"Evelyn? Evelyn Meyers?"
The voice was cool, melodic, and draped in a thick layer of disbelief. Evelyn froze, her hand halfway through straightening a silk blouse. She turned slowly to see Mary Donald standing there, hand in hand with her boyfriend
Mary was the only woman in the city who had ever truly rivaled Evelyn in both beauty and status. They had been in the same social circles for six years. They had been classmates who respected each other's style but stayed at an icy distance. Mary hadn't hated Evelyn; she had simply looked down on her for being "blind" enough to let Tail Watson and Tanya Banks lead her by the nose for a decade.
"Hello, Miss Donald?," Evelyn said, swallowing the lump of embarrassment in her throat.
"You're... working here? On the floor?" Mary's gaze swept over Evelyn's modest staff uniform.
"I am. I'm new, but I know the inventory," Evelyn replied, her voice regaining its natural poise. She remembered how Mary had tried to warn her about Tail years ago, a warning Evelyn had dismissed as petty jealousy. She felt a sharp pang of regret. 'I was so stupid back then. I pushed away the honest people and embraced the snakes.' Mary masked her surprise with her trademark indifference. "Fine. You know my style. Pick something out for me."
Evelyn recalled Mary's preference for bold, mature silhouettes. She moved through the racks with Jade's help, selecting a red chiffon blouse with military-style decorative buttons and a structured black knee-length culotte set. For a second option, she grabbed an orange silk dress with a delicate matching belt—a piece that screamed "Grand Entrance."
"Miss Donald! Welcome back!" The store manager, practically tripped over her own feet to greet the high-spending socialite. Then she spotted Evelyn. "Who authorized a trainee to serve a VIP? Jade, take over. Evelyn, get back to the stockroom."
"No," Mary interrupted, pointing a manicured finger at Evelyn. "I want her. She's already picked out exactly what I need."
The manager stiffened. She was 'Tanya's cousin, and she had spent the last week hearing all about how Evelyn "stabbed" Tanya and Tail in the back. She had been itching for a chance to make Evelyn's life miserable.
"Miss Donald, she's untrained,"
"I said I want her," Mary snapped impatiently. She took the clothes and disappeared into the fitting room. Five minutes later, she emerged, looking stunning. "I'll take both. Check me out."
Evelyn processed the sale with a small, triumphant smile. Her first successful commission. "Thank you, Miss Donald. Truly."
"Whatever," Mary waved her hand dismissively, though her eyes lingered on Evelyn for a second longer than usual before she left with her boyfriend.
The moment the door closed, The manager's face twisted into a sneer.
"Enjoy your little victory, Evelyn! Because the real work starts now," She said, her voice dripping with malice. "We need to promote the off-season winter clearance. You and Jade are going to take the flyers and these down jackets outside. Now."
Evelyn stared at her. Outside? The city was currently sweltering in 38°C heat. "You want us to wear heavy down jackets, in the middle of a summer afternoon? In the sun?"
"Is there a problem?" The girl Rosie stepped into Evelyn's personal space. "Just to remind you, your Meyers Corporation does not exist anymore. So, this isn't your mall anymore. Right now, I am your boss, so, you better do what I say, or you and Jade can both hand in your badges and 'get out.'"
Evelyn's eyes flashed red with suppressed rage. No one had ever dared to speak to her like this. She wanted to quit on the spot, but she looked at Jade who was already quietly reaching for a white puffer coat. Evelyn couldn't let her friend suffer the consequences of her pride. She breathed in deeply, and let out a sigh.
"Fine," Evelyn hissed. "Let's go, Jade."
Evelyn grabbed a bright red down jacket, the thick feathers already making her feel claustrophobic in the humid store.
"Sis Lyn, are you sure?" Jade whispered as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. The heat hit them like a physical blow. The pavement was radiating a shimmering haze of heat.
"I'm fine, Jade. I can do this. If I can survive Michael Thorn, I can survive a little sun."
But as the minutes ticked by and the sweat began to pour down her neck, Evelyn realized that Rosie wasn't just being a tough boss. She was trying to break her. People passing by slowed down to stare at the two women dressed for a blizzard in the middle of July.
Evelyn fanned herself with a flyer, her vision beginning to blur slightly under the relentless glare of the sun.
"Let's move," Jade whispered, wiping sweat from her brow. "The mall security won't let us stand right at the entrance. There's a better spot with more foot traffic near the intersection." Jade had worked part-time jobs since high school; she knew the rhythm of the street, but seeing Evelyn in this state was almost more than she could bear.
