Chapter 21 A Small World
Peacock couldn’t help but feel that the man before her was nothing short of the devil himself. One look from him was enough to send someone to their grave.
In less than a minute, Nathaniel’s hands were covered in red spots, and his heart began to race uncontrollably. It was clear that his allergic reaction this time was far worse than the last.
He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. “Christina…”
When Sebastian arrived at the hospital, the first thing he saw was Nathaniel receiving an IV drip. The icy look on Nathaniel’s face was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine. Sebastian gulped, fear creeping up on him.
“Mr. Hadley,” he began, “Mrs. Hadley hasn’t returned to the mansion, nor has she gone to the Steele residence. We haven’t been able to locate her yet—”
Before Sebastian could finish, Nathaniel’s fury erupted. He swept all the glasses off the table, the crash of shattering glass and splashing water echoing his frustration.
“Keep searching!” Nathaniel growled.
“Yes, Mr. Hadley.” Sebastian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and immediately got to work. I can’t believe Mrs. Hadley just up and left after poking the bear and left us to clean up her mess! What a miserable life I’m living!
Meanwhile, as Nathaniel was suffering in the hospital, Christina was calmly working on a design draft in her university dorm. She couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction at not having seen Nathaniel for the past few days.
I’m sure a powerful CEO like him will lose interest in me soon enough.
With graduation approaching, Christina had decided to focus entirely on her studies. After four years of studying fashion design, she had built a solid foundation.
Opening a webpage, she filled in her personal information and uploaded her design sketches before submitting them to Radiant Corporation, one of the industry’s most renowned clothing companies, for an interview.
She figured that a large company like that would take at least a week to respond.
Since her job at the bar had fallen through, Christina had found a part-time job as a saleswoman at a luxury store.
Glancing at the time, she quickly changed into her uniform and prepared for work. Like most luxury stores, high standards were expected from their staff, so she tied up her hair and put on makeup to meet the requirements.
When Christina arrived at the store, the manager briefed her on what she should and shouldn’t do.
As luxury stores often had few customers, they treated ordinary-looking ones with indifference. This was considered normal behavior in such high-end shops.
“Ms. Sullivan, you haven’t been here for a while. Why don’t I show you our newest collection?” the enthusiastic salesgirl’s voice echoed through the store.
Christina, busy with restocking, turned her head and spotted Xandra, stylishly dressed and clearly uninterested in the new items. What a small world. I can’t believe I bumped into her here.
Not wanting to draw attention, Christina quickly turned back to her task.
Xandra, disappointed by the lack of new merchandise, was about to leave when she noticed Christina in the corner. Isn’t that Christina? What is she doing here? Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if people found out that the wife of the great Mr. Hadley is working as a saleswoman? It seems like Nathaniel doesn’t really care about her after all. He probably just put on a show for Mrs. Hadley. But then again, why would the heir of Hadley Corporation fall for a woman with no background or status?
With that thought, Xandra walked toward Christina with a smug expression. “Is this one of your saleswomen?”
Without hesitation, the store manager replied, “She’s new here and still learning the ropes. Would you like me to assign a more experienced saleswoman to assist you?”
Before the store manager could finish, Xandra cut her off. “I want her to assist me.”
The manager hesitated, unsure of the relationship between Xandra and Christina, but fearing offending such a prominent customer, she agreed.
Christina calmly stood up and said, “Please let me know if you need anything, Ms. Sullivan.”
The two women exchanged a strange look before Xandra turned around and eyed the store, already thinking of ways to embarrass Christina.
Her gaze landed on a row of limited-edition high heels. “I want to try on these heels. My size is thirty-seven, so hurry and get them for me.”
There were over a dozen different types of heels on the rack, and a nearby salesperson tried to help but was quickly deterred by a sharp glare from Xandra.
Christina knew Xandra was deliberately making things difficult. But she said nothing and simply headed to the warehouse to find the heels. Because she was petite, she had to make multiple trips to gather the different pairs of shoes.
Xandra smirked as she watched Christina struggle and pant. It gave her a sense of satisfaction. She kicked off her own shoes arrogantly and ordered, “Try on each of these heels for me.”
Though it was Christina’s job to assist customers with trying on shoes, everyone could tell that Xandra was deliberately tormenting her.
What could a celebrity and a fresh graduate possibly have in common? Is it because Christina is beautiful? I guess it’s true what they say about women being jealous of each other.
Despite the obvious mistreatment, Christina said nothing as she dutifully retrieved each pair of heels for Xandra to try on. Her calm demeanor never wavered, no matter how difficult Xandra made things.
With her hands on her hips and her head tilted, Xandra struck a pose that demanded attention, savoring the moment. She admired the smooth surface of the heels, reflecting her face, which she considered to be more beautiful than Christina’s.
She raised an eyebrow in mock approval. “Not bad. Let’s continue.”
Christina sighed in relief, but just as she reached for the tip of one of Xandra’s shoes, the woman purposefully twisted her ankle, as if trying to provoke her. The atmosphere immediately grew tense.
Christina’s eyes flashed with slight annoyance. It’s not the first time I’ve dealt with a difficult customer, and I know that the more I react, the more Xandra will enjoy it.
A faint sneer appeared on Christina’s face as she grabbed Xandra’s ankle and pulled the shoe off with force.
Xandra’s eyes widened in surprise. How dare this btch get rough with me?*
As Christina tried to put on the second pair of heels, Xandra gathered her strength and stomped down on Christina’s fair, slender fingers.
The sharp pain caused Christina to wince and narrow her eyes. The more she pulled her fingers from the shoe, the harder Xandra pressed down. It was clear she was determined to hurt her.
The tension between the two women was palpable as they silently battled for dominance.
With one final tug, Christina freed her fingers, causing Xandra to lose her balance and almost fall. She hadn’t expected Christina to break free with such force.
Xandra’s face turned sour. “Are you trying to hurt me on purpose, Christina?”
Although everyone present could see that Xandra was the one causing trouble, they said nothing. After all, Xandra was a VIP customer and an A-list celebrity, so she held the moral high ground, even when she was in the wrong.
“I want Christina to kneel and apologize to me, or I’ll report this to your headquarters!” Xandra demanded.
An awkward silence filled the air. No one dared speak up, not even the store manager, who seemed uncertain about how to handle the situation.
Just then, a steady set of footsteps echoed from the entrance.