Rose’s expression froze, her heart skipping a beat. “That’s impossible,” she muttered, gripping her phone tighter. “Didn’t you tell him about our relationship? About the connection between our families?”
“Oh, Charles told him, alright!” her Aunt snapped, her words dripping with sarcasm. “But do you know what he said? He didn’t care! He stood there in the meeting room and made it clear while looking inyo the eyes of your father, he’s targeting every single one of us!”
Her voice rose in anger. “And you… you’ve brought this on all of us! You’ve strung him like a dog for years, acting all high and mighty like you’re some queen!” Her Aunt’s tirade continued relentlessly, each word hitting Rose like a slap on her beautiful face.
“You dangled yourself just out of reach, thinking you could control him forever. Well, guess what? He’s done with you! And now we’re all paying the price for your stupidity!” Another slap came onto her face from her Aunt from the other side of the phone.
Rose’s face darkened as her Aunt’s accusations sank in. She clenched her jaw, trying to suppress the mix of emotions welling up inside her, anger, disbelief, and an unfamiliar sense of uneasiness.
“You should’ve just married him when you had the chance,” her Aunt spat bitterly. “Be a good little trophy wife and live the high life. But no, you had to keep him chasing after you, and now look what’s happened! You’ve ruined everything for our family for nothing but your stupid little dignity!”
The scolding ended with a string of curses before from the other side were rapid high breaths because of speaking high and louder in anger.
Rose lowered her phone slowly, her hands trembling as she stared at the screen. Her thoughts raced, her Aunt’s words replaying in her mind.
“Aunt! Don’t worry. I’ll handle it,” she said on the phone but it was like under her breath, though her voice lacked its usual confidence. She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms as a sense of unease crept into her heart more and kore by the second.
“Alex, what the hell are you thinking?” she hissed, her voice low and sharp. “After all these years, how dare you treat me like this?” Ending the call, Rose stormed toward the parking lot, her heels clicking sharply against the polished floors. She was determined to confront Alex and demand an explanation for his behavior.
But before she could even leave the mall, an employee hurried after her, wearing an awkward expression.
“Miss Rose,” the employee called out hesitantly, stopping a few steps behind her.
Rose turned, irritation flashing across her face. “What is it?”
The employee glanced down briefly before meeting Rose’s gaze, her tone cautious. “There’s… an issue with your card.”
Rose blinked, confused. “What? Are you out of your mind?” She pulled out the sleek black card and held it up for the employee to see. “Do you even know what this is? It’s a black card! Forget about a few pieces of clothing; I could buy your entire store with this card!”
The employee nodded quickly, her expression apologetic. “Yes, I understand that, Miss Rose. But… the card has been Blocked. It’s no longer usable.”
“Blocked?” Rose repeated, her voice faltering slightly as an uneasy feeling crept into her chest.
She quickly pulled another card from her bag, one Alex had given her in the past. “Try this one instead,” she said sharply, handing it over with a hint of desperation in her tone.
The employee bowed slightly and hurried away to process the new card in a carding machine. Rose stood there, tapping her heel impatiently against the floor, her irritation growing with each passing second.
Two minutes later, after trying some times the employee returned, her expression even more awkward than before.
“Miss Rose,” she began cautiously, her voice quiet, “this card is also… blocked and cannot be used.”
Rose’s face went pale. She stared at the employee, unable to process what she had just heard. Her anger was reaching its limit by every second after her mother called.
And now this.
“What… what did you just say?” She demanded, her voice trembling.
The employee glanced at her nervously, a mix of pity and curiosity in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Miss Rose, but neither card is valid anymore, either they are blocked or Wholly deactivated from the bank side.”
Rose’s hands began to tremble, her grip on her purse tightening as a wave of suppressed rage surged through her.
For as long as Rose could remember, she had relied on Alex’s cards for everything, shopping, dining, vacations, whatever she wanted. Carrying her own money had always seemed unnecessary when she had someone as compliant as Alex to foot every bill without question.
And who would do that without any second question or asking her.
But now, with the cards suddenly being blocked and not valid anymore for purchasing, a wave of humiliation swept over her, threatening to drown her usual calm face. The whispers and curious stares of the mall employees felt like knives stabbing at her pride with every second.
“Forget it! I don’t want any of this anymore!” She snapped, snatching the blocked cards back from the hand of a sales girl. Her voice was sharp, loud enough to make the entire store pause their murmur.
Without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the store, her movements stiff with barely restrained fury. Behind her, the employees exchanged quiet whispers, their judgment unmistakable as some even laughed at the scene; it was like a live drama scene.
“Probably some mistress who got dumped by her sugar daddy,” one murmured, watching Rose’s retreating figure with a smirk.
Rose heard none of it. Her mind was racing as she marched toward the parking lot, her heels clicking furiously against the polished floor.
‘How dare he? How dare he? How dare Alex humiliate me like this?’ She clenched the cards tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white.
She had trusted him to provide for her, to keep her life smooth and effortless. And now, not only had he blocked all the cards, but he had done so without any single warning, leaving her humiliated in front of all the strangers in the mall, even someone as lowly as the sales man and women.
But it wasn’t just the cards. Her anger flared as she remembered the call from her Aunt. ‘He fired the Winters family? All of them? After everything I told him? After he promised to take care of them, no matter what?’ Her clenched teeth could be heard if someone was near her but alas there was none.
Her thoughts spiraled as she reached the underground parking lot, her only focus on confronting Alex and demanding answers to all this. She expected to see his car waiting for her, just as it always was, no matter how long she took or how late it was.
But when she arrived, she froze. The parking spot where Alex’s car should have been was empty. She blinked, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing.
“He… left?” she whispered, disbelief lacing her voice.
(A/N: Did you enjoyed it? Well I have nothing much to say other than if you enjoy the chapter please add this novel to library and don’t forget to comment. See you all in the next chapter.)