Chapter 20 Isaac's Concern
The voice sounded familiar and irritating.
Turning around, Nora saw a woman in a wheelchair being slowly pushed by a bodyguard. It was none other than Kalista.
Nora's eyes darkened. Fate really had a twisted sense of humor.
Kalista had said she was getting married. Could it be that Isaac had proposed to her, and they were on the fast track to matrimony?
They had only divorced a few days ago, and Isaac was so eager to move on. If he was about to remarry, why on earth did he come after her and Mortimer last night?
"Kalista, what happened to you? Why are you in a wheelchair?" The sales associate approached Kalista with an obsequiously welcoming demeanor.
Ever since Kalista became involved with Isaac, she has been very ostentatious, especially when it comes to buying luxury goods.
There wasn't an employee in Aridonia's luxury boutiques who didn't know of her.
In contrast, aside from the elite circles that mingled with the Porter family, few knew of Nora's existence, including the staff of high-end stores like this one. To them, she was practically invisible.
People knew that Isaac had a wife, but it was widely believed she wasn't his choice—rather, he was coerced into the marriage.
The love of his life was Kalista. They were seen as the perfect match.
His wife in name was nothing but a despicable interloper, disrupting what should have been a beautiful relationship between him and Kalista.
Of course, such public opinion had been heavily influenced by the narrative Kalista had been spinning for years.
At that moment, Kalista noticed the salesperson's ingratiating smile. On the surface, she appeared gentle, but the smugness and arrogance in her eyes were nearly spilling over.
"Pack up the 'Unique' jewelry set for me and bring the bill. Have your manager deliver it to the Porter Group. Isaac will take care of the payment," Kalista instructed confidently.
The salesperson replied apologetically, "I'm sorry, Kalista, you're just a moment too late. The 'Unique' set was just purchased by another customer."
Kalista's face darkened instantly. "Who bought it? Has the jewelry been taken yet?"
"The lady is over there. She's about to make the payment. The set is still here; you arrived just as she was getting ready to pay." the salesperson gestured.
Only then did Kalista look up, and her eyes fell on Nora.
Recognizing her, Kalista's expression turned stormy, and rage ignited in her gaze.
"Nora, it's you! Why must you always compete with me? For men, and now for jewelry!" Kalista thought back to the previous night when Isaac had the audacity to have a doctor sedate her just to go see Nora, which only fueled her anger.
Nora sneered in response, "I should be the one saying that to you."
Kalista clenched her fists, wanting to strike the infuriating woman.
But in public, she needed to maintain her image.
Just yesterday, at Katie's birthday gala, she had embarrassed herself enough in front of the elite.
Now, she had to preserve her reputation among the general populace!
If her name was tarnished, how could she hope to marry Isaac?
Kalista fought back her rage and said to Nora, "Give the set to me. I'm about to marry Isaac, and I need jewelry that matches my status. You're just an ordinary person, on your second marriage, no less. What right do you have to wear the 'Unique' collection? You should have a little self-awareness and stick to something that's more appropriate for you!"
Kalista assumed Nora was buying the jewelry for her forthcoming wedding to another man.
The thought of Nora remarrying was quite pleasing to her.
After Nora married someone else, Isaac would surely move on, wouldn't he?
"I have money, and I'll buy whatever I want. It's none of your business," Nora said coldly. "I've set my sights on this, and I won't hand it over to you."
Then, Nora turned to the salesperson and urged, "Please process my payment quickly. I'm in a hurry."
"Sure thing," the sales associate said, swiftly preparing to process the order.
"Don't you dare ring that up for her? You're not calling the shots here. Go get your manager for me!" Kalista's voice was sharp and commanding.
The sales associate, not wanting to cross Kalista, flashed an apologetic smile at Nora before scurrying off to find the manager.
Shortly after, a woman clad in a sleek business suit hurried over.
This was Hazel, the store manager.
Upon spotting Kalista, Hazel's face lit up with an ingratiating smile. "Kalista, what happened to you? And where's Isaac? Didn't he come with you?"
"Isaac was tied up with other things today; he couldn't make it," Kalista replied, the corner of her lips curling into a smirk as she provocatively eyed Nora.
It was as though she was silently flaunting her relationship with Isaac, something that seemed common knowledge.
Nora's expression remained impassive, offering no reaction.
Disappointed by the lack of response, Kalista turned her attention back to Hazel and said, "I've got my eye on that 'one-of-a-kind' piece, but your associate here claims it's been reserved and wouldn't sell it to me."
Hazel had already been briefed on the situation before she arrived and had thought out a solution in her mind.
Now, hearing Kalista's account, she immediately approached Nora with a professional smile but lacking the fawning deference she had shown Kalista.
"Ma'am, I'm terribly sorry, but Kalista is one of our top-tier members and has priority in purchasing our products. Moreover, she mentioned on WhatsApp that she wanted to buy that jewelry set and has already made a deposit. I assumed that, due to the high price, it wouldn't sell so quickly, hence my oversight in not clarifying with my team. This unfortunate situation is a result of my mistake. I'll take full responsibility. Tell you what, take a look at some of our other pieces, and if something catches your eye, I can offer you a 2 percent discount. How does that sound?"
The truth was that Hazel didn't have Kalista on WhatsApp at all.
Kalista regarded such interactions beneath her, belittling those she saw as not in her social strata and, therefore, unworthy of being in her WhatsApp contacts.
Hazel's offer was merely a tactic to mollify Nora.
With a cool tone, Nora responded, "If it's your oversight, then it's your responsibility to bear the consequences, not mine. I was told by your staff that this jewelry set hadn't been reserved by anyone before my purchase. I was the first one to decide to buy it, and I'd already handed over my card to make the payment, I'm not giving this jewelry set up for anyone today. Please ring me up immediately and wrap it up nicely."
The manager tried to reason with a calm tone. "Ma'am, please be a little kinder. I'm just an employee here; please don't make this difficult for me. And maybe you're not aware of who Kalista is? She's the girlfriend of Isaac, the heir to Aridonia's leading family, the Porters. If you cross Kalista, you're essentially crossing Isaac. If you want to continue living here comfortably, I advise you not to try snatching something Kalista has her eyes on. Apologize to her properly. Otherwise, if you offend Isaac's beloved, he won't let you off the hook!"
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