Chapter 21

My cheeks flushed as I turned to Zephyr. “You didn’t even give me a chance to decide.”

Zephyr chuckled. “I could see it in your eyes. You’ve already fallen for it.”

My eyes roamed the shelves, admiring the bags. But suddenly, my gaze landed on a vintage bag displayed in the corner.

It was the old summer collection that I had owned years ago. The bag wasn’t just beautiful—it brought back memories.

I slowly approached it, my fingers brushing the familiar leather. “I used to have one just like this,” I murmured, almost to myself.

Zephyr wanted to ask what had happened, but he stopped himself. The answer was obvious, and the thought of Rowan’s control over my life made his blood boil.

“Rowan sold it, didn’t he?” Zephyr said in a soft tone.

I nodded slightly. “He needed more money for his business, so he sold all my bags.”

My closet, once filled with dozens of luxury bags I had carefully collected over the years, had been emptied without my consent.

“I remember how excited I was when I bought this one,” I said softly. “I saved my first paycheck to buy it. It was one of my favorites.”

It was a pity I wasn’t able to prevent Rowan from selling it.

“Do you see any other bags you bought back then?” Zephyr asked casually.

I thought he was just asking out of curiosity, so I pointed at a bunch of bags without thinking. “That one, that one, and that one.”

Zephyr followed my finger as I pointed to each bag and noticed that my smile widened when I saw them. He asked, “Tell me about them.”

I proudly told Zephyr about the memories behind the bags. “This one,” I gestured to a bright red bag, “I bought after my first promotion at the company. It was a reward for all the hard work I’d put in.”

There were six familiar bags in all, and they all held fond memories of my glamorous life back then.

“But yeah ... they were just my past.” I looked a little sad after remembering that I had lost a lot of things in such a short time. “What a pity.”

“Miss Samantha, I packed your bags. Would you like to take a look at the others as well?” Audrey asked, standing with a polite smile and holding the wrapped bags.

I shook my head. “No—”

“Yes.” Zephyr cut me off. “She wants to take that, that one ...”

Zephyr pointed to each of the bags I had mentioned earlier. Audrey smiled broadly and immediately ran to the bags. “I’ll also pack them all for you, Mr. Lloyd!”

On the other side, my face went pale. I hadn’t expected Zephyr to spend so much money just to buy me bags.

“Zephyr, you don’t have to—”

“I want to.” Zephyr didn’t let me finish. “You deserve it, Samantha. You shouldn’t have to think twice about what makes you happy.”

Of course, I had to think twice before buying something. It wasn’t my own money I was spending—it was Zephyr’s!

He had been spoiling me too much lately. I gladly accepted his kindness, but there was a part of me that was afraid that people would think of me the same way as Rowan.

What if Zephyr lost all his money after spending too much on me?

The thought filled my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.

It seemed utterly impossible.

Zephyr Lloyd wasn’t just wealthy—he was one of the top 100 richest men in the world for a reason. Unlike Rowan, who built his business by stealing other people’s money, Zephyr built his fortune with his own sweat and tears.

Well, his family fortune played an important role in his success, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have succeeded without his own hard work.

Just look at Rowan. His parents were rich, but he was too stupid to take advantage of it and preferred to squander his money since he was a teenager.

Zephyr leaned closer to me. “Is there another bag you like?”

I immediately shook my head. “No, no, that’s enough! Please don’t spend too much money on me.”

“Why?” Zephyr chuckled. “I don’t mind spending more money to make you smile more often. Your smile is beautiful, Samantha. More beautiful than your tears.”

My heart skipped a beat at his words. I tried to brush it off, but my cheeks betrayed me, warming with a soft blush. “I ... I’ll try to smile more then.”

After Zephyr paid for all the bags, we left the store, the staff sending us off with warm smiles and polite bows.

Audrey said, “Thank you for visiting, Mr. Lloyd, Miss Samantha. Please don’t hesitate to come back anytime.”

• • •

When we arrived at Silverclaw Manor, we met Darren and his family, who were about to leave the manor.

“Wow, what’s the occasion?” Darren looked at all the shopping bags in the trunk. “Did you win the trial?”

I smiled shyly. “It’s actually the opposite. The trial starts again next week.”

Darren raised an eyebrow and looked at Zephyr. “So what is all this? Shopping therapy?”

Layla nudged her husband. “Oh, shut up, Darren. A woman doesn’t need a special occasion to go shopping. It’s just our ritual to calm our minds.”

“But my wallet isn’t calm.”

Layla gave him a sharp look. “What’s the point of having a husband if I still have to use my own wallet?”

While Darren and Layla talked as if they were arguing—but were actually just joking—Ashley walked over to me with a big smile on her face.

“Auntie, I’m going to the lake with Mommy and Daddy! Do you want to come with us?”

I knelt down in front of her and stroked her soft hair. “I’d love to, but I’m a little tired today. Maybe next time.”

Besides, I didn’t want to ruin their family day by coming along.

Ashley was disappointed, but she didn’t seem too upset. “All right, let’s go together next time!”

Darren picked up his daughter and whispered to us, “Mother will be home with Eleanor tonight,” he said. “I’ll give you some time to talk to them.”