Chapter 63
Leopold leaned back and said, "Before, they were all handled by a dedicated person or an assistant. Now that you're here, it's your job."
Just as they were about to step into the elevator, something in front of a nearby store caught Agnes's eye. She pulled Leopold back just as he was about to enter. He turned around, confused, and followed her gaze.
A couple was arguing with a cleaner. Listening in, it was clear they were having a serious conflict.
The cleaner was already in tears, showing that this had been going on for a while, but no one had stepped in to help.
"You go ahead. I need to take care of something," Agnes said, letting go of his hand and hurrying over.
As she got closer, she heard the cleaner repeatedly apologizing, "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to!"
"What's going on?" Agnes asked, hands in her pockets, exuding confidence as she stood before them.
The man, Byron, looked her up and down, "Who are you?"
"You don't need to know who I am. Just tell me what happened," Agnes said calmly.
The cleaner sobbed, "Miss, I accidentally brushed his shoes with a wet mop."
"Look at these water stains. They really soaked into the leather. If the shoes get damaged, can you afford to pay for them?" Byron asked angrily.
The cleaner stepped back in fear, continuously apologizing, "I'm sorry, sir. I really didn't mean to. I'll clean them for you."
Byron sneered, "Didn't you hear? Leather shoes can't get wet, and cleaning them won't help!"
Agnes stepped in front of the cleaner, facing Byron. "So what do you want?"
"Compensation, of course!" Byron said bluntly.
Agnes smirked, "How much are your shoes worth?"
Byron boasted, "One hundred sixty-six dollars, make her pay!"
Agnes laughed, "Just one hundred sixty-six dollars? I'll pay for her!"
The cleaner hurriedly grabbed her, "Miss, you can't do that. This has nothing to do with you."
Agnes turned and smiled, "It's okay, ma'am, don't worry about it."
For a cleaner earning a thousand dollars a month, one hundred sixty-six dollars was a significant amount. Still, for Agnes, especially after Leopold gave her a credit card, it was nothing.
Agnes pulled out the money she'd used for the martial arts club fee the day before, which came in handy. She could withdraw more cash tomorrow to replace it.
Agnes counted out one hundred seventy dollars and handed it to him, "Here, one hundred seventy dollars, keep the change!"
This left Byron speechless; she had indeed given him one hundred seventy dollars.
Byron took the money and pulled his girlfriend to leave.
Agnes put away her wallet and called out, "Wait a minute."
The couple turned back in confusion.
Agnes pointed to Byron's shoes, "I paid for them, so the shoes are mine now. Take them off before you go!"
Byron's face turned pale, but she was right. Reluctantly, under the curious gazes of onlookers, he took off his shoes.
Agnes picked up the worn shoes with disdain, using her fingertips, and tossed one into the cleaner's trash can.
She did the same with the other shoe. Her righteous and cool actions earned applause from the onlookers.
The couple fled in embarrassment, while Agnes left with a smile amidst the cleaner's tearful thanks and the crowd's applause.
As she walked out of the crowd, Agnes was surprised to find that Leopold, whom she thought had left, was standing not far away, wearing sunglasses and with his hands in his pockets, seemingly waiting for her.
She immediately toned down her demeanor, jogged up to him, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Why haven't you left yet?"
Leopold embraced her naturally, "If I had left, how could I have seen your heroic act of helping others?"
In a corner of her memory, she recalled a similar scene when she was shopping with Michael. Just because she bought a twenty-dollar power bank for a beggar as compensation, Michael had scolded her for being too naive and meddling in others' affairs. How would Leopold view this incident?
She lowered her gaze, staring at her shoes, and after a long hesitation, she softly probed, "I just spent another one hundred seventy dollars of yours. This time it was a waste. You don't mind, do you?"
Leopold stopped in his tracks, his deep eyes falling on her, "Agnes, do whatever you want to do, spend as much as you want. We are husband and wife. You don't need to be so cautious around me." If he had encountered the situation earlier, he would never have allowed her to play the villain in front of that couple. Instead, he would have handled it his way, ensuring Agnes came across as a kind person.
Agnes looked up at his expressionless face, feeling an indescribable warmth in her heart. Perhaps the words "do whatever you want to do, spend as much as you want " or "we are husband and wife" made her feel she didn't need to be on guard.
Driven by an inexplicable courage, she stood on tiptoe and gently kissed Leopold on the cheek, whispering, "I see, thank you."
This gentle kiss seemed to touch Leopold's heartstrings, and the corners of his mouth subtly lifted. He took her hand and left the mall.
On the way back, Agnes suddenly asked Leopold, who was driving, "Why haven't I seen Kevin lately?"
Leopold glanced at her and responded calmly, "His current work location is not in Lumina City."
Agnes didn't find it unusual and nodded in understanding.
The next morning, Justin called with the news, "Agnes, I've already turned down the job my friend introduced."
"Why did you turn it down?" Agnes asked.
"You're not going to work, so of course, I turned it down!" Justin said.
"Why wouldn't I go to work? Don't turn it down!" Agnes said.
"Agnes, you're Leopold's wife now. Why would you need to work? Are you crazy?" Justin really wanted to pry open Agnes's head to see if something was wrong inside.
For her, even though she was Leopold's wife, she didn't want to rely on his finances. Working, even modestly, made her feel self-sufficient and at ease.
Agnes said, "What kind of job? Get it back for me!"
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