Stepping out of the boutique, I ran into Jaxon Gray, wrapped in a cozy embrace with a girl. Both of them giggled as if they were sharing the world's funniest joke.
I shot them a quick look, not really interested in their drama, but the girl's eagle eyes caught mine.
She gave me a once-over, her arm snaking through Jaxon's as she jostled him. "Jaxon, I thought you said your girlfriend was broke. What's she doing coming out of a place like that?"
Jaxon's face twisted into an awkward grimace.
"She's all about the glitz and glam, always window shopping, even when she can't afford a thing."
That stung. Jaxon's eyes lit up like fireworks every time we strolled past those fancy stores.
However, he could not even afford a high-quality knockoff with the bit of money he made.
I always dragged him inside, making mental notes of whatever caught his eye the longest. Later, I surprised him with it, pretending I had scrimped and saved for the imitation.
He lit up like a kid on Christmas morning, every single time.
Then, there I was, being painted as the vain one.
The girl let out a tinkling laugh. "Oh, now I get it. You said she was always giving you fakes. Remember that Chanel jacket you wore the other day? The logo was practically a doodle!"
She patted Jaxon's jacket, making sure I heard her. "Isn't the real deal I got you so much better? Feels good, doesn't it?"
I froze, my eyes darting to Jaxon's jacket...
A closer look revealed a head-to-toe parade of phonies, not just the jacket.
My face must have been an incredulous jigsaw puzzle of emotions as I pointed at his jacket. "You're calling this the real deal?"
She smirked. "What? You think everyone's as strapped for cash as you, only able to snag fakes? If you can't afford the real McCoy, don't bother—it's just humiliating. Now that Jaxon's my personal model, he's gotta dress to the nines."
I could not help but chuckle at the absurdity.
With a nod toward the Patek Philippe store behind me, I quipped, "Jaxon has had his eye on a slick watch for a while. Since you're so tight with him, why don't you snag it for him now?"
Her face froze over.
I chuckled. "What's wrong, can't swing it?"
Sarah Jensen exploded and said, "Who do you think you are? Telling me to buy something, and I just do it? If Jaxon wants it, I'll get it for him later, of course!"
I taunted her and said, "Here's your chance to buy it right now. You'd really show me up since I'm broke. Why wait? Unless you're worried you can't afford the real deal and you're planning to get off a knockoff?"
"You—"
"That's enough!" Jaxon cut in sharply.
"Yuliana, when will you stop this nonsense? Do you even know who she is? She's Sarah—the one and only daughter of Sean Jensen, the richest guy around, the Jensen family's princess! You think she can't afford it?"
That hit me like a ton of bricks.
'Wait! If she's Ms. Jensen, then who the heck am I?'
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