‘Since I’m already out, I might as well go check out the nearby mall.’
After parking the shared electric scooter, Hazel Sinclair stood before the mall’s main entrance, nodding in approval after a quick look.
‘It’s no different from the malls I’m used to.
The exterior is just as luxurious.’
She stepped inside.
As she entered the main hall, a blend of fragrances wafted into her nose.
The shops right in front of her were none other than the famous brands she’d read about online: Bulgari, Lancôme, Chanel, Hermès, and more.
Hazel Sinclair froze.
This mall seemed different from the ones she usually visited.
She had never seen these kinds of stores on the first floor before.
The very air in a luxury mall smelled of money.
‘Well, since I’m here, I might as well take a look.’
Hazel Sinclair chose one of the busier stores and went inside.
A sales associate immediately walked over and asked warmly,
“Is there anything specific you’re looking for?” the young sales associate asked with a smile, standing beside her.
A smile touched Hazel Sinclair’s lips as she replied, “I’m just browsing.”
With that, Hazel Sinclair walked over to the counter and looked at the perfumes and cosmetics on display.
She picked up a perfume in a white bottle and brought it closer to smell.
A fresh, delightful fragrance instantly filled her senses.
Hazel Sinclair smelled every perfume displayed on the counter, but in the end, her eyes returned to the very first one she had picked up.
‘I like this one.’
‘But the price…’
2,800.
It seemed…
okay.
But it still pained her.
Even with the “huge sum” of one hundred thousand dollars to her name, she couldn’t bring herself to spend 2,800 on this perfume.
‘It’s so hard being rich.’
The sales associate, who had been watching her, noticed her hesitation.
She walked over, picked up the perfume, and said with a smile, “If you really like it, you can spray a little on yourself.”
Just as Hazel Sinclair was about to agree, a man’s voice cut in from the side.
“If you can’t afford it, Mrs.
Sterling, what are you doing in this store?”
Hearing the voice, Hazel Sinclair looked up and saw a man in a black suit standing nearby.
He was handsome, with his hands in his pockets, exuding a certain languid air.
But his words were venomous.
“Everything in this store is beyond the reach of a pauper like you.”
As he spoke, the man’s eyes scanned Hazel Sinclair from head to toe before he sneered, “Is this the kind of garbage Leon Sterling dresses you in?”
“Your entire outfit costs less than one of my cufflinks.”
“To think the once-dazzling Miss Sinclair has fallen so low.”
His words were exceptionally cruel, and Hazel Sinclair felt her fists clench.
‘Who says I can’t afford it?
I have a hundred thousand dollars in my account!’
Just as the man was about to speak again, Hazel Sinclair looked at him and shot back.
“Luke Lancaster, are you nuts?”
“Whether I have money to buy anything is none of your business.
And what I wear is certainly not for you to comment on.”
Seeing her reaction, Luke Lancaster chuckled.
He took a step forward, his eyes fixed on her as he asked with a grin, “How about you divorce Leon Sterling?”
“As long as you divorce him and become my mistress, you can have anything you want.”
Hazel Sinclair: “…”
The sales associate, watching from the side: “…”
‘Asking a married woman to get a divorce and become his mistress?
Is this for real?’
Leon Sterling, who happened to be delivering food and witnessed this exact scene, felt his expression darken.
He strode over, grabbed Hazel Sinclair’s hand, and pulled her behind him, using his body to shield her from the other man’s hostile gaze.
“Director Lancaster, Hazel Sinclair is my wife.
Are you trying to tempt her into having an affair?” Leon Sterling demanded, staring at him with a cold voice.
Staring at Leon Sterling, who had suddenly appeared in front of her, Hazel Sinclair was stunned.
‘When did he get here?’
Luke Lancaster looked at him, his handsome face filled with disdain and mockery.
“The rising star of yesterday is now a food delivery boy.
See?
One shouldn’t dream of defying fate.
If you’re born poor, you’ll die poor.
You can never change that.”
“You should just focus on being a good little delivery boy, Leon Sterling.
As for your wife…” Luke Lancaster’s gaze shifted to Hazel Sinclair behind him, a slight smirk playing on his lips.
“You should stop making her suffer along with you.”
“After all, she spent the first twenty-odd years of her life in luxury.
She was with you for only two years before you went bankrupt, and now she has to suffer with you.
She can’t even bring herself to buy a bottle of perfume that costs a few thousand.”
“To be such a pathetic excuse for a man…
you’re really one of a kind.”
Leon Sterling’s heart clenched as he heard those words.
He could endure a hard life, but Hazel couldn’t.
Her life before had been so good.
Even if she had upset the Sinclair Family, her life wouldn’t be this bad if she would just humble herself and go back to appease her parents.
But now, Hazel Sinclair was with him, living in a small, filthy, and messy rented apartment, her entire lifestyle downgraded.
She didn’t dare buy a single bottle of perfume.
Even her once perfectly manicured hands were growing rough, and her hair, once like a cascading waterfall, was becoming frizzy without the care of expensive oils.
Even though he was working himself to the bone, he still couldn’t give Hazel Sinclair a better life.
At that moment, a sliver of resentment toward Vincent Hawthorne crept into Leon Sterling’s heart.
As silence fell over the group, Hazel Sinclair stepped forward.
She looked at Luke Lancaster, tears slowly welling up in her eyes, making her look as if she had just been terribly bullied.
Hazel Sinclair’s voice was soft and gentle, completely devoid of any bite.
“Luke Lancaster, you’re just awful.”
“This is between my husband and me.
What does it have to do with you?”
“I’m perfectly capable of judging whether Leon Sterling is good to me or not.
You’re the one asking me to be your mistress.
You’re the truly wicked one.” She was wearing a white dress today, her jet-black hair cascading down her back.
Staring at Luke Lancaster with her large, round eyes, her words seemed to carry no force at all.
This side of Hazel Sinclair instantly captured the attention of both men.
Leon Sterling’s hands were clenched into tight fists.
His head was bowed, his face shrouded in shadow, hiding his expression from view.
As for Luke Lancaster, seeing her like this, even his venomous tongue was silenced.
“Let’s go.
Don’t pay any attention to him.” Hazel Sinclair sniffled, then grabbed Leon Sterling’s hand and started walking out of the store.
“Don’t you want that perfume?
I’ll buy it for you,” Luke Lancaster called out hastily at her retreating back.
After shouting, he shot a cold glance at the sales associate who was watching the drama unfold.
“What are you waiting for?
Bag it up for me.”
“Right away, right away.” The associate immediately ran to the stockroom to get a new, sealed bottle of the perfume and carefully packaged it, even tucking in a few samples.
Luke Lancaster tossed his card over, paid in a flash, and then grabbed the bag and chased after them.
“Hazel Sinclair, your perfume.”
Hazel Sinclair, who hadn’t gotten far, heard him and felt a struggle within herself.
‘Should I take it or not?’
While she was hesitating, Luke Lancaster caught up and shoved the bag directly into her hands.
“Take it.
If he won’t buy it for you, I will,” Luke Lancaster said with a smile, his eyes full of provocation as he looked at Leon Sterling.