy,” one of them stated.
“Co… cooperate?” Claudia stammered, her words trailing uncertainly. Everything happening around her felt overwhelming, leaving her too stunned to respond clearly.
“Miss, you stole from this boutique, so don’t try to create a scene now that we’re being nice,” another security guard said firmly.
“Hey!” Claudia snapped, her voice rising. “Did you catch me stealing?” she demanded, her eyes blazing with anger.
The lady still holding her wrist scoffed. “You all heard her, right? She’s asking if we caught her stealing because she thought we wouldn’t,” she said loudly, her voice drawing even more attention to the scene.
Whispers quickly spread through the boutique.
“Why would a young girl like that steal?”
“This generation is something else. No one wants to work hard anymore.”
“The fact that she’s at the sexy clothing section shows she has no self-respect.”
“I bet she even stole the clothes she’s wearing—those look expensive.”
“What a shame. She’s stealing just to look attractive.”
The murmurs stung like sharp blades, and Claudia could feel dozens of judgmental eyes piercing through her.
Claudia swallowed hard. The hateful stares of the onlookers made her skin crawl, and every nerve in her body went on high alert. The lady who had been gripping her wrist released her, pulled out her phone from her handbag, and quickly dialed the police.
“We… we need an officer downtown,” the lady said, breathless, giving the address of the boutique.
“Copy that, ma’am. Units are just a few blocks away and will be there in two minutes,” the voice on the other end of the line replied calmly but firmly.
Meanwhile, the security personnel surrounding Claudia shook their heads in disapproval. One of them reached for her wrist. “Come with us, miss,” the young guard said firmly.
Claudia’s eyes darted around the room as panic seized her. Her breathing quickened, coming in shallow gasps, and her chest rose and fell rapidly. ‘Are they going to hit me like my father did?’ she thought, tears welling up in her eyes. The confidence she once carried vanished completely, leaving her trembling in fear.
As Claudia was being pulled by one of the security personnel, the entrance door of the boutique suddenly swung open. Her eyes darted toward the door, and she froze when she saw two policemen walking straight toward her.
“No… No!” Claudia cried out, stumbling backward as panic filled her chest. Fear gripped her heart, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. In a desperate motion, she yanked her wrist free from the guard’s grasp and stumbled away.
The moment she was free, she turned sharply and bolted for the exit, running as fast as her legs could carry her. The policemen sprang into action, one of them speaking quickly into his radio while they both charged after her. The sound of their heavy boots echoed behind her, mixing with her ragged breaths and the frantic pounding of her heart.
Claudia’s hair whipped across her face as she ran, glancing over her shoulder to check if they were gaining on her. Just as she turned her head forward again, a strong hand shot out from the crowd and grabbed her by the shoulder. The sudden grip jolted her, and she gasped, coming to an abrupt stop as the shock rippled through her body.
In Claudia’s front was the sight of a fair, handsome young man dressed in a police uniform. He was tall, probably around six-foot-two, with neatly cut hair, striking emerald eyes, and lips so pink they momentarily stole her attention. His presence carried a dominant aura, yet when he smiled, Claudia’s eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of his perfect white teeth.
“Freeze, young lady,” he ordered in a calm but firm tone.
Claudia went still. She wanted to wriggle free from his grip, but something in his gaze made her stay rooted to the spot.
The two policemen who had been chasing her finally caught up, panting slightly. One of them stepped forward, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. “You’re under arrest, young lady,” he said as the cold metal locked around her wrists.
Claudia said nothing. She didn’t even glance at him. The noise of the crowd faded from her mind, leaving only the sound of her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
All she could focus on was the handsome man standing right in front of her.
He chuckled softly, noticing that Claudia seemed lost in her own thoughts while the policemen behind her were speaking, yet she gave no reply.
The young man leaned closer to her ear and whispered in a gentle tone, “You seem lost in my gaze, beautiful one, but how about you turn around and take responsibility for your actions?” His words sounded so pleasant against her ear that Claudia could barely process them. All she noticed was the warm breath brushing her skin.
He pulled back, still watching Claudia as the cops began dragging her away. “You’re such a strange thief,” he murmured, chuckling quietly as she was escorted out of the boutique and disappeared from his sight.
He murmured to himself, “So strange…”