Chapter 130
Sabrina's face went from red to white. She wanted to say something, but when she met Lucinda's excessively calm eyes, all her words stuck in her throat.
She gritted her teeth, turned around, and walked out.
The two women quickly followed, flanking her on either side. Neither of them dared look back.
When she reached the store entrance, Sabrina paused.
She turned her head and looked at Lucinda. Resentment churned in her eyes.
She wanted to say something harsh to save face, but when she met those cool, detached eyes, the words died on her lips.
She turned around and disappeared down the corridor at a brisk pace.
Gaia stood in place, clutching the bag in her arms. Her mouth hung slightly open. She looked like she'd been turned to stone.
She watched Sabrina's humiliated retreat, then looked at Lucinda. Her eyes gradually lit up. "Ms. Wipere… that was incredible…"
Her voice was a little shaky, like she was dreaming. "I've never seen anything like that… When you grabbed her throat, my heart almost jumped out of my chest. And that phone call—you put it on speaker. Every word Dahlia said was like a slap to Sabrina's face. Did you see her expression? She went from angry to shocked, from shocked to scared, from scared to resentful. She changed colors several times."
She took a deep breath and hugged the bag tighter. "From today on, you're my idol. Anyone who tries to compete with me for that is going down."
Lucinda glanced at her. Her mouth curved slightly. "Stop talking. Pick out some clothes."
Gaia froze. She looked down at the faded gray hoodie she was wearing, then at the high-end garments hanging in the store. She hesitated. "Ms. Wipere, I…"
"Pick." One word. No room for refusal.
Gaia bit her lip and slowly walked to the rack. Her fingers lightly brushed over the fabrics.
Her gaze lingered on a light blue blouse, then moved to a white knit sweater beside it. She stared at it for several seconds, flipped the price tag back, pulled her hand away, turned around, and forced a smile. "Ms. Wipere, I suddenly feel like none of these really suit me. Let's just go back. There's still so much to do at the company…"
Lucinda looked at her.
Gaia's smile was strained. A trace of poorly concealed guilt flickered in her eyes.
"You don't like them?"
"Right. Not really my style." Gaia nodded, as if trying to convince herself.
Lucinda didn't call her out. She walked over to the items Gaia had been looking at and flipped over the price tags.
Not cheap, but not astronomical either.
With Gaia's current salary, she could afford them if she tightened her belt—but she'd regret it for a long time.
Lucinda put the tag back and glanced at the sales associate.
The associate immediately understood. She walked over, her voice neither too loud nor too soft—just enough for Gaia to hear.
"Miss, all items in the store are fifty percent off today. Today only."
Gaia's eyes lit up instantly.
"Fifty percent?" The words almost burst out of her. Then, realizing she'd overreacted, she quickly reined in her expression, but the smile at the corners of her mouth refused to go away. "So… how much are these?"
The associate quoted a figure—the discounted price.
Gaia silently calculated in her head. Her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
She bit her lip, pulled out her wallet from her bag, and drew out a bank card. Her fingers trembled slightly. "I'll take them."
The associate took the card. Her movements were swift—packaging, bagging, handing it over. The entire process took less than two minutes.
Gaia took the bag and hugged it to her chest. The smile on her face refused to be hidden.
She turned around and looked at Lucinda. Her eyes were a little red, but she smiled like a child. "Ms. Wipere, thank you."
"Thank me for what? The fifty percent off is a store promotion. What does it have to do with me?" Lucinda's tone was flat. She turned and walked out.
Gaia followed behind her, clutching both bags, her steps light.
As she walked out of the store, she couldn't help but glance back.
The sales associate stood behind the counter, head lowered, tidying things up.
Gaia looked away and quickened her pace to catch up.
The two of them left the mall and got into the car.
Gaia carefully placed both bags on the back seat, fastened her seatbelt, and kept smiling.
The car had just pulled out of the parking lot when her phone buzzed.
She answered. The voice on the other end was urgent.
"Gaia, the lab says the materials you requested have arrived. They're at that warehouse in the east district. They want you to pick them up today. They said it's some kind of core component. They need it urgently."
Gaia froze. "Today? Right now?"
"Yeah, they said the sooner the better. If it's inconvenient, I can make the trip for you?"
"No, no, I'll go."
Gaia hung up and turned to look at Lucinda, a little embarrassed. "Ms. Wipere, the lab has some materials I need to pick up. They're at a warehouse in the east district. You can drop me off at the subway station up ahead. I'll take the subway over."
"East district?" Lucinda raised an eyebrow.
That direction was on the way. "I'll take you."
"No, no, I don't want to trouble you—"
"It's on the way." Lucinda cut her off, turned on the signal, and merged into the lane heading east.
Gaia opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing. She leaned back in her seat, clutching the bag, the smile on her face impossible to suppress.
The car crossed half the city. The farther east they went, the quieter it became.
High-rises gradually gave way to low buildings, low buildings to factories, factories to warehouses.
The roads grew narrower. The streetlights grew sparser.
Forty minutes later, the car stopped in front of a drab gray warehouse.
A large padlock hung on the corrugated metal door. The small side door was ajar.
Gaia pushed open the car door and got out. She walked to the small door and pushed it open.
Inside, cardboard boxes and wooden shelves were piled everywhere. The air was thick with the smell of dust.
She walked to the back and found the labeled cardboard box on a shelf. Her name and the lab's code number were written on it.
She bent down, picked up the box, and turned to leave.
Just as she stepped out of the warehouse, her footsteps suddenly stopped.
In the open space in front of the warehouse, dozens of people had appeared out of nowhere.
A dark mass of them, closing in from all directions. Each one held something in their hands.
The bald man at the front, Cruz, had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. The glowing tip flickered in the darkness.
His gaze landed on Gaia's face. His mouth slowly curved into a smile—a smile that made her stomach tighten.
"This the one?"
A lackey beside him nodded. "Yeah, that's them!"
Cruz's gaze shifted from Gaia to the figure that had just stepped out of the car behind her.
White shirt. Black slacks. Hair tied back. So beautiful it was hard to look away.
Cruz's eyes narrowed. He flicked the cigarette butt to the ground and crushed it under his toe.
"Don't let either of them go."
He raised the metal rod in his hand and pointed it in their direction.
"Beat them!"