Sugar

9 - Shop & Drop

  Third Person PoV
 
  "Good evening, miss Lucia, miss Nicole." Lia smiled upon seeing Lucia and Nicole walkout from the entrance.
 
  "Good evening. Did you wait long?" Lia shakes her head no.
 
  "Waiting is part of my job. Are you ready?" Nicole turned to Nicole before asking Lia if she could bring her friend.
 
  "Of course. I don't see why not." Lia smiled before opening the car door for both Lucia and Nicole. Once they are both inside, Lia looks at her surrounding before getting inside herself.
 
  "Do you want the chauffeur to send miss Nicole back to her home, or would you like your friend to join us at the mall?" Lucia seems confused.
 
  "To the mall? Why do we need to go to the mall?" Lia smiled before explaining why her mistress wanted her escort to have new clothes.
 
  "I see- you have no choice but to follow her orders, Lucy. Since everything is paid for, why not just have fun and enjoy shopping for clothes you normally wouldn't wear?" Nicole winked at Lucia.
 
  "Miss Nicole is right. Please take this opportunity to have fun and make it as therapeutic as possible. I'm sure as a student, you are under pressure to do something great. And my mistress understands that." Lia smiled at Lucia.
 
  "I understand." Lucia smiled. Lia leaned back in her seat and wondered what happened at lunch between her mistress and her escort. Lia knows that normally Lucia would start declining everything that her mistress had planned for her.
 
  "How is it possible for this woman to say yes?" Lia asked herself with a smile plastered on her face.
 
  When they arrived at the mall, both Lucia and Nicole didn't know that they would be treated like royalty by the mall's staff. Even Nicole, who used to go to this mall, often didn't know there was a VIP treatment for guests like the Iscariot.
 
  "Lady Lia- how glad I am to see you again. This must be the lady that manages to smitten our mistress." The mall owner smiled at Nicole before introducing himself. Lucia smiled as she stood behind Lia and Nicole.
 
  "Me? Heaven's no. I'm just a friend. Lucy is the one you should be kissing up to. After all, if she's not happy, I wonder what things miss Iscariot would do." Nicole hummed while hiding that she was having fun teasing the owner with threats.
 
  "Please forgive me, miss. Perhaps it's time for me to let my children take care of the business while I stay home, watching my grandchildren." The owner laughed it off. Lia clears her throat to gain the owner's attention.
 
  "Have you prepared the things I told you on the phone?" The owner nodded.
 
  "Of course. We limit the mall's occupancy to a minimum. If you ever encounter any disturbance, please do not hesitate to inform my staff." Lia smiled at the mall owner before leading Lucia and Nicole to their first stop.
 
  "Miss Tiffany told me that you prefer to wear jeans over dresses. But still, I need you to find a few dresses to wear on formal occasions." Lucia nodded as she looked around the shop while Nicole trailed from behind.
 
  "Nicole, I have no idea which to choose. Please help me." Nicole smiled before she explained everything she needed to know about fashion.
 
  "And, I want to be honest- I have never been into this store because its price exceeds my monthly allowance from my parents. So, everything that I said earlier was from when I watched fashion-related movies." Nicole chuckled.
 
  "Maybe you should ask for some pointers from Lia after she is working for Tiffany. She must have known her preferences." Lucia smiled at Lia before waving for her to come.
 
  "Yes? Do you need any help?" Lucia nodded.
 
  "I don't know what to choose. Does miss Tiffany have any specific preferences?" Lia smiled.
 
  "Miss Tiffany doesn't have any preferences. If there's nothing that suits your taste, we can always go to another store." Lucia looked around until her eyes landed on a piece of jewelry on display.
 
  "Ah, I'm sorry, miss. This necklace is not supposed to be here. They have been booked by one of our VIPs." Lucia nodded before putting it back.
 
  "And you can't afford it. God- now I have to ask them to clean it before I could even touch it." Lia raised an eyebrow when a woman suddenly approached Lucia and said harsh words to her.
 
  "Excuse me? My friend put the Damn necklace back. What's your problem?" Nicole questioned.
 
