Chapter 164

Chapter 164

Evelyn looked like she'd just heard the funniest joke of the century.

She burst out laughing and pointed rudely at Wendy. "What are you talking about? You think you can actually afford all this? Do you have any idea how much the bags in this store cost, country girl? Just one of those rare bags is worth more than your life, and you want all of them? Go home and get some sleep."

The sales associate felt awkward. She knew Evelyn — she was a regular client of another associate named Ava.

Just as she was thinking about this, Ava came rushing over. "Evelyn, you're here! I'm so sorry for the poor service. Come sit down, and I'll personally bring over whatever you'd like to see."

Ava nudged Eleanor, the associate helping Wendy, and shot her a look. "Don't you know she's the daughter of the Sterling Bank president? Why are you just standing there? Which customer matters more — do I really need to spell it out for you?"

Eleanor looked down and sighed. She knew Evelyn was a big spender, but she wasn't ready to give up on Wendy either.

"Ma'am, shall we take a look at some other bags and clothes? We have new arrivals as well." Eleanor had no intention of getting into a fight with Evelyn.

Everyone at the store knew what Evelyn's temper was like.

She was cold, arrogant, and full of herself.

Wendy thought about it and decided she didn't want to cause a scene, so she nodded.

But Evelyn wasn't about to let it go. Thinking Wendy was backing down out of fear, she kept pushing. "If you can't afford it, don't pretend to be rich. With that little salary of yours, you'd struggle to buy a keychain, and here you are talking about buying clothes and bags. Who do you think you're fooling? People like you should be thrown out. What are you even doing here?"

Wendy almost laughed — Evelyn had a real gift for getting under people's skin.

"Fine. I want that bag. I'm not backing down. Wrap it up for me," Wendy told Eleanor.

Eleanor glanced at the rare bag and decided to explain. "Because this is a limited edition piece, purchasing it requires a Black Gold membership. That means spending at least ten million a year for five consecutive years."

Now Wendy was confused. Why did buying a bag require a special membership? Shouldn't paying be enough?

Seeing Wendy freeze, Evelyn laughed even harder. "See? Now that's embarrassing. Let me tell you — not only do you need the Black Gold card, you also have to buy other items worth at least seventy percent of the bag's price."

Evelyn smirked with contempt. "Stop trying so hard. Even if you had five hundred more years, you still couldn't afford it."

Wendy smiled. As far as she knew, even though Christopher spoiled Evelyn, his cash flow had limits. There was no way he could support her spending ten million a year at this store for five straight years.

"Then why don't you buy it and show me," Wendy said, not backing down one bit.

That stopped Evelyn cold.

She genuinely couldn't afford it. Christopher's finances hadn't been great lately, which was exactly why she was so desperate to marry William.

"I just decided I don't like this bag anymore. I don't want it," Evelyn said stubbornly.

"You're the one putting on an act. Don't call other people out when you can't afford it yourself," Wendy shot back without mercy.

She had let Evelyn walk all over her for far too long. Before, she'd held back for William's sake. But that was then.

Things were different now.

Evelyn stiffened. "Go ahead and buy it then. Let's see how you manage that."

That put Wendy in a tough spot. She hadn't known about the membership rule before, and now she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"We'll take this bag, along with all the ones Alice was looking at earlier. We'll take them all." Hannah walked over to Wendy with a warm smile, composed and graceful.

Wendy felt a lump in her throat. So this was what it felt like to have someone in your corner, no questions asked.

Hannah took Wendy's hand. "Sweetheart, if you like it, we buy it. Don't ever shortchange yourself."

Evelyn looked Hannah over. She'd heard of the Green family, but had never actually seen Hannah in person. Hannah had rarely appeared in public over the years due to her health, so few people outside their circle would recognize her. Evelyn simply wrote her off as some wealthy trophy wife with a generous wallet.

"Stop playing rich in here. Do you even know how much these bags cost?"

Hannah didn't bother responding. She simply nodded at Marlowe to go pay.

As Marlowe walked past Evelyn, she deliberately bumped into her.

Evelyn clenched her teeth in fury, but she was more curious to see whether they could actually pay.

Marlowe pulled out a black card, and the moment Eleanor saw it, she was stunned. This wasn't just a black card — it was a Black Gold SVIP, a tier above.

Eleanor said nothing and ran the card for the full amount.

"I'll go wrap everything up for you right away." Her tone was noticeably more respectful now.

Evelyn looked like she was about to fall apart.

"Did you check properly? Make sure there's no mistake. Don't just hand over the bags for free," she said, even though the chance of that was basically zero. She just refused to believe it.

Ava was stunned too, and immediately regretted not being the one to help Wendy first. Her smile turned almost fawning. "Ma'am, our store also carries home goods if you'd like to browse."

Hannah gestured for Wendy to go take a look.

Evelyn stepped right in front of them. "Wendy, you shameless woman. Without William, you're already latching onto rich people? Have you no dignity?"

"Mind your own business." Wendy pushed past her.

She wasn't ready to let Evelyn find out she was Alice just yet. Knowing Evelyn, she'd spread all kinds of rumors.

Besides, once the public dinner was held, Evelyn would find out her real identity soon enough.

"Is your father Christopher?" Hannah asked suddenly.

Evelyn stood up straight. "That's right. Are you scared now? My family isn't someone you want to mess with."

Wendy didn't know whether to laugh at how reckless or just plain dumb Evelyn was — announcing her family name to strangers like that, not even thinking about the trouble it could bring.

Hannah smiled. "No worries. Just asking."

But in her mind, she'd already made a decision. If someone dared to look down on her daughter, she'd pull every last cent from Sterling Bank next month.

Let's see if Evelyn would ever dare treat Wendy that way again.

With that thought, Hannah looked at Wendy with a tender ache in her heart. This poor girl — who knew how much she'd been through out there all these years, with no one to stand up for her.

"Don't worry. From now on, the Green family has your back. Whatever you want to do, you can," Hannah said, patting Wendy's hand.

Wendy nodded firmly.

She was no longer a girl without a mother.

Evelyn had been picked up and set right back down. She stood there fuming as she watched Wendy walk out, bags in hand, without a care in the world.

The three of them found a restaurant and had a thoroughly satisfying meal.

"Alice, I've been thinking," Hannah said, still irritated by what had happened earlier. "We should hold a public event in Novaria to announce your identity. That way, those people can't gossip behind your back and embarrass you. Let the Green family's name put them in their place first."

She refused to let Wendy be humiliated in Novaria ever again.

Wendy was about to say no, but Marlowe stepped in. "Just let Mrs. Green have this. Your identity was always going to come out eventually. Sooner or later doesn't make much difference."

Wendy thought about it, then nodded.

Fair enough. She wanted the Moore family to know that her parents had never abandoned her.