“Sir, here,”
Levi and Rish both arrived with the boxes, sweating and trying to appear normal.
Priya looked at them, feeling guilty as they were sweating too. She couldn’t feel any more guilty than she did now.
“Now, how did you get it? Didn’t you deny it before?” Priyank asked sarcastically, sometimes not understanding human psychology.
Until they face consequences, they don’t put any effort into things, and that’s evident here too.
“We found some designs,” Levi politely offered, not understanding why Priyank had to sound so sarcastic.
It’s as if without the rings, he would be satisfied with the store and their jobs won’t be at risk, and now he’s acting like it’s nothing.
He is making it sound like they had any other option, which just makes it worse.
“People like you have no work other than gossiping and not doing your jobs right. You want to earn money without sweating or putting in effort,” Priyank insulted.
Rish and Levi exchanged glances, maintaining polite expressions, but feeling hurt by the words.
If they didn’t want to work without sweating, they wouldn’t sacrifice their money to hide that these rings are sapphire stones.
But rich people and their world are always hard to please. The poor suffer while the rich enjoy, finding pleasure in others’ suffering and enjoying oppression.
But it’s the way of the world, isn’t it? The rich thrive while the poor struggle. They find pleasure in our suffering and enjoy keeping us down. It’s like they don’t even see us as human beings.
Rish and Levi exchanged another glance, a mix of frustration and resignation in their eyes. They knew they couldn’t argue with Priyank.
“We’ll be more careful next time, sir,” Levi said, her voice tinged with bitterness.
Priyank waved them off dismissively. “Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Yes, sir,” Rish answered this time as he placed the rings in front.
They lowered their eyes again, not wanting to meet Priyank’s threatening gaze.
“Choose whatever you like, Priya,” Priyank slid the box towards her so she could choose.
Priya looked at the rings; they didn’t have any price tags, yet the stones were shining brightly, telling how expensive they would be too.
But she didn’t want to add more stress to the situation. She was already guilty enough of what happened and how Priyank spoke.
“Why don’t these rings have tags? And why do they have stones? Shouldn’t silver ones be simpler?” Priyank questioned as he noticed.
As he looked towards Levi and Rish, he caught their names on the shirts they were wearing, the names tagged on them.
Priya did the same, reading their names through the tags.
Rish and Levi exchanged a quick glance, silently acknowledging the unspoken tension in the air, knowing exactly that they pulled the tags out because price can totally tell how these rings are not only just silver.
“We… uh… we couldn’t find the tags, sir,” Levi stammered, her voice betraying a hint of nervousness.
Priyank’s gaze shifted from the rings to Levi and Rish, his expression unreadable.
“And the stones?” he pressed on.
Rish cleared his throat. “The stones would add a touch of elegance, sir. Some silvers have it.”
Priyank’s brow furrowed as he scrutinised the rings. “Well, why can’t I believe it?,” he muttered more to himself than to them.
Priya watched the exchange quietly, feeling a mix of discomfort and sympathy for Levi and Rish. She could sense their unease, knowing all too well what it felt like to be on the receiving end of Priyank’s scrutiny.
As Priyank continued to inspect the rings, Priya glanced at Levi and Rish.
Both Levi and Rish gave Priya a hateful side glance, expressing their frustration without words.
Priya immediately averted her eyes from them, noticing the disdainful looks Levi and Rish directed at her.
She understood she was partly to blame for this situation. Her preference for silver rings had put Levi and Rish on Priyank’s radar.
“It’s not a problem. These rings look beautiful with stones, and I actually prefer them over plain silver,” Priya spoke up, trying to shield Levi and Rish from further issue.
She knew some rings did indeed have stones, so it wasn’t a complete lie.
Levi sighed inwardly, hoping Priyank would choose a ring soon and put an end to this uncomfortable situation.
Levi in her heart appreciated Priya’s attempt to diffuse the tension. She hoped Priyank would accept Priya’s explanation and move on.
Priyank raised an eyebrow but seemed to accept Priya’s words without further comment.
“Hmm, not bad,” he muttered, nodding to himself.
Rish let out a quiet sigh of relief while Levi shot Priya a grateful glance.
“Okay, Priya, I’ll go with your choice then,” Priyank finally declared.
“I think I like this,” Priya forced a smile, randomly pointing towards a ring without even looking because she just wanted to leave.
She was relieved that Levi and Rish were no longer giving her hateful looks, but she didn’t want to prolong the situation.
“Are you sure?” Priyank questioned, clearly not liking the ring. He could see that Priya was trying to protect the two salespeople, and he didn’t appreciate her being defensive.
He didn’t even like how the rings looked; to him, they were ugly wedding bands that they’d have to wear for their whole lives. But if Priya was sticking to this choice, he couldn’t argue. It was his Angel’s choice, after all.
Priya nodded, maintaining her forced smile. “Yes, I’m sure. It’s perfect.”
Priyank sighed inwardly, not pleased with the choice, but he relented. “Alright, if you’re sure.”
“Thanks,” Priya politely spoke, sounding all thankful, which clearly she was not.
“Anything for you, baby,” Priyank smiled, seeing her being all thankful. He didn’t care how ugly these wedding bands looked because he knew on his Priya, everything looked beautiful. She was so stunning that whatever she wore looked outstanding on her.
“Pack these,” Priyank glared toward Levi and Rish, knowing exactly what he needed to do after he was done with all the shopping.
“Sure, sir,” Rish took them and packed them as fast as he could.
Priyank paid for them and walked out, as Levi and Rish both politely said, “Have a nice night, thanks for such a purchase.”
They were so thankful for them leaving rather than for the purchase.
“Now we can breathe,” both Levi and Rish sighed aloud.