Chapter 80

Chapter 80

She asked me another question I couldn't answer.

Seeing my silence, Hazel guessed, "Is he your boyfriend?"

I shook my head.

"He's absolutely gorgeous!" Hazel said excitedly. "The way he just swept you up and carried you off like that—oh my God, it was so hot!"

Hazel looked a bit confused. "But if he's not your boyfriend, why would he carry you off like that?"

She muttered to herself, "He can't be your brother, right?"

Although I knew Hazel meant no harm, these questions she was asking were really hard for me to answer.

I didn't want to lie to her either, so I had no choice but to change the subject. "Hazel, are you free after school tonight?"

Hazel didn't even think about it. "Yeah, why?"

I asked, "Can you come with me to buy something?"

Hazel and I walked out of the school gates side by side.

At the entrance, a luxury car sat quietly, with two big, sturdy figures—George and Raymond—standing nearby.

"Ms. Thorne, please get in. We'll take you home," George said respectfully as he opened the car door.

Hazel looked curiously at the scene before her, then turned to me with a smile. "Ella, is this how you get home from school?"

I felt a bit awkward and didn't know how to explain.

I looked at George and said softly, "George, I want to buy something. Could you please take us to the mall?"

George looked troubled. "Ms. Thorne, that's a bit tricky. I'd need to check with Mr. Smith first."

I understood—as James's people, they naturally had to follow his orders strictly.

I didn't want to make things difficult for them, so I took out my phone. "How about this—I'll give him a call?"

George nodded. "Thank you for understanding, Ms. Thorne."

I walked aside with my phone, feeling a bit nervous as I dialed.

The phone only rang twice before someone picked up.

"What is it?" James's tone was calm.

From the sound of it, he seemed to be in a decent mood.

I gathered my courage and said, "I want to go to the mall later."

James's elegant, deep voice came through. "With who?"

"With one of my classmates," I answered. "The girl you saw at school last time."

I figured James had probably forgotten who I was talking about.

But as long as it wasn't a guy, he probably wouldn't care too much.

James's consistently cool voice came again. "So?"

I told him honestly, "They need your permission first."

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. "Put George on."

I said "okay," then handed the phone to George and put it on speaker.

George took the phone and tentatively called out, "Mr. Smith."

James's command came through. "Take them to the mall. You and Raymond stay with them the whole time."

George replied, "Yes, Mr. Smith."

After the call ended, George handed my phone back and said, "Ms. Thorne, please get in. I'll take you to the mall."

I quickly thanked him. "Thanks for your trouble."

Then I pulled Hazel toward the car. "Let's go."

The car interior was spacious and comfortable. We sat in the back seat.

Hazel had witnessed this whole sequence of events and seemed a bit confused.

Seeing how careful I'd been when speaking, she asked tentatively, "Ella, were you just calling your dad?"

I quickly denied it. "No."

Hazel guessed again. "Your brother then?"

I didn't respond.

Hazel could see my difficulty and nodded knowingly, not pressing further.

Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of the mall.

Hazel and I got out and walked into the mall.

"Ella, what do you want to buy?" Hazel asked.

I said, "I want to buy a belt."

Hazel asked again, "Is it for your dad?"

I frowned and didn't say anything.

Why was she circling back to this topic again?

"Oh, do you have a specific brand in mind?" Hazel continued.

I nodded.

We searched for quite a while before finding a luxury brand store.

As soon as we entered, a staff member immediately came over with a warm smile.

"How can I help you, ladies, today?" the staff member asked warmly.

I said, "I want to buy a men's belt."

The staff member led us further inside, explaining, "For men's belts, you can look over here. These are all the latest styles this season."

"Okay, thanks," I replied.

I looked at the various belts hanging on the display rack. After searching around, I couldn't find one like James's.

The staff member noticed my trouble and came over to ask, "Haven't found a style you like?"

I nodded, my eyes still searching the display.

The staff member asked, "May I ask who you're buying the belt for? I can help recommend something."

Before I could speak, Hazel beside me smiled and jumped in, "For her dad."

This topic just wouldn't go away, it seemed.

Hearing this, the staff member took down a belt from the rack and handed it over. "For an elder, this style would be perfect—understated yet elegant."

I shook my head. "I want to ask, do you have one that's pure black, with a silver buckle in the middle, and I think there's a logo in the bottom right corner?"

The staff member frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then took out another black belt from the rack. "Is this the one you mean?"

I looked at it and shook my head. "No."

The staff member took out another one. "How about this?"

I still shook my head.

After looking at several, none were what I was looking for.

The staff member said, "Ma'am, actually, we have many great new styles here. Do you really need the exact one you described?"

I felt helpless, too. I didn't want to be this stubborn either, but James was so picky—if I didn't buy the exact same one, he'd definitely be unhappy again.

The staff member asked again, "Ma'am, do you have a photo of the belt?"

I shook my head to indicate I didn't.

The staff member suggested, "If your family member is still using that belt, you could go back and take a photo to send us, or bring it in next time, and we can help you look for it."

I said a bit embarrassed, "Okay, thank you."

Walking out of the store, I said to Hazel, "Hazel, thanks for today. Sorry, you came along for nothing."

Hazel waved her hand. "What's the trouble? I didn't have anything else to do after school anyway."

I still felt a bit bad. "Let me treat you to something?"

With that, we headed toward a dessert shop.