Chapter 022

Sophia’s eyes blazed as she rolled up her sleeves, stepping toward the clerk with a scathing look. “Excuse me?” she spat, her voice low but dangerous. “How dare you talk to us like that—with that cheap perfume wafting off you? You really think you’re something here?”

I reached out, putting a hand on her arm to try and diffuse the tension. “Sophia, let’s not—she didn’t mean it like that.”

The clerk crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, not backing down an inch. “Oh, I meant every word,” she said with a smirk. “You clearly don’t belong here. So, maybe you should take your little… daydream of ‘fancy’ elsewhere.”

My patience snapped. I straightened up, matching her cold stare. “And what exactly makes you think we can’t afford anything in this store?”

She gave a dismissive laugh, looking us up and down with a haughty smirk. “Please. You two look like you’d max out a credit card just trying to buy one accessory here.”

Sophia scoffed, completely outraged, her fists clenched at her sides. “