Boutique Battles and Black Cards

Gideon choked on his breath, caught off guard by the bold question. A nervous, awkward smile broke across his face as he hastily deflected the teasing. "Please don't."

The banter ended there. Once they arrived at Ashcroft Enterprises, Gideon practically sprinted into his office, spending the rest of the day burying himself in endless corporate meetings. Margot, unbothered, happily spent her afternoon relaxing in the ground-floor security booth.

The following morning marked her scheduled day with the third Ashcroft brother, Julian.

Julian was a massive, nationally adored mega-celebrity. He was currently in the middle of frantic, exhausting rehearsals for his birthday and tenth-anniversary concert. The entire Ashcroft family planned to attend that evening, leaving his schedule packed and zero time for his prospective fiancée.

In the afternoon, Bianca Vance arrived at the grand villa. She offered a bright, cheerful smile as she approached Margot.

"Hey," Bianca said smoothly. "I'm heading to an exclusive mall to pick out some new clothes and a birthday gift for Julian. Want to come with me?"

After a moment of quiet calculation, Margot agreed.

When they arrived at a prestigious women's fashion boutique, Bianca’s malicious intentions surfaced. Under the guise of being a helpful friend, Bianca pulled a heavy, dull dark-green dress from the rack.

"This would look perfect on you, Margot," Bianca claimed. The garment was clearly designed to make the wearer look old and plain.

Margot stared at the fabric, responding with cold, silent indifference. Seeing she was getting nowhere, Bianca hid her annoyance and pulled out another option. This time, it was an inappropriate, skimpy, and revealing dress.

Margot narrowed her eyes at the thin, vulgar fabric. She saw right through the clumsy attempts to humiliate her. Looking Bianca directly in the eye, she spoke without missing a beat.

"Bianca, if you dislike me, you should just stop pretending to be nice." Margot’s tone was icy. "You don't need to use such petty methods. Even though I come from a small village, my personal taste in fashion is far superior to yours."

Bianca stood stunned. Her face flushed red as she sputtered, struggling to form a coherent defense. Leaving the embarrassed woman behind, Margot calmly browsed the racks herself. She selected several gorgeous, sophisticated designer outfits and walked up to the register to pay.

Just as she reached for her phone, a hand extended past her shoulder. A sleek black credit card was handed directly to the starstruck cashier.

Margot looked up to find Bennett standing beside her in his sharp suit.

"Swipe this," Bennett told the cashier calmly.

Margot offered a polite smile. "Thank you."

Bennett's handsome face remained expressionless. He met her gaze with cold detachment. "Don't get the wrong idea. I am only paying because my father ordered me to take care of you."

Without another word, he turned and walked out of the store. Standing nearby, a furious Bianca secretly clenched her fists in raw envy.

As they prepared to return to the villa, the accompanying bodyguards were weighed down by over four hundred thousand dollars' worth of luxury shopping bags. Caspian, who had come along and still held a deep grudge against Margot for insulting him during their first meeting, sneered at the massive pile of bags.

He complained loudly, making sure everyone heard. "Some shameless people sure love to spend other people's money like water."

Bianca quickly chimed in with a fake, sweet defense. "Caspian, you shouldn't be so harsh. Margot was just doing some light shopping."

Caspian scoffed, crossing his arms. "There is nothing light about spending hundreds of thousands."

Margot merely snorted in amusement. She turned to face Caspian, her gaze sharp. "Did I use a single penny of your money?"

Caspian stammered, taken aback. "You... you used my older brother's money."

A sharp, triumphant smile spread across Margot’s face. "Bennett isn't complaining about the bill, so you have absolutely no right to whine."

She pulled the door open and climbed into the car, leaving the surrounding staff to whisper and chuckle at her fierce, unapologetic attitude.