Dumping 10
Running into Edwin here caught Sharon off guard, yet she managed a polite smile. "Mr. Stanley, are you lost? This is the ladies' room. The men's is right next door."
"I don't care who you're screwing around with, but keep Irene out of it. She is my daughter, send her back right now!" he barked, as usual..
Sharon's polite smile twisted into a cold smirk. "Your daughter Mr. Stanley, do you even remember if Irene was born in the morning or afternoon? Was it cloudy or sunny? What exactly happened the day she was bom?"
Edwin was stumped and unable to reply.
After marrying Sharon, Edwin was hardly home, spending most of his time at the office or traveling, accounting for two-thirds of the year. All he remembered was that when he returned from a business trip, Sharon had already given birth.
Sharon's mood soured as she remembered a book about a woman who faced pregnancy, prenatal visits, and childbirth all on her own, and how pitiable the protagonist seemed.
But only when she had to sign a critical condition notice for her newborn daughter while bleeding out did she realize that her own ordeal was barely a tenth of what she'd read. After Edwin had failed to answer her call for help during her direst moment, she had kept that painful episode to herself.
“What's the use? He'd probably laugh it off, claim all my suffering was just desserts for screwing up his relationship with Tilda, Sharon mused sarcastically.
Brushing aside her heartache, she smiled up at Edwin. "Dan't worry, Mr. Stanley, Irene is my treasure. I won't let her be treated like dirt. She will live with dignity. With that, she stepped past him and walked away.
Life soon settled into a quieter rhython.
Randall returned and started live streaming sales every day. With his unique charisma and status as a figure skating champion, he quickly drew a huge following for Bisney Entertainment.
Irene was now Randall's biggest fan, shadowing him daily. Rocky, green with envy, was pulling out all the stops to charm her. With two hunks by her side, Irene was living the dream.
Freed from daily duties with Irene, Sharon had a lot of spare time. Early one morning, Alanna Jensen dragged her out shopping.
As a big shot in the live-uream sales world, Alanna was immediately recognized when she entered the mail Salespeople swarmed her, rager t
dress her in their finest.
Used to keeping things low-key, Sharon watched the fuss from a distance then slipped quietly into another shop, where she quickly spotted a simple yet stunning pink dress
"Could you wrap this up for me?" she requested.
"Of course, the employee replied, fetching the dress
Just then, a snide voice called out, "Isn't that Sharon Cress, the high and mighty!"
Sharon turned to see a woman flanked by several others approaching.
The woman stared her down with spiky disdain, her sneer full of scorn.
It was Tina Stanley, Sharon's former sister-in-law, who never missed a chance to belittle her. Spotting the dress in the clerk's hands, Tina scoffed. "Look at yourself, How dare you shop here? Do you have any idea how expensive this place is?"
"They can't be flat pricey," Sharon shot back coolly. A few thousand dollars were nothing to her now.
"Oh, playing the big shot, huh? I guess you knew I'd come by and decided to wait here for me to pick up your tab, maybe cry poor, beg me to drug you back to the StanleysTM Tina was sure of herself.
From her perspective. Sharon, stripped of everything and jobless, couldn't possibly afford the boutique's prices unless she was setting up a scene.
"Get on your knees and beg. Maybe then I'll consider it, Tina tasnted, arms crossed, an evil glint in her eye as she sat sinugly in front of Sharon.
Though Tina had no real intention of letting Sharon come back, bullying her had become a habit, one she relished a linde tan mud
Sharon had long seen through Tina's petty maneuvers, and couldn't help ban unile faintly to herself. She had tolerated Tina's bullying in the past. - not wanting to cause any issues that might distract Edwin. But now, with the divorce behind her, why should die care about Tina's ranting?
Striding past Tina, Sharon approached the counter. "Til pay for this"
Seeing Sharon ignore her, Tina was furious to the point of bursting. She rudely snatched the dress from the employee's hands and slapped it on the counter. Tim taking this dress!"
"It was in my hands first." Sharon countered coolly
Tina, ever the drama queen, retorted, "So what? I'm a Stanley, I could buy this entire store if I wanted!"
"Where's the manager? Kick this broke-ass woman out right now!" the demanded as if she ruled the place.NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.
"Not so fast. Why not buy the store before you start giving orders?" Before Sharon could even respond, Alanna's voice sliced through the tension. she sauntered over, designer bag in tow, her gaze dripping with contempt for Tina.
Tina had just been bluffing about buying the store. Seeing Alanna intervene, her face turned beet red.
"This is a family issue. Ms. Jensen. You should really keep out of it. Tina snapped, well aware of Alanna's reputation.
Alanna let out a derisive snort. "Sharon's the only family she has. And who the hell are you to call yourself her family? Plus, she is my best friend. Her business is my business"
Tina stared at Alanna in disbelief. She had assumed Alanna was merely a concerned onlooker, not expecting them to actually be close friends. How is that possible she thought, shocked, 'Sharon is just a cobbler's daughter. How could she know someone like Alanna Jensen?"
"This store? I'll buy it for twice its price," Alanna announced carelessly, dropping a black card on the counter with a thud.
The room went silent at the mention of millions of dollars, everyone stunned by Alanna's audacity.
"The store might not be for sale, but we're happy to follow any instructions from Ms. Jensen. The astute manager quickly recognized that Alanna was simply challenging Tina.
Alanna nodded in satisfaction, glanced disdainfully at Tina, and leisurely began to speak...