Chapter Ten

Sasha walked into the nearest mall from her apartment. She needed a beautiful dress for the dinner party, and she knew she could meet a business partner of her mother's who might help with the whole Miller Group presidency issue.

Her meeting with her father could have been more fruitful. She had hoped to talk him into giving her back her job, but instead, she realized how much he favored Amanda. The tears she held back stung her eyes; it hurt that her father would rather hurt her feelings to please Amanda than give her back her job. And then there was whatever was going on with Hue. Her heart ached at the thought. Amanda wanted everything she had: her room, job, and now her man. She needed to find Hue and get some answers, but she was scared of knowing the truth. Something in her told her that Amanda wasn't lying.

Sasha walked into the first boutique she saw. She knew it catered to the high and mighty from how fancy it was. She was no longer in that class, barely able to feed herself twice a day, but she was determined to buy a lovely dress for dinner. A white diamond-made tight body-hugging gown with a high slit on display caught her eye. She immediately moved toward it in awe; the detailing on the breast looked like a rose, and the lower part resembled white feathers. She knew she would command attention in the room with this dress.

"You can't afford it," one of the boutique employees, a young woman with a condescending tone, judged her.

"I beg your pardon?" Sasha was shocked by what she heard. This was the first time she had experienced break shaming. She used to have a VIP membership card for all the boutiques in the city, but her father had taken that away.

"You don't have the money to pay for that," the lady said with a frown. "Don't waste my time and go to the low-income store," she added, glaring at Sasha.

"Why would you assume I can't pay? Do you think I don't have the money?" Technically, she didn't have the money, but she had the cash Ethan gave her earlier that morning. She never planned on touching it, but since this employee was judging and shaming her, she wanted to put her in her place.

"That's a handmade diamond gown," the employee said. "Where will you get the money from? Look at you in shabby clothes. You can't even afford good clothes for your everyday life. How can you afford this gown?"

Sasha glanced down at her worn clothes. When she left her father's house, he told her to go with nothing, not even her clothes. She was forced to buy a few outfits from a low-income store.

"How much is it?" Sasha asked, pressing her phone. "I would like to make a transfer."

"Five million dollars," the employee said with a mocking grin.

"What is the account number?"

Sasha made the transfer, and the employee went to check her computer at the sound of the alert. Her eyes widened when she confirmed the transfer and saw Sasha's name. Nervously, she approached Sasha, her head bowed. "Welcome to our boutique, Miss Brooks."

Sasha basked in the satisfaction of humbling the employee. She might be in shabby clothes, but she was still a Brooks. Her family was one of the most influential in the city.

"What's that now? I thought I was a nobody. Who are you bowing before?" Sasha asked, enjoying the moment.

"I am so sorry, ma'am. Please forgive me."

"It's fine. Get me the gown to the changing room." She didn't want to press the case further. After all, the money she spent didn't belong to her. She dreaded that she had used Ethan's money, but she had no choice. She needed the dress and didn't want to embarrass herself.

She entered a brown curtain-covered changing room and put on the dress. It fit her perfectly, accentuating her curves. The feathered-looking part of the dress hugged her hips, and the high slit showed off her toned thighs. The V-neck cut adorned with diamonds sparkled in the dim light. She looked at herself in the mirror.

"You are one sexy girl," she said to her reflection. She tilted her head and bowed as if she were in a beauty pageant. She loved the dress and wanted to see if they had shoes to match. She opened the curtain and immediately pulled back when she saw Hue and Amanda walk into the boutique hand in hand.

"Baby, I want this one," she heard Amanda say, pointing to a red nude gown on display. "I want to wear this for tomorrow's dinner."

"Of course, baby. Anything for you," Hue said, kissing Amanda on the lips.

Sasha felt sick. She couldn't believe what she had just seen and heard. Hue, her fiancé, called her half-sister "baby" and kissed her. She felt her world shatter. She had to know the truth, but this was more than she could bear.

Her heart pounded as she watched them. She had to confront Hue, but she couldn't do it here. She stepped back, closed the curtain, and took a deep breath. She needed to focus. Tomorrow, at the dinner party, she would get the answers she deserved. But for now, she had to hold it together. She couldn't let Amanda or Hue see her like this.