Chapter 7 Mirage Fashion
"Stop!"
Just as Emily's hand was about to touch the display case, a crisp female voice rang out from the depths of the store.
An elegant woman in a Chanel suit strode out quickly, her makeup flawless, every gesture exuding the refined arrogance of high society.
It was Clara.
"Miss, I'm Clara, manager of Mirage Fashion. I don't know what unpleasantness occurred between you and my staff, but please consider the consequences before you act. Every piece of décor here is extremely valuable—you'll be liable for damages if you break anything."
Emily slowly turned around. The moment she saw Clara's familiar face, fury flashed in her eyes.
Six years, and this woman still carried herself like she owned the world!
What infuriated her even more was that Clara had the audacity to call herself Mirage Fashion's manager!
This was her mother's life work, the only legacy her mother had left her, and now this woman had turned it into this tacky mess!
When Clara saw Emily's face clearly, her pupils contracted sharply. "Emily?"
Emily laughed coldly. "What, surprised?"
Clara was indeed surprised. She'd assumed Emily had died broke and forgotten in some corner of the world. She never expected her to return!
But Clara quickly composed herself.
There were too many people watching—she couldn't ruin her image of gentle kindness.
Clara immediately put on a warm smile. "Emily, you're back? Why didn't you tell us in advance? Dad will be so happy to know you've returned."
Emily had no intention of playing along with her charade. "Drop the act! Clara, what gives you the right to manage Mirage Fashion? This was my mother's company!"
The sales staff around them widened their eyes, shocked to discover these two were sisters.
Clara's smile stiffened slightly, but she struggled to maintain her gentle tone. "Emily, please calm down. After you left, Dad was worried Mirage Fashion would be neglected, so he put me in charge temporarily. I've been working hard all these years to keep the company running..."
Emily looked around at the garish decorations. "This is how you run the company? Look what you've done to the high-end couture brand my mother carefully built!"
"Emily, I know you have issues with the current décor, but this is to cater to market demands..."
"Market demands? That's bullshit!"
Emily could no longer contain her rage. She swept her arm across the nearest neon display, sending it crashing to the floor.
The gaudy neon tubes shattered instantly with a harsh, crackling sound.
"Emily!" Clara cried out in alarm.
But Emily had no intention of stopping. She went on a rampage, destroying every tacky decoration in sight.
She yanked down a vulgar crystal chandelier.
She toppled display cases covered in cheap sequins.
"My mother's Mirage Fashion doesn't need this trash!"
Clara watched it all, it pained her to see. Those decorations had cost her a fortune!
But she couldn't lose her temper. She couldn't let people see her vicious side. She had to maintain her image of gentle magnanimity.
"Emily, please calm down!" Clara forced down her rage and approached Emily, speaking softly. "I know you're angry, but destroying things won't solve anything. Whatever's bothering you, let's sit down and talk it out like adults, okay?"
Emily stopped her destruction and turned to stare daggers at Clara. "You're right. Destroying things won't solve the problem."
Clara breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Emily had calmed down.
But Emily's next words made her face turn pale instantly:
"So step down. Give Mirage Fashion back to me!"
"Emily, it's not that I don't want to return Mirage Fashion to you, but you see, you just got back and don't understand Emerald City's market yet..."
Emily cut her off with blunt mockery. "Keep using someone else's things long enough and you start thinking they're yours, is that it?"
Clara was momentarily speechless.
If the gentle approach wouldn’t work, she’d get tough!
Clara stepped closer and lowered her voice to a volume only they could hear. "Being so disrespectful... aren't you afraid I'll tell everyone about your little 'adventure' at Azure Palace Hotel? The distinguished second daughter of the Johnson family getting drunk and having a one-night stand with a complete stranger—that wouldn't sound too good for your reputation, would it?"
"You know who that man was." Emily's tone was completely certain.
"Of course. He was some vagrant I picked up off the street with great difficulty.How did it feel sleeping with that piece of trash?" Clara suddenly stepped back, covering her nose and mouth. "You didn't leave Emerald City to get treated for something, did you? I hear those kinds of diseases are very hard to cure."
"Speaking from experience?"
"Emily, how dare you!"
"What? You can talk trash, but I can't? Keep going—let's see who's really afraid of a ruined reputation."
Clara hadn't expected the usually submissive Emily to become so brazen.
Though she hadn't succeeded in disgusting Emily, she'd gotten the information she wanted—Emily had no idea who that man was or what had happened after she left.
That made things much easier.
Back then, Emily had escaped disaster, and Roy had been furious, forcing Clara to spend the night with him instead. Just thinking about Roy's revolting face still made her nauseous.
Little did she know Emily had ended up in Charles Windsor's bed.
Fortunately, Emily had fled Emerald City, giving Clara the chance to take her place.
Since then, Charles had been backing her.
Charles would agree to whatever she asked for.
The only problem was that no matter how hard she tried over the years, Charles never slept with her again. She remained his unacknowledged rumored girlfriend, not his legitimate wife.
Now this little tramp Emily had returned.
Was she planning to investigate something?
No way. She would never allow anyone to become a threat to her!
Right now, the best strategy was to take Emily home and let her parents deal with her, so Clara wouldn't dirty her own hands.
She was destined to become Mrs. Windsor—she couldn't have even the slightest stain on her record!
"Emily, come home with me! Whatever this is about, we'll discuss it at home!" Seeing that Emily was unmoved, Clara's fake smile finally cracked completely. She reached out to grab Emily's arm.
Emily violently shook off her hand with such force that Clara staggered backward.
Emily dusted off her hands as if removing invisible dirt. "Don't touch me. You're filthy."
The tension in the store was palpable.
The scattered customers began watching the drama unfold, pointing and whispering among themselves.
Clara had been publicly humiliated and was seething with rage. Just as she was about to physically drag Emily away, a crisp, professional female voice interrupted: "Excuse me, sorry to interrupt. Is Ms. Johnson here?"