“Melody?”
Melody’s movement halted. She knows that voice. She knows it very well. The only voice that she wished she hadn’t heard again. Melody slowly turned her body and saw Teresa standing there looking at her.
Teresa is wearing a white button top showing off a little bit of her chest and a black skirt.
“Look what we have here,” Teresa crossed her arms, looking at Melody with a smirk.
“What are you doing here…” Melody stepped a little bit backwards. Meeting Teresa here is unexpected since she never planned what to do if she met them.
“I suppose to ask you that,” she chuckles, “You have no money and yet you are here?”
Melody rolls her eyes. It’s true what she said. “I can go anywhere I want. This is not your mall.”
Teresa laughs, “You are right. But everyone in this branded clothes store didn’t like to see a beggar here.”
“I’m not a beggar. A beggar doesn’t dress like this,” she scowls.
Teresa’s gaze looks at her from head to toe. She was right. Melody’s appearance looks so branded and beautiful. That dress’s fabric quality looks so branded. Somehow, it triggers Teresa a bit.
This is not what she imagined Melody could wear after getting married to that tyrant man.
“Hm. I see,” she mumbles.
Melody decides to ignore her. She turns towards the various types of clothes hanging. Her hands touch every clothes. She takes a look at the price and gasps. She never felt broke by just looking at the price.
“I told you this is not your place,” Teresa smirks and leans on the rack.
“You are not anyone to tell me that,” she talks back. “How about you go home and have your fun with the man you always invite over,”
Teresa narrows her eyes on her, “Mind your words. Don’t think that you already escaped from us, you are free to talk to me like this.”
“Why? Triggered because I dare to talk back?” Melody taunted her.
Teresa’s eyes twitch. As far as she knows, Melody could never dare to talk back like this. Whenever she did, her stepfather would teach her a lesson. She doesn’t want to show how much Melody’s words fuel her anger.
“I can buy it. I just need to snap my finger or say the word,” Melody said firmly.
“Oh? You mean that tyrant man will buy anything you desire?” she chuckles. “You are so funny, Melody.”
“There’s no way that tyrant man will do that. You know what? I got to be honest with you,” Teresa walks closer to her, “I’m more than glad that you take over my place.”
“W-What do you mean by that?” she frowns.
“You know, I’m not fond of my father’s decision. Do you think I want that tyrant man? He’s such an intimidating man and don’t even let any people touch him! Do you believe that?”
Teresa chuckles, shaking her head slightly. “He probably let you find your own money by yourself. Where did you work? Do you have part-time or something? Did you collect your money?”
Her words make Melody annoyed. Every word that escaped her lips was the opposite of what she lived right now. But something catches her attention. Damian didn’t let anyone touch him?
But why did he touch her then? Even though he was wearing gloves all the time, it didn’t change the fact that he held her.
“Are you done? I want to have some shopping time by myself here,” Melody sighs deeply.
“Don’t speak to me like that, as if you got a million dollars in your account,” Teresa scowls.
Suddenly, a staff came to notice the tension between them. The staff walks towards them with strict expression.
“Excuse me, miss. What is going on here?” the staff questioned.
“Thank goodness you notice the tension between us. This girl over here… you have to keep an eye on her. She might steal something from your store,” Teresa said with a confident tone.
Melody furrows her eyebrows. She might be pick-pocket, which Teresa didn’t know, but she decided to stop doing that.
The staff seems taken aback by those words, “Um… miss, it’s not good to make an accusation.”
The staff looks at Melody and judges her appearance. Melody seems dressed up so well. There’s no way she will do that, that’s what the staff thought of her.
“No, I know her. I didn’t make an accusation here, but I know her more than anyone,” Teresa’s words make Melody almost laugh.
“Miss, please. Don’t judge someone like that,” the staff sighs.
“Fine. If you don’t believe me… how about you ask her to grab any clothes, then ask her to pay for them,” she smirks.
The staff hesitated to do it. She looks at Melody, who doesn’t look panic at all. Instead of that, she looks annoyed.
“If you say so, then fine,” the staff turns to Melody with an apologized smile, “I’m sorry, miss. Can you pick any clothes and then pay?”
Melody knows this is the only thing to make Teresa shut her mouth and not cause a scene. She grabs one random dress. She occasionally toward Teresa, who keeps smirking at her.
Is she that confident that Melody will live in hell after getting married to that man?