  "You're asking me what my problem is? This filthy woman touches the necklace that my fiancé had booked for me! Of course, I am mad! And based on the things your friend is wearing, isn't she just a commoner with no background? Why on Earth are you here even?" Nicole was about to say something when Lucia stopped her and apologized to the woman.
 
  "I didn't mean to touch it. Please forgive me." Lucia apologized, but the woman continued to say harsh words to her.  Lia had enough to interfere.
 
  "Excuse me- I don't know why you're continuing to do this. Isn't it better for you to prepare for the consequences later on? You called miss Lucia many awful names, and she continues to apologize even though it's not her fault. Aren't you being too unreasonable?" The woman was intimidated by Lia's cold tone of voice.
 
  Lucia placed a hand on Lia's shoulder before they left the stores. 
 
  "Miss Lucia- please do not apologize if you're not at fault. If you continue to do so, others might think that my mistress would do the same. Miss Tiffany is a proud woman who works hard to be today's person. Even if you use a little bit of her influence, she wouldn't mind. Please remember this whenever you're out alone." Lucia nodded.
 
  "It became her habit to apologize. Even if it's not her fault, she would be the one who apologizes first." Nicole sighed.
 
  "I hope this time you consider the number of attention people will give you since you decided to be someone in Tiffany's life. That woman is someone who could destroy another man's life with a single snap of her finger. Lord have mercy for that woman back at the store. I'm sure to miss Lia will inform her mistress." Lia smiled.
 
  "I surely will."
 
 
 
  LATER THAT NIGHT,
 
 
  "Mom? I didn't know you were here. How's the trip?" Kimberly Iscariot sighed as she placed her cup of coffee down on the table.
 
  "Have a seat, Tiffany." Tiffany looks at Lia, who is shrugging her shoulder. Kimberly watched as her daughter took a seat before clearing her throat.
 
  "I heard you found another sugar baby. Is that true?" Tiffany smiled.
 
  "Her name is Lucia Reid, nineteen years old. Are you telling me that she is too young to be a sugar baby?" Kimberly leaned back in her seat while shaking her head no.
 
  "You're old enough to know what is right and wrong. What I don't get is why? Is she beautiful?" Tiffany nodded her head.
 
  "Nothing can compare to Lucia's beauty." Kimberly sighed.
 
  "Our accountant told me about your sudden withdrawal a few days ago. Did you use that money to pay for the girl?" Tiffany nodded her head.
 
  "What did the accountant say? I didn't know that he has such a big mouth on him." Kimberly waved her hand.
 
  "Ignore the man and focus on our current conversation. Are you serious about taking a nineteen-year-old as your sugar baby? Tiffany, do I need to teach you how to carry yourself properly? You're going to be the one who takes care of our family once I decide to retire. Do you want others to talk about your hobby?" Tiffany shrugged her shoulder with a smile.
 
  "Have I ever cared about what the public says about me? It's my choice to do whatever I want. If the public has a problem with how I live my life, they can go fuck themselves." Kimberly pressed her temple while shaking her head no.
 
  "The public talks about us because we are famous for our achievements. After your father died, I took his responsibility while ensuring that you and your brother had both my love and care. Do you know how hard it was for me?" Tiffany nodded her head.
 
  "We do. But we choose to keep it to ourselves because we know you would say no to our help. Mom, we know you've done your best, and both Thomas and I be thankful for your love and care for all these years. But it's time for a change. If we continue to care about what the public says, I'm sorry, but we will not be able to spread our wings even further." Kimberly sighed.
 
  "Well, at least I tried to talk to you. I don't care what you're doing because I know you know how to conduct yourself well. Some of our family members don't think that you're the perfect candidate to take my place as the head." Tiffany scoffed.
 
  "I knew it!" Kimberly smiled.
 
  "When will you introduce me to your new sugar baby?" Tiffany laughed it off.
 
  "You're insane, mom. Why would I introduce you to Lucia? Since you're about to give your place as the head to me, why not take this chance to have fun and find some guy to date finally? I'm sure you've been feeling lonely." Kimberly gave Tiffany a dirty look before shaking her head.
 
  "I'm planning to make use of the cruise ship that you bought for me on my sixtieth birthday and go around the world. " Tiffany likes the idea.
 