Evelyn followed her, the heavy red down jacket feeling like a suit of armor made of wool. As they walked, she could hear the muffled snickers and whispers of the mid-summer crowd.
"Are those two crazy?"
"It's not them who are sick, it's their boss. Who makes someone wear such things in this kind of weather?"
"This is abuse of labour."
Another person whispered.
Hearing the crowd turn on Rosie actually gave Evelyn a small jolt of energy. She took a stack of flyers and approached a middle-aged woman. "Hello ma, please take a look at-,"
The woman waved her off without a word and, Evelyn felt a sting of rejection she'd never known as a socialite. People don't even see me as a person, she realized. I'm just a walking advertisement.
The bright red of the jacket made Evelyn's face look pale yet flushed from the heat, giving her a fragile, ethereal beauty that didn't belong on a street corner.
"Excuse me, dear. Are you selling those?" An older woman stopped, looking at Evelyn with genuine concern.
"Yes, ma'am," Evelyn forced a sweet, professional smile despite the sweat stinging her eyes. "There's a clearance sale at the Horizon Shopping Complex tomorrow. This jacket is normally $6,999, but it'll be 80% off. It's a steal."
The older woman nodded, impressed by the girl's poise. As Evelyn explained the promotion, a luxury sedan slowed down at the red light nearby. In the back seat, A man watched the scene. He was struck by the sight of a girl so clearly out of her element yet smiling so brightly in the sweltering heat. The light turned green, and the car pulled away, but the image of the "Red Queen" stayed with him.
Inside the air-conditioned store, Rosie was on the phone with Tanya, her cousin.
"Cousin, you should see her," She laughed into the receiver. "She's out there roasting in a winter coat. It's pathetic."
"Nice work," Tanya's voice came through, cold and satisfied. "I'm out of town for a few days, but keep her busy. I want her so broken she begs for a way out of the city."
"Don't worry," Rosie sneered. "If she doesn't quit, I'll make sure her little friend Jade gets the boot too. That'll keep her in line."
Two hours later, the flyers were gone. Evelyn and Jade stumbled back into the mall, gasping as the air conditioning hit them.
"Oh, look who decided to show up just in time for lunch," Rosie remarked, checking her watch.
Evelyn ignored her, peeling off the sweat-soaked red jacket.
"Wait," She pointed at the coat. "Look at the sweat stains on the collar. No one will buy that now. You've ruined the inventory. You're checking that out yourself."
"Rosie Dan, don't push it!" Evelyn snapped. "You made us wear them!"
"That's 'Manager Dan' to you, Evelyn. And, if you don't pay for the damages, you and Jade can both pack your stuff and leave right away."
Jade started to speak up, but Evelyn caught her arm. She saw the trap. Rosie was using Jade as leverage. Evelyn walked to the dressing room, grabbed her designer bag, and pulled out the Card Michael had left her.
When she slapped the card onto the counter, Rosie's jaw practically hit the floor. She had only seen a Global VIP Black Card once in her career, held by a billionaire from a neighboring country.
"What are you staring at, Manager Dan? Process the transaction," Evelyn said, enjoying the look of pure shock on the woman's face.
"Where did you get this?" Rosie hissed as she swiped the card. "Which man are you sleeping with to get credit like this?"
"How is that your business Manager Dan? And even if I am being 'kept,' maybe you should find someone to keep you too," Evelyn shot back. "Then maybe your husband wouldn't spend all his nights at the hotel on Rising Street. And by the way," She paused and stared at Rosie fixedly for some seconds, before continuing. "You look lonely, Manager Dan!"
Rosie's face went white immediately. "How... how dare you?"
Evelyn didn't answer. She grabbed her receipt, tossed the ruined jacket into her locker, and pulled Jade out for lunch. They found a small restaurant behind the mall.
"Sis Lyn, you shouldn't have used that card," Jade said, worried. "If that man finds out..."
"Let him find out. I'll pay him back eventually. Besides," Evelyn grinned wickedly, "seeing the look on Rosie's face was worth every penny."
They rushed back after their few minute break, only to find another mountain of work waiting.
"The manager says both of you need to go to the warehouse," another staff member told them. "You have to unbox and steam every single down coat from last year's stock before the sales tomorrow."
Evelyn felt a thousand 'grass-mud horses' galloping through her mind. In her twenty-two years of life, she had never felt this much pure, unadulterated rage.
Michael Thorn, you better be glad you're at the office, she thought, gripping a steamer wand like a weapon. Because if I see your 'iceberg' face right now, I might just melt it off.