Without saying anything, Melody went to the counter and put the clothes on it. The staff scan the barcode and shows the price. Melody is standing there, not doing anything.
“So? How are you going to pay for it?” Teresa smirks, her tone laced with mocking.
“I don’t have any money with me-”
“Hah! See!? I told you already!!” Teresa points at her. “Now, are you going to believe me?” she turns to the staff.
“Um…” the staff looks between them.
Suddenly, Melody’s bodyguard finally found her. They walk towards her with relief. They didn’t know what would happen to them if they lost their boss’s wife.
“Mrs. Melody, we thought we lost you,” the guard speaks up.
“Yeah, please don’t walk around alone like that, ma’am,” other guards agreed.
Teresa frowns when saw two bodyguards with Melody. Since when did this girl have a bodyguard with her? Who is she to have bodyguards to take care of her? She’s not that important.
“I’m sorry. I got too excited,” Melody chuckles sheepishly. She looks behind them, “Where is…”
“Oh, you mean Mr. Angelo? He has to make a call first,” the guard answers.
Melody nods. Then, she looks at the staff and Teresa, who is watching the interaction between her and the bodyguards.
“Um, hey. I want to pay for these clothes. Can you help me?” she grins.
One guard nods, “Sure. Mr. Angelo gave us his black card and told us to pay anything you desire.”
What? Teresa’s eyes wide open.
“Great! I want this dress!” Melody smirks, seeing this opportunity for her step-sister.
The guard nods and is ready to pay for the dress she bought. When they see there’s only one dress on the counter, they furrowed their eyebrows. They expected much more than this.
“Mrs Melody, don’t you want another dress?” another guard speaks up.
“No, that’s fine,” she smiles.
They just nod. The staff, which is with them, quickly gets behind the counter. She knows Melody is not an ordinary person.
“You must be kidding me. You just paid them to act like your bodyguards, aren’t you?” Teresa scoffs, crossing her arms on her chest.
“You still on that? Suit yourself. I don’t have time to pay anyone to act like they serve me,” Melody sighs.
“I wouldn’t come here if I knew I didn’t have money, Teresa,” she added.
“You can’t fool me, Melody. I know you always have a trick,” Teresa hissed. No matter what, it is hard for her to believe in that girl.
Melody rolls her eyes. “It’s up to you. No one asks you to believe me.”
The guards tap her shoulder, showing her they’re done. “Oh well, I got to go. See you when I see you.”
Melody is about to walk off with the guards, but Teresa holds her wrist firmly. She looks at her with confusion and stunned.
“Tell me you live in hell, Melody! There’s no way you get all of these luxurious things from that man! He’s fucking tyrant!!” she yells, starting to cause a scene.
The guards are about to step in, but Melody gestures to them to stand still. She let out a deep sigh.
“Teresa, why I should act in front of you? I have no reason to do that,” Melody says.
“No! You don’t deserve all of this!” Teresa looks at her fancy and beautiful-looking appearance, “This… this is not the clothes you are supposed to wear right now…”
She couldn’t think straight all of a sudden. When Teresa saw the bodyguards with her, Damian gave her a black card, and she had everything she needed; she just needed to say it.
All that free access is supposed to be hers. Not Melody. She is supposed to dress in her hoodie and look cheap. Teresa couldn’t accept the fact Melody was much more than her.
“This is supposed to be mine! You don’t belong in this kind of world!!” Teresa pulls her tightly.
“What the-stop it! What is wrong with you!?” Melody tries to pull her wrist back, but her grip is too tight.
Her grips could leave bruises, and she knows that. Melody squirms, holding the pain. A lot of customers are watching the scene and the staff want to stop it, but they don’t dare to do it.
Teresa glares at her, dripping with venom, “I’m the one who got offered and I’m supposed to be in your position right now!!”
“But you come and ruin everything!”
“This is not what you told me just now! You said you are more than glad that I come in your way,” Melody squirms to escape.
“I don’t fucking that!! Take off these clothes now! You don’t deserve to wear it!” Teresa didn’t care what would happen, but seeing her wearing such fancy clothes made her snap.
The guard’s eyes widen, seeing Teresa almost ripped off her clothes. Melody gasped, “What the hell are you doing!! Let me go!!”
The other customers were overwhelmed by the scene. Some of them take out their camera and record them while some of them are stunned. Melody tried hard to escape, but the guards were about to step in.
That’s when a deep voice boomed in the store, stopping every action that happened.
“What the fuck is going on here?”