Adira sat at the plush backseat of the car, her gaze fixed out the window as the city rushed past. The mid-day sun cast a warm glow on everything - from the bustling cars on the sidewalks to the gleaming cars that whizzed by. Just then, her car approached the Belle-Amore jewellery store and Adira's attention was drawn to the familiar figures of Mrs Winslet and Rowena walking inside. They were walking side by side and laughed heartily like they were cracking the funniest jokes. They've become friends - Adira thought. They've become friends after ruining her life and almost making her lose her life. As she watched them, she felt anger surging through her - recalling all the terrible things they made her go through. "Stop the car," she instructed the driver, and quickly, the driver found a place to park. She hesitated for a while, just staring at the doors of the Belle-Amore. It was actually an affiliate of the Yonder Dynamics. So, Nikolai was also head over it. Taking her small shoulder bag, she left the car and walked into the store. It was one of the top jewelery stores in the country with various kinds of diamonds, silver, gold, platinum, jade - name it. Adira was casually dressed in a jean trouser and off-shoulder shirt. If she had known she'd be meeting people like that, she'd have dressed better. She walked into the expansive store and found the two women standing before one of the show-glasses and admiring the necklaces that were displayed there. "Hm. I think I like this one" Mrs Winslet said, pointing at a silver necklace. "Yeah. It looks really pretty. Will look good on you," Mrs Rowena concurred. "As for me, I think I like this," she pointed at a gold necklace in the next show-glass. "Gold is more of my thing." The two women chuckled. Adira's emotions churned like a tempestuous sea as she watched them. She felt nothing but hate. She approached them and didn't stop until she was standing in front of them. Their faces flickered with surprise upon seeing her. "Adira!" Mrs Winslet called and laughed. "Wow. Isn't this a surprise? How good it is to see you. Tell me, how have you been?" Adira's eyes were cold as she stared at her. "I'm not sure you want to know," she responded, not taking her eyes away . They noticed she looked a little bolder, but they didn't mind. "Oh, dear! You must have been through a lot. I know it isn't easy losing someone like my son. He's a gem, you know?"Mrs Winslet teased. "And guess what? He's currently in Maldives, enjoying his honeymoon with my daughter,"Mrs Rowena added and giggled it out with Winslet. Adira said nothing. "So," Mrs Winslet looked around. "What're you doing here? Are you here to apply for a job as a cleaner? Or have you gotten the job already?" "Isn't it obvious? That's the only reason someone like her can be in a place like this," Mrs Rowena added. "Right? Tell us the truth, Adira. I'm actually acquainted with the manager. So, I can put in a word or two for you." Winslet shrugged. A small smile played around the corners of Adira's lips. This got the women flustered. "You two look good together," she remarked and turned to the salesclerk who had been watching them the whole time. "I need this, and this" she pointed at the same jeweleries Rowena and Winslet had pointed a while ago. "What's the total, please?" Rowena and Winslet's jaws dropped in shock. They looked at each other before looking back at Adira. "A... And what the hell are you doing?" Winslet scoffed. "Have you lost your mind, Adira? Do you think this is some cheap counterfeit jewellery store? Do you know what one of those cost?" Adira ignored them and simply focused on the lady who punched in some figures on her calculator. Done, she turned to Adira with a skeptical look. "Uh...the both would be going for one point two million dollars, ma'am," she reported. Rowena and Winslet placed their hands on their waists as they stared at Adira with ridicule. They felt she thought it was some cheap jewellery and didn't know it was above her standard. "So, what're you going to do, Adira? Even if you work as a cleaner in fifty different stores, you'll never be able to make that money in a year," Winslet taunted with a crooked smile. Sedately, Adira reached for her bag, pulled out her bank card and handed it to the lady. "You can take the bill from there."Rowena and Winslet flinched. "What the hell are you doing?!" Rowena chuckled - nervously. "Are you that stupid to give an empty card to the clerk? How dare you to try to waste her time and our time?" "You foolish girl, you're trying to embarrass me, aren't you?" Winslet snapped. "You're trying to make it seem like my son's ex-wife is so poor. Well, go ahead and fool yourself!" Adira didn't even look at them as she focused on the lady who was trying to make use of the card. "Hey, I don't think you should waste your time." Winslet said to the lady. "This lady right here is as poor as anything you can imagine, and I assure you that you're only going to waste your time trying to make use of that card. Try it and see - it's going to be so shameful when it declines." The lady said nothing as she inserted the card into the POS machine and handed to Adira for her pin. They all watched with curiousity as the machine read and finally, a paper scrolled out from it. The clerk's eyes held astonishment. She had also thought Adira was playing around and didn't expect the card to work. "It's um... it's successful," she gulped hard as she cut out the paper and proceeded to take out the jewelries. A light smirky smile found Adira's lips. Frozen in silence, Winslet and Rowena watched as the clerk proceeded to take out the jeweleries and began wrapping it. The air was thick with disbelief and awe, like a densed fog that had descended upon them. It was as if they were witnessing a fantasy, a sight so alarming that their minds couldn't comprehend. Their mouths hung agape, unable to utter a word as their eyes darted between Adira and the object of her purchase. "How is this...how is this possible?" Mrs Winslet griped, shaking her head. Her eyes held a mix of fear and confusion. Adira said nothing still, and shortly, the lady approached her with her package. "Thank you for shopping with us, ma'am. We hope to have you again," she flashed a smile at her. Adira responded with a nod and turned to leave, but Winslet got in her way. "Tell me the truth, my son gave you the money, didn't he? He sent you money." She scoffed. "I can't believe he still went ahead to do it even after I told him not to." "You can think whatever you want to, ma'am, but I'd never take anything from you or your son," Adira replied. "Oh, shut up!" Winslet snapped. "That's the only way you can get such money. And it's stupid of you to waste it all on a jewellery I wanted. What point are you trying to prove, huh? Getting those jeweleries doesn't change the fact that you're a piece of garbage, Adira. Now, let's see how much you have left after spending so much on jeweleries." Adira chuckled. "Are you so sure I'm a piece of garbage?" She took a step closer to her, making them stand at close proximity. "I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, Winslet, 'cause you never know if you'd have to beg me tomorrow." She added. Winslet's eyes reflected shock. Did Adira just call her by her name? Adira stepped away and turned to Rowena. "Tell your daughter - Kalina - that I owe her a slap," she added and left, walking out on the two women.