The next moment, Sophia turned to a man who had just walked in along her, a handsome guy in his late thirties.
He approached Sophia, embracing her warmly, and gave her a peck on both cheeks before finally kissing her. Sophia relaxed into his arms, a blissful smile spreading across her face.
"Nathan, what kept you so long?" she asked, her voice soft.
"Darling.. I forgot my card."
Remy was puzzled. It seemed Sophia hadn't recognized her, or maybe she was pretending not to.
Or she wanted to take it that she was seeing things or just couldn't believe Remy would be in a place like this.
Remy's attention turned to the man who had just arrived and it wasn't.. Julian? Remy scoffed.
This was the virtuous woman her father had been talking about? She was already married to Julian, and now she was cozying up with another man?
This must be the real father of her unborn child even, Julian would probably be raising another man's child.
Remy couldn't help but laugh out loud. The whole situation was ridiculous to her. She wasn't surprised by Sophia's behavior - when her father had called Sophia a virtuous woman, Remy knew it was the biggest joke ever.
Remy didn't care about Julian or Sophia anymore, if not she might have taken a picture and sent it to Julian. If Sophia wanted to sleep with all the men in the world, Remy couldn't care less.
Remy couldn't contain her amusement, laughing out loud again, this time a little louder than before.
The sound turned a few heads in her direction, but since there were already a few number of people in the VIP area, most people barely gave her a glance before returning to their own conversations.
Avery, however, noticed Remy's laughter and turned to her, curious about what had triggered it. That's when she saw Sophia with another man.
"So much for a virtuous woman," Avery said sarcastically. "Is she here to buy some artwork to impress her second mother-in-law?"
Remy nodded in agreement. "Probably."
The two women watched as Sophia and her companion openly displayed their affection, seemingly unbothered by the fact that Sophia was a married woman - and a publicly married one at that, to Julian.
"They've really got some bold nerves." Axel said.
"It's because this store has a strict privacy policy," Remy explained. "Apparently, it's the kind of place where the wealthy and famous can come and indulge in their...extracurricular activities without worrying about the paparazzi or gossip spreading."
"Before Sophia notices us and comes over to start trouble, let's just finish up here and leave," Avery said.
"Yes! I was just about to call you to get your opinion on what men might like," Remy said, glancing around the store. "What do you think his parents would like?"
Axel shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea."
Remy sighted up a sparkling silver watch and asked Avery to hand it to her. As she examined it, she thought that the Kaidëns probably already had many luxury items like this. Gifting it would just add to their collection of high-end jewelry and may not be valued.
Before Remy could decide whether to buy the watch or put it back, she heard Sophia's voice.
"Oh, look who we have here," Sophia said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Remy's face froze as she turned to face Sophia, who was walking towards her with a smug expression.
Remy turned to face Sophia with same sarcasm in her voice. "Yes, look who we have here too, Sophia. What are you doing here?"
Sophia raised an eyebrow. "I should be asking you that, Remy. What are YOU actually doing here? I mean, we both know you're broke, so you definitely can't afford anything in this VIP area."
Remi's eyes narrowed slightly, but Sophia continued, her tone dripping with condescension.
"You should be downstairs, in the General Area or the least you should be able to buy should be in the Affordable Luxe Area. That's where people like you belong, not here in the VIP section. The prices here are twice as high as the normal prices, and the quality is exceptional. That's not something a...frugal person like yourself can afford."
Remi chuckled and said, "Oh, really? Watch me pay for it now."
She opened her purse and pulled a black platinum card embedded with silver trimmings and security digits.
The card itself was made of a thick, premium material, giving it a solid, luxurious feel. The logo on the card seemed to shimmer in the light, exuding an air of exclusivity.
The sales associate's eyes widened in surprise, her gaze fixed on the card as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "A...a platinum card reserved for the Zenith Elites," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.
Sophia's eyes narrowed, her expression a mix of shock and curiosity. How can Remy own such card? The money in platinum cards is never less than 20 Billion Dollars!
The Zenith Elites were a group of extremely wealthy and influential individuals who had access to exclusive privileges and luxuries.
The sales associate's eyes darted back and forth between Remy and Sophia, her expression a mixture of awe and discomfort. She doesn't want to mistakenly offend the wrong person here.
Sophia sneered, her voice dripping with envy. "Is this what you do now, Remy? I'm sure you've hooked up with some old man or something to get access to this platinum card. Or did you steal it?"
Remy's expression turned icy, her voice sharp. "Oh, talking about hooking up with men isn't that your specialty, Sophia? You're so talented at it that I wouldn't mind you giving me a few tips...if I were as despicable and shameless as you are."
Sophia's face reddened, but Remy continued, her words cutting. "You think everybody whores around looking for men to collect money from? That's rich coming from you, especially since you're already married to Julian. But who's... Nathan, right?"
Remy's gaze flicked to Avery. "Yes Nathan!" She confirmed.
"Isn't Nathan the guy you were cozying up to just a little while ago? Or do you think we didn't notice?"
Sophia, on the other hand, looked like she had just been slapped, her face pale and her eyes wide with shock.
But then her voice turned soft and sugary as she spoke, "Remy, he is just a very good friend of mine. Julian wasn't around, and I was bored, so he escorted me out to look for the best fine arts. I want to buy something and give it to Julian as a surprise. He recently said he loves the artworks of the famous artist, Liliaclina Montgomery."
Avery's mouth twitched and Axel looked at her like she had grown horns.
Remy wasn't buying it. She knew Sophia was playing the innocent vulnerable card again, but she should really level up on constructing her lies.
Remy wasn't interested in indulging her anyway. Some people had already stopped what they were doing and were watching the exchange with interest.
"Oh, really? That's great!" Remy said, shrugging. "Thank you for enlightening me. Go ahead and look for whatever you want to surprise Julian with. Just get out of my sight."
Sophia's seethed inwardly with rage, she was still puzzled by how Remy could own a platinum card and speak to her in such a tone. She took a step closer to Remy, looking down at her, and held Remy's arm, trying to make it seem like Remy was going to push her.
But Avery saw through Sophia's move and helped her execute it before she could by pulling Sophia's hand off Remy's arm fast and pushing her aside. Sophia fell down, crying out for dramatic effect, and the people around them gasped in shock.
"How could you, Remy?"
Meanwhile before things could escalate further, the sales associate had already moved to call the manager.
The manager, Lucas Patel, a man in his early forties with a well-groomed beard and wearing a crisp blue suit, arrived just in time.
"What's going on here?" he asked, his voice firm but polite.
Sophia immediately made to speak with faked shivering, "I feel pains...I may lose my baby."
The manager said, "Please help her up." One of the security guards moved to assist Sophia.
As Sophia stood up, the manager asked, "Young lady, who are you?" But before Sophia could answer, he suddenly recognized her. "Oh, Mrs. Smith?"
Sophia beamed with pride. "Yes, that's me." As the wife of Julian Smith, she had become a member of the esteemed Smith family and was entitled to the respect and privileges that came with it.
The manager turned to Remy, his professional expression faltering for a moment as he took in her appearance. Like he couldn't fathom how a beautiful young lady like Remy was sitting in a wheelchair. "And miss...who are you?"
Remy smiled. "I'm Remy Vaughn."
The manager's eyes narrowed slightly. "Remy Vaughn?" he echoed, seeming to be lost in thought for a brief moment. Then, his expression changed in surprise.