M Mall – Part 4
Tuesday, continued …
Anna stood up, holding the dressing gown tightly around her as she re-entered the dressing room. Passing by Sadie, Anna’s gaze was direct, her expression that of a sulking child who had just had its lollipop taken away. Sadie followed her, arms full of dresses, four pairs of slacks, six different tops, and a collection of underwear and nightwear, placing them on a chair.
Anna turned to the dresses, quickly spotting the one she had asked for. “Let me try that one on first,” she said, pointing to the dress.
Sadie’s first thought had been to choose items that would not suit Anna—cheap, unflattering clothes. But Sadie had worked in retail long enough to know that her job depended on satisfying her clients. So, with a professional smile, she helped Anna into the dress, zipping it up despite her personal opinion that it wasn’t a designer piece. “Madam Hou, you should go show CEO Hou,” Sadie said quietly.
“Well, I’m guessing you saw when you came back. We sort of forgot where we were,” Anna said with a hint of amusement. “I don’t need to see the other dresses. Let me just try on the other clothes; I can surprise him later.”
Sadie realized she wasn’t going to get any theatrics out of Anna; this wasn’t about humiliating her—no matter how tempting it had been to play the role of the frustrated assistant. Instead, she helped Anna try on the casual clothes quickly. In less than 10 minutes, Anna had selected what she wanted. As Sadie prepared to take away the rest of the clothes, Anna stopped her.
“Leave the pants and the top I tried on first,” Anna said firmly. “I intend to wear them when we leave.” Sadie carefully placed those items on a chair, picked up the rest of the clothes, and Anna’s original outfit, then exited the dressing room.
When Sadie entered the main area, she approached Hou Yi but kept her distance. “CEO Hou,” she said quickly, “Madam Hou tried on some items and made her choices. She said she didn’t want to keep you waiting any longer than necessary, so we didn’t show you everything.”
“Don’t worry about her choices; just pack everything up. I’ll take it all for her,” Hou Yi replied, dismissing Sadie with a casual wave. “As soon as she’s ready, I’ll come to the desk to pay for all the items.”
Sadie nodded and quickly took the items, leaving the room. She wondered how long she would be waiting for them to come out.
Hou Yi moved to stand beside the entrance to the dressing room and said, “She’s gone. While I’d love to add to what she observed, we do have other things to do today. Do you need any help?”
As Anna threw open the entrance to the dressing room, she replied, “No, I don’t, but you’re right—we need to add to what was observed. How about this? As we leave, I lean into you, you have your hand around my waist, and I slip my hand under your shirt. That would reinforce what was observed and more importantly, reinforce that we can’t wait to get out of here.”
“Absolutely fine with me,” Hou Yi replied with a grin.
“Remember, there’s nothing in it,” Anna whispered, her voice low and teasing. “All I’m doing is helping to create rumors that will serve in getting me revenge later. Once we’re alone, nothing’s going to happen.”
With that, Anna walked to Hou Yi at the door and he handed her her handbag. He opened the door, and Anna exited first. She stopped and waited until Hou Yi stepped beside her, and as they spoke, he put his arm around her waist. Anna leaned in, slipping her hand under his shirt.
Hou Yi just moved his fingers lightly on her waist, matching his steps to Anna’s as they walked back to the reception area. When they reached the waiting area, both realized they were being watched, but neither pulled away. They walked together to the desk where Sadie was waiting. Without thinking, Anna reached into Hou Yi’s jacket pocket, pulling out his wallet and handing it to him with a look of apparent sorrow.
Anna pulled back from Hou Yi, separating herself from him as he paid for the items with a swift swipe of his black credit card. Less than a minute later, the receipt was handed back to him, and Sadie said, “CEO Hou, your keys were left here earlier by Assistant Wang. I’ve arranged for someone to take your purchases and put them in the vehicle and drive it to the entrance, so you and Madam Hou do not have to walk far. Thank you for coming to M Mall. If I can help you in the future, please do not hesitate to ask.”
Hou Yi ignored Sadie’s comment and simply held out his hand to Anna, which she took, and they walked towards the entrance. The doors opened for them, and they realized the car was waiting for them. Hou Yi escorted Anna to the passenger side, helping her into the front seat, then shutting the door before returning to the driver’s side. He got behind the wheel and pulled away, leaving M Mall behind.
