Chapter 12 Beg for Mercy

Elodie was freaking out that Lester might cheat on her, so she linked all his cards to her phone number to get the 411 on any spending.

"Alice, that witch! She's driving me nuts!" Elodie shot up like a rocket. "No way, I gotta freeze that card right now! Otherwise, that witch will blow all the cash on it!"

Clara had a lightbulb moment and grabbed Elodie's hand. "Chill out. I'm going shopping with Oliver soon, and then you can..."

A sly grin spread across Elodie's face. "Alright, let's roll with that!"

Meanwhile, Alice and Esme strolled into the ROSE brand women's clothing store.

Esme spotted a woman leading a little girl, who was clutching a rainbow ice cream.

Seeing the ice cream, she practically drooled. "I really want one. Alice, hang tight, I'll go grab two."

"Your period's coming up, and you still wanna eat that? Watch out for stomach cramps!" Alice warned.

Esme grinned, "Just this once, wait for me!"

Watching her dash off, Alice shook her head with a smile.

She turned to check out a row of new collection. She found a style she liked and was about to take a closer look. Just as Alice's hand touched the hanger, another hand swooped in and grabbed it too.

Alice glanced sideways and saw Clara grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Alice, you're shopping too?"

Alice shot back coldly, "Do you always like to snatch other people's stuff?"

"Alice, I think this dress suits me better." Clara glanced at the well-dressed Oliver. "Oliver, don't you think so?"

Oliver looked at Alice, who was rocking some no-name brand sportswear. Even though the clothes were baggy, they didn't hide her killer figure.

Honestly, Alice was drop-dead gorgeous, and he found her more and more appealing.

He smirked, "Why don't you both try it on and see who rocks it better? Whoever looks best gets the dress."

The long dress was champagne-colored with an off-the-shoulder design. Its ankle-length hem made it super elegant and graceful. The most eye-catching part was the circle of small diamonds around the neckline, which would totally show off a woman's classy vibe.

Oliver wasn't about to miss a chance to check out Alice up close.

Clara didn't get Oliver's game and just thought he wanted to humiliate Alice more.

So Clara smiled sweetly, "Alice, how about a little competition?"

Alice sneered. "Are your features prettier than mine, or is your figure better? Neither, so why are you acting all high and mighty? You were just bawling about your face being ruined yesterday! And today you're out shopping, seems like you really have no shame!"

Clara's smile froze. She didn't expect that after the kidnapping, Alice would turn into a whole new person, speaking with such a sharp edge.

It seemed Alice had been pushed too far and had developed a fierce sense of revenge.

Clara clung to Oliver. "If it weren't for Oliver giving me imported ointment, my face would have been ruined by Alice with that boiling water!" Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone around heard it.

"How can a sister be so vicious?"

"She's just jealous of the other's beauty!"

"Look at her, she seems pure on the outside, but she must be evil inside!" The store's staff and customers were whispering.

Clara was initially very pleased, but when she saw that Alice wasn't fazed by these words, her smile wavered.

She thought Alice must be particularly brazen and needed to find another way to humiliate her.

So she glanced at the price tag and said, "Alice, this dress is pretty pricey, over half a million dollars."

"I'll take this dress." Alice yanked the dress back, making Clara stumble. "Ever heard of first come, first served?"

Clara looked all hurt. "Then I'll let you have it."

Hearing her words, Alice raised an eyebrow. In the past three months, Clara had always snatched anything she showed the slightest interest in.

Now that Clara was saying she'd let her have it, Alice knew something was up.

She shot Clara a cold look, then turned and handed the dress and her card to the store clerk.

The clerk took them with both hands, plastering on a professional fake smile. "I'll process your payment right away, please wait a moment."

Clara watched with a smug grin.

After a bit, the clerk came back and handed the card back. "I'm sorry, Miss, but your card's been frozen."

Clara, clinging to Oliver, sauntered over and said softly, "Alice, your card's frozen, so you probably can't buy it!"

Then she looked at the clerk with fake sympathy. "My sister's from the sticks, and there's no money on her card. Sorry to put you through this."

The clerk's attitude towards Alice flipped from respectful to downright disdainful.

Just then, the store manager walked over. Seeing Clara, his eyes lit up, and he greeted her with a big smile, "Miss Savoy, I didn't know you were here. What caught your eye this time?"

The clerk quickly stepped forward. "It's this Coco-designed dress."

The manager shot the clerk a look. "Then why aren't you packing it up for Miss Savoy?"

"Yes, right away." The clerk nodded and bowed, ready to take the card Oliver handed over.

"Did I say I wasn't buying it?" Alice glared at the people in front of her.

After the clerk whispered something to the manager, he looked Alice up and down with contempt. "Miss Savoy is a VIP customer here and has the right of priority selection."

"Priority selection means VIPs get first dibs if they've reserved an item, but it doesn't mean they can snatch it from someone else, right?" Alice sneered, "Do you think I don't know your rules?"

The manager sneered back, "Do you have the money?"

"Did I say I didn't? Are you looking down on me?"

The manager was momentarily speechless, his face turning an ugly shade.

Clara sighed softly, "Alice, why put on a brave front? Quick words are useless; in the end, you still need to show real money." She was sure Alice was broke and wanted to see her humiliated.

Oliver sneered and walked up to Alice, speaking in a low voice, "If you beg me, I'll give you the dress."

Alice frowned slightly and sneered, "Mr. Howard, put your palm to your mouth and blow."

Oliver paused, confused, but did as she said.

Alice smiled, "How many years has your mouth been dirty? What does it smell like?"

Oliver gritted his teeth. "Don't push it! If I don't help you out, how will you handle this? Do you know this mall belongs to the Howard Family? If I don't allow it, you won't be able to buy anything today!"

Alice's lips curled into a mocking smile. "I always thought the Howard Family was run by Henry! Didn't expect it to be you!"

Oliver's eyes darkened. "Are you trying to use Uncle Henry against me?"

Alice raised her head slightly. "Looks like your back is healed!"

Hearing her words, Oliver fell silent.

Meanwhile, James Smith, the manager of Silver Sands International Mall, was cautiously following a man in a suit, carefully reporting the mall's quarterly performance. "Mr. Howard, our revenue has increased by three percent compared to the last quarter."

Henry's handsome face was deep and cold, his sharp lips slightly pursed. "But from what I know, the difference between the two quarters is four percent. Where did the remaining one percent go?"

James wiped the sweat from his forehead. Despite the mall's ample air conditioning, he was sweating bullets. He swallowed hard, unable to speak.

Henry glanced at Ethan. "One percent means hundreds of millions of dollars. Go investigate where that money went and punish those responsible severely!"

"Yes, sir!" Ethan nodded, and after taking a glance around, he stepped forward to remind, "Mr. Howard, I see Miss Savoy over there."