  "That's a great idea. You have all the money and wealth in the world, yet you decided to sit behind a desk and work like crazy for years. It's time to spend all your money, mom." Kimberly waved her hand.
 
  "Are you crazy? There's no way I can spend money like you." Both mother and daughter laughed as they continued to talk about their company's future and how the meeting went for Kimberly from her recent trip.
 
  "Mother- what sort of witchcraft that you do to make those old fuckers agree to your terms? I thought they wouldn't lower their prices as long as we didn't raise the price of the buy over." Kimberly smiled.
 
  "Being a good negotiator is part of the job, Tiff. It would be best to learn how to play with your words whenever you have to make a deal. Anyway, I wanted to know what happened between Thomas and Yuna. I thought he would finally leave that woman, but why did he decide to father a child that is not his?" Tiffany shrugged.
 
  "I have no idea. No one knows what is happening inside his head. But since Thomas seems adamant about keeping Yuna by his side, so be it. Perhaps you should talk to him about this." Kimberly nodded her head.
 
  "I guess I should. Oh my- look at the time. Time flies when you're having fun. Anyway, please keep yourself away from any drama or scandals for the time being.  You can do that, can you?" Tiffany smiled.
 
  "I take that as a yes." Kimberly smiled before excusing herself. Tiffany waits until her mother leaves her home before asking Lia to find out which of his uncles or aunts made her mother come to her house to lecture her.
 
  "It's my life, and people out there care. It's the least I can do so that I can thank them, right?" Lia sighed.
 
  "I'll do my best, miss." Tiffany smiled as she took her phone out and texted Lucia.
 
  "Lia, I won't be having dinner at home today. I'll be going out with Lucia." Lia nodded.
 
  "Noted."
 
 
 
  A FEW HOURS LATER,
 
  "Am I allowed to be here, sister? You should send me home before coming to dinner with miss Tiffany." Karina, Lucia's little sister, seems intimidated by Tiffany's presence while looking through the menu book.
 
  "Nonsense- why would we be sending you home without getting you something to eat?" Tiffany said with a smile on her face before looking up at Karina.
 
  "Please do not hesitate to order anything on the menu." Lucia smiled at her sister and told her that it was alright.
 
  "Lucia, how was your shopping trip with Lia? Did you find anything to your liking? I recovered a notification from the bank, but I don't think the amount is right. Did you even buy anything?" Lucia looks at Tiffany with skeptical looks.
 
  "What do you mean? I bought some clothes, and Lia was the one who paid for them for me." Tiffany hummed.
 
  "I guess so. Next time, you're going shopping with me." Tiffany smiled before she called for the server. After telling the server their orders, Karina decided to ask something to Tiffany.
 
  "Why did you ask my sister to be with you?" Tiffany raised an eyebrow.
 
  "Look at her- isn't she perfect?" Karina shrugged.
 
  "So, are you like her bank?" Tiffany laughed while Lucia glared at her sister.
 
  "Karina, that's enough." Karina ignored her sister's words and smiled at Tiffany.
 
  "Is it possible for you to buy me something?" Lucia was about to say something when Tiffany raised her hand.
 
  "What thing?" Tiffany asked.
 
  "A new phone, laptop, and perhaps a comfortable bed?" Lucia had enough and pulled her sister back.
 
  "Karina! That's enough! Please ignore my sister. She doesn't know what she's saying. Not long ago, she asked Nicole to pay for her camping trip. I'm sorry for her rudeness." Tiffany smiled.
 
  "I can give you all those things, but you have to work. Do well in school. If you manage to pass your exam with flying colors, I will give you all of the things you mentioned and so much more. Do we have a deal?" Tiffany smiled at Lucia, who hated the idea.
 
  "It's a deal! I'm sure someone of your stay true doesn't go back on your promise, right?" Tiffany shrugged.
 
  "Of course. I am a woman with my words." Karina smirked.
 
  "Good. I'll show you what I can do." Lucia shook her head as her sister made a deal with Tiffany.
 
  "Karina- you're going to get me into trouble again," Lucia said mentally while sighing hard.