Sophia’s POV
I turn my attention to the children, a gentle smile gracing my face, and approach them with a reassuring presence.
“Hey there, are you both okay?”
The older brother, his voice steady despite his trembling, speaks up.
“We didn’t mean to cause any trouble. My sister was just chasing the puppy, and she accidentally tripped. I’m sorry about the pearl.”
I pat the boy gently on the shoulder, admiration gleaming in my eyes.
“You handled that very well. Accidents happen, and it’s important to take responsibility and apologize. Let’s see if we can work things out, alright?”
The woman says from behind impatiently, “I am not interested in all this pity party. Pay me up and let me go!”
Probably shocked by the woman’s sudden loud voice, the young girl begins to cry. I turn to the woman and say sharply, “What is your problem? I already told you we will solve it. What was the need to scare the kids!?”
“Why are you being so rude?” She fires back. “How dare you talk to me like that?”
I am left speechless by her sense of righteousness and I can’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness. “You don’t want to be insulted but you feel okay calling other people’s kids bastard?”
She is unable to refute but I don’t bother to trade words with her anyway. I look at the pearl which is still on the ground and pick it up to assess. The moment I touch it, however, I notice how strange it is.
I notice that the pearl seems heavy, but as I examine it more closely, I can’t help but notice that it lacks the telltale luster of a real gemstone. My keen eye for detail spots imperfections and irregularities on its surface, giving away its counterfeit nature. The smoothness and uniformity that genuine pearls possess are noticeably absent.
I smile as I look up at her and ask, “Where did you get your bag?”
She initially appears surprised by my question but quickly becomes anxious, realizing that her deception may be on the verge of exposure. Sensing her unease, I maintain my calm demeanor, subtly revealing my suspicions.
“Why do you need to know?” the woman responds defensively, her voice tinged with underlying nervousness. It’s clear that she’s on edge, worried that her secret might be unraveled.
Undeterred by her reaction, I calmly explain, “I just want to determine the value of the pearl by checking its authenticity online.”
“What do you mean? It’s the real deal!”
Attempting to salvage her facade, the woman insists that the bag is a genuine Versace 211, emphasizing its exorbitant price of eight figures. But my smile widens, a glimmer of certainty shining in my eyes. I refuse to believe her tale, suspecting that it’s nothing more than a skillfully crafted counterfeit designed to deceive unsuspecting buyers.
Shaking my head gently, I dismiss her claims. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe it’s a genuine Versace bag,” I assert calmly, my voice carrying an air of certainty. “It appears to be a convincing counterfeit, aimed at deceiving people like yourself.”
The woman’s fury intensifies, her face flushing with rage. “How dare you! Who do you think you are? Making baseless speculations about my intentions? You’re just trying to avoid paying a fair price, aren’t you? This is an authentic bag, and you’re just trying to undermine it!”
I don’t allow her provocations to affect me. Instead, I retrieve my phone and swiftly navigate to a website showcasing the exact counterfeit bag.
With composure, I present the screen to the woman, revealing the bag’s actual price-a mere two hundred dollars.
She falters and her forehead creases as she looks at my phone. “That…”
“It’s becoming clear that you’re finding it difficult to defend the authenticity of this bag and the pearl.”
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s a genuine bag, I swear!” She claims, her voice trembling.
Deliberately, I drop the counterfeit pearl onto the floor and, with a firm step, crush it beneath my shoe. The artificial gem shatters into irreparable pieces, serving as a symbolic testament to the woman’s deceit. Gasps of shock escape from the onlookers, their silent disapproval evident.
“Did you see that? She just crushed the pearl!” Someone exclaimed. “Eight figures, my foot.”
“That woman must be feeling so embarrassed right now. She thought she could deceive everyone.”
A woman mutters shaking her head, “She deserves that. Trying to take advantage of others, especially children.”
As the woman’s face drains of color, she steps back as she grabs her bag, and stutters, “You… You better wait. I’ll make you pay for this.”
But she is guilty considering how she quickly turns around, slinking among the crowd and disappearing out of sight.
The crowd departs and my attention goes back to the kids. The girl has stopped crying but the boy has a straight face on and looks defensive.
I kneel at the children’s eye level, a warm smile still on my face. I reach out and gently rub their heads, comforting them.
“Hey, it’s okay. You both did nothing wrong. Accidents happen, and sometimes people try to take advantage of others.
The girl looks up at me with teary eyes, still holding onto her dog tightly. She sniffs and says, “I’m sorry for causing trouble.”
“Don’t say that,” I say to her, rubbing her head. “The next time something like this happens, complain to the store manager or call an older person. Do you understand?”
They immediately nod, bobbing their heads adorably with that movement.
Then, I remember the crux of the matter. “Why are you here alone? Where is your mom?”
The two of them look at each other for a few seconds but before they can respond, a young woman suddenly appears. She smiles at me and extends her hand.
“Hello. I am Emilia, their aunt,” she says. “I’m very grateful for your help. I lost them along the aisle. Thank you very much.”
I force a smile at this, wondering how one loses two kids just like that. But anyway, I’ve done my part. I’m sure there must have been a reason why they strayed away from her for so long.
“It’s no problem. Please be careful and watch them well.”
She nods. “Yes, I understand.”
I stand up and extend a hand toward the two kids. “It was lovely meeting both of you. My name is Sophia. What are your names?”
The younger girl, Daisy, eagerly responds, “My name is Daisy!”
The boy, Daniel, hesitates for a moment, then shyly says, “I’m Daniel.”
My gaze trails to the puppy in Daisy’s arms and I ask, “What’s your dog’s name?”
Daisy pauses thoughtfully but before she can respond, her brother interrupts, “It’s not hers.” He looks at her. “You should drop the puppy, it’s not yours. It’s the reason why you caused such a ruckus.”
“It’s mine. I found it!” She counters, holding the puppy tighter.
Emilia steps forward, looking at me as she holds their hands. “We’ll get going now. Thanks once again.”
I nod gently and smile, waving at the kids. “I’ll get going now. Bye.”
They wave back and Daisy says excitedly, “Bye-bye, Auntie.”
I grab my trolley and return to my shopping, remembering that the time has gone and I need to prepare to move into my new apartment today.
Emilia’s POV
After she left, I kneel before the two kids, feeling relieved. I can’t even imagine what could have happened if something had happened to them. I can’t even bear to think of what Alexander would do.
“Daisy, Daniel, are you both okay? You had me so worried!”
Daisy looks up at me, her eyes wide with a mix of regret and apology. “Sorry, Aunt Emilia. I just wanted to see the puppy. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”
“Thankfully, that auntie was there to save us,” Daniel says to me in a matter-of-fact tone.
I sigh with relief. “Thank goodness. You must be careful next time.” I crouch down to their level and give each of them a gentle hug. “It’s fun to be in the supermarket. But remember, it’s important to stay close to me in crowded places like this. We wouldn’t want to accidentally get separated, would we?”
Daisy nods, her eyes filled with understanding. “I’m sorry, Aunt Emilia. I didn’t mean to wander off. I’ll stay with you from now on.”
I smile warmly at her, appreciating her sincerity. “I know you didn’t mean to, Daisy. Just remember that I’m here to keep you safe, and we’ll have plenty of opportunities to see and play with puppies in the future.”
Daniel adds, “Yeah, Daisy, Aunt Emilia’s right. We should stick together and not run off like that.”
I smile at his maturity before looking at the puppy in Daisy’s arms the root of the problems.
“What do we do about the puppy? We don’t know whose it is,” I say.
“I want it,” Daisy suddenly mutters in a soft voice. “Can I keep it, Auntie?”