Chapter 175: Chapter 175
Clara walked out of the store feeling humiliated. She held her head high and her back straight, avoiding eye contact with everyone, and continued out without looking back.
It was not necessarily about the fact that her card had been declined but the attendant’s reaction and words, as well as that of the people around.
Almost shouting, the girl had sneered,
"Do you have another card, Ma’am?"
Clara was caught off-guard. After James’ issue, she had not necessarily gone on a spending spree yet, so she did not know that her card had been frozen as it was part of James’ assets.
"Don’t waste my time if you do not!" The girl snapped. Even though she had lowered her voice slightly on this, her voice had still travelled far. She had thought that the woman with that confident look and air had all it took to make her sales that day, but who knew that the woman only knew how to spot the expensive stuff but nothing other than that?
Also, the small crowd gathered around them in the store scorned Clara as if she had done wrong by trying to buy. Clara bit her lips, trying to stop herself from saying anything back. If her card had worked, this girl would not have been that rude to her. A slight panic set forth on her.
’Why would they freeze my card too? It’s my card. What does that have to do with whatever they have against James?’ Clara asked herself as she walked dejectedly around the mall.
’I feel so humiliated. Twice in one day! From that pervert and then this! What am I going to do now? How do I shop?’
She took out her phone and called Shelby.
The phone rang and rang, but no one picked up the call. She glanced angrily at her phone.
"Shelby thinks she has grown up and will not give me any face when I need her?" Clara muttered to herself as she sat on one of the small benches in the middle of the mall. She did her best to block out the ridicule still going on around her.
She called again and again, but no one picked up. The problem was that she had no cash and was unsure how she would get back home if the card did not work.
She tried again, only to be met with the ’phone switched off narrative.’
She was so angry that the words fell out of her mouth instinctively.
Ian lay on his bed, half-seated and half-lying. His Elfin was sprawled on his chest, and he gently ran one hand soothingly through her hair. For some reason, he felt even closer to her, as if they were one.
He held Shelby’s phone, which he had turned off. He wanted nothing to disturb her sleep, for he knew that she needed it.
He discarded the phone, not even bothering with the fact that it was his mother-in-law who had been calling. His mind was preoccupied with other things.
’I shouldn’t have pushed her so far for her first time.’
He thought back to the droplets of blood he had cleaned up on her as she had finally lost consciousness in his arms.
’How could you make her lose consciousness before letting her go?’ He asked himself for the umpteenth time, but Ian had no answer. He only remembered one thing. A surge of power unlike anything he had ever felt in his life, the moment he had connected intimately with her and had released inside her. The intense emotions and sensations that had been invoked on the side were just perfect.
He shuddered at the thought of that power. The only thing remotely close to that in which he had felt in his life was the park when he had saved her and then at the same park when he had yet saved her again a few days back.
Those occurrences started making him think that his Elfin was more than met the eye. He leaned down slightly and kissed her hair, but she did not even stir. His eyes softened as he took her in her sight.
In the mall, Clara’s helplessness was increasing with each passing moment. She decided to call her son.
She was not surprised when her son picked up on the second ring.
’That’s why I love my boy!’
"Mum, where are you?" Rocky’s voice sounded. Those who knew him would have realized that he was trying to curb his anger, but Clara, as usual, did not notice any such a reaction.
"Rocky dear, I know you still have some of the monthly allowances with you. Can you send me a little?"
Rocky’s mouth dropped open. It was true that Ian had sent him a lot of money to last him his lifetime, but at that moment, his mother did not know that, so why would she be asking for his pocket money? He did not even have to ask as Clara supplied the reason herself.
"I saw this beautiful dress that I want to wear it for your father’s trial, but my card was declined. Can you imagine? I-"
Clara kept talking and talking before she realised that she had not heard Rocky’s voice.
She removed the phone from her ear only to see that her son had long since hung up.
"Why would he hang up? No, he didn’t. My boy would never do that!"
She contemplated calling back and wondered what she was going to do when the same rude attendant from the shop she had just exited walked towards her with a small shopping bag. This time, she had a smile on her face, which was puzzling for Clara.
’What’s with her many faces?’
"Ma’am, you left your bag."
"What bag?" Clara asked in confusion. However, the girl never said anything and left the bag next to Clara’s seat.
"Hey lady! You can’t just -"
Clara stopped short when she saw what was in the bag.
’Isn’t this the same dress that I just tried to buy?’ Clara’s surprise was very evident.
’Why would she bring it to me when I have not bought it?’
She reached into the bag and saw a receipt for the purchase there, too.
Clara did not know how to react, but then, at the back of the receipt, a typed message read: "This dress cost a million, adding up to the 100 proposed to make 101 million. You have a lot to pay now. I will only wait for an hour. You know where to find me."
Clara mulled over the words for a long while not quite understanding.
’Why would the person make reference to a hundre-’
That was what it clicked.
"It’s that pervert!" She shouted and jumped up from the seat. Many people around her turned to give her weird glances.
She lowered her head in embarrassment and sat back down.
On the one hand, she was happy to have received the dress because she really loved it. At that time, the thought of her children had already long disappeared from Clara’s mind.
She got up once again and headed for the ladies’ room. She could not wait to try it on. She entered one of the bigger stalls and changed into the new dress. There was nothing simple about it, but it all dwelled on the figure of the wearer, and Clara checked all the boxes. She exited the stall and checked herself out in front of the big mirror.
She smiled widely and then went back into the stall to change. She had no indication to send the dress back but then as an adult, she already knew what was being asked for in return for that. Clara had no idea how that pervert prosecutor had known about the dress. Nonetheless, the dress had come to her, which meant that it was meant to be hers!
She changed back into her original clothes and then stepped out of the stall, clutching her shopping bag.
She re-touched her makeup and hair.
’I’m sorry, James. This is all for you.’ She thought. However, the thought of the man touching her made her cringe.
’I am craving for some sex as it’s been a few days.... I am sure that if I close my eyes, it will be over before I know it!’
With James, they had had a very healthy sexual life. So, the fact that he had been abruptly taken away from her was enough to make Clara feel deprived, but she had never tried to pursue that until that moment she gazed fondly at the dress.
Within half an hour, Clara found herself back at the prosecutor’s office as it was but just about ten-minute walk from the mall she had chosen.
Since she had come there herself the second time, knowing perfectly well, what she was walking into, she did not hesitate to knock when she saw the light still underneath that one office. However, when Clara thought she was prepared for anything, his first words to her made her wish she could turn back.
Immediately, Presque laid eyes on her, and her shopping bag, he smirked.
"Yes, where else do you want to do this? You brought yourself to my office..." Clara understood his amusement, but she tried another approach.
"You think too highly of yourself, Mrs. Wendover. You came here yourself. I have no time to go to a hotel with you, nor do I want my wife to see me doing that. Also, I only have half an hour for you, so make it worth my time, and I will think about your request."
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