1 The sales associate, who I knew had a crush on my boyfriend, publicly accused me of being a gold digger. "I saw this young lady in here yesterday," she announced to the whole store, her voice dripping with fake concern. "She came in with two different men, one after the other." "She didn't just try on the most expensive items; she even made her sugar daddy come into the dressing room to 'help' her with her zipper." "Oh," she said, turning to my boyfriend with wide, innocent eyes. "Didn't you know about this, sir? I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." "But I just couldn't bear to see you being played for a fool. I even have pictures." She held up her phone, displaying a blurry photo of someone's back, trying to seal my fate with her fabricated evidence. But she had no idea. Those two men were my brother and my father. And this boutique? It was my eighteenth birthday present from my dad. … The moment my boyfriend, Nathan, and I walked in, a sales associate rushed to greet us. She feigned a warm welcome, cleverly maneuvering to separate us before zeroing in on him. "Good afternoon, sir," she cooed. "Is there anything I can help you find today?" If I remembered correctly, her name was Brenda. She came from the roughest part of town; her father was a notorious drunk, and her mother scraped by collecting cans. When my assistant first showed me her application, she noted Brenda was underqualified. But her story moved me, and out of pity, I told my assistant to hire her. I never imagined I was inviting a viper into my own house. My father gave me this boutique for my eighteenth birthday. I’ve never had the time to manage it myself, so my assistant handles everything. As a result, none of the staff knew who I was. But from the second we'd stepped inside, Brenda’s eyes had been glued to Nathan. Anyone would have thought she was the one in love with him. Not that I could blame her. At six-foot-three, with a perfect model's build and a handsome face, Nathan turned heads wherever he went. Swallowing my irritation, I stepped forward. "Excuse me, I was in your dressing room yesterday and I think I left a pocket watch behind. Has anyone turned it in?" "Hello?" I repeated. Brenda finally, reluctantly, tore her gaze away from Nathan. "A what? No, haven't seen it," she snapped dismissively. Her attitude was stunning. I had come in yesterday to buy a gift for Nathan's parents. We were going to meet them for the first time to discuss our engagement, and I wanted to make a good impression. But the new fall collection had caught my eye, and I’d ended up trying on an outfit. I distinctly remembered taking off the watch—a gift from my father—and hanging it on the hook inside the dressing room. How could it just be gone? I took a deep breath and tried again, my patience wearing thin. "I'm certain I left it in the dressing room. Could you please just double-check for me?" Sensing my disbelief, Brenda sauntered over to the counter and tapped a few keys on the computer for show. "Ma'am, we've checked our logs. There's no record of any lost watch." I could feel my jaw tighten. She hadn't even tried to look. But before I could press her further, Nathan stepped between us. "Aurora, are you sure you didn't misremember?" he asked, his voice low. "Are you positive it was here?" He glanced around at the racks of designer clothes. "I hear a single dress in this store costs thousands. You're just a recent graduate. Can you even afford to shop here?" "Maybe you've mistaken this place for another store?" 2 The smile vanished from my face. Nathan and I had met during freshman orientation and had been inseparable ever since. He was perfect—athletic, top of his class, and handsome. His only "flaw" was his modest background, but I never cared about that. To protect his pride, I had carefully hidden my own family's wealth. He thought I was just an ordinary girl, and he never once looked down on me for it. He would always hold me close and whisper, "Aurora, I love you. I'm going to work so hard to give you the best life imaginable." I believed him with all my heart and promised to be his forever. After four years together, I thought I knew him inside and out. I was planning to go to his parents' house tomorrow, gifts in hand, and then introduce him to my father. I was going to ask Dad to find him a good position at our company. In this economy, landing a job at a major corporation was next to impossible, but I wanted to give him that future he dreamed of. But now? The man who had always trusted me implicitly, who had never once raised his voice to me, was looking at me with suspicion in his eyes. He was doubting my word. Pushing aside my hurt, I focused on the problem at hand. That watch was my graduation present from my father. I had to get it back. Suddenly, Brenda spoke up, her voice laced with faux reluctance. "Actually… this lady was in the store yesterday." "It's just that…" She hesitated, darting nervous glances at me. Nathan’s brow furrowed. "Just what?" Brenda stammered, "Well… she came in with two different men, at different times. Not only did she try on our most expensive pieces, but she used the excuse that she couldn't get her zipper up to have one of the men follow her into the dressing room to 'help' her." She looked at Nathan with wide, pitying eyes. "You said she's just a recent graduate. Could those two men… be her sugar daddies?" The color drained from Nathan’s face. He bought her story completely. "What men? Two of them?" He whirled on me, his eyes blazing with fury. "Aurora, you better have a good explanation for this!" A chill went through me. I had believed our four-year relationship was unbreakable. Yet here he was, choosing to believe a sales clerk he'd just met over me, spitting accusations in my face. The disgust and impatience in his expression hit me like a physical blow. I took a few deep breaths and let out a cold laugh. "You're accusing me of having 'sugar daddies'? Where's your proof? You know slander is a crime, right?" Brenda swallowed nervously but quickly pulled out her phone and showed it to Nathan. "I have proof! I took pictures. One was wearing a blue suit, the other a gray one." She leaned in, adding more fuel to the fire. "I even saw her kiss the man in the gray suit! Right on the cheek! He looked like he was in his fifties, at least. It was disgusting. I can't believe she'd stoop so low." The photos were blurry, completely unrecognizable. But Nathan stared at them as if they were gospel truth. I dug my nails into my palms, a throbbing pulse starting at my temples. I was seconds away from slapping that smirk off her face. "Two blurry photos are all it takes to convict me?" I said, my voice dangerously calm. "Fine. Pull the security footage. Get your manager down here. Let's see who those two men really are." But before I could take another step, Nathan's hand flew through the air. The crack of his palm against my cheek silenced everything. "Enough!" he roared. "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?" "I always thought you were so pure, so innocent. But it turns out you're just another gold digger." "And one sugar daddy isn't enough for you? You need two?" I stood there, stunned, the sting on my cheek radiating through my whole body. I stared at the man I had loved for four years, and I didn't recognize him. Two blurry photos, and he had nailed me to a cross, branding me a whore. What did our four years mean? It was a joke. A pathetic joke. Those two men were my brother and my father. I had done nothing wrong. Why wouldn't he let me prove my innocence? Seeing my silence, Brenda thought I was scared. She puffed out her chest like a victorious rooster. "The pictures are crystal clear. We don't need any security footage. I bet you made up that whole story about the lost watch just to cause trouble for our store!" The commotion had attracted a crowd of onlookers, who were now pointing and whispering. "She looks so sweet and innocent. Who would have thought she's a gold digger?" "You can't judge a book by its cover. A lot of young girls take shortcuts these days. It's not surprising she has a couple of rich old men on the side." "Poor boyfriend. The guy has no idea he's been cheated on twice." While the crowd was distracted, I pulled out my phone. My father and brother were in a board meeting, but this couldn't wait. I quickly sent them a text. Brenda seized the opportunity to add to the drama, her voice rising to a shout. "I've seen plenty of gold diggers like you working here! I've seen shameless women, but you take the cake!" Rage surged through me. I took several deep breaths, but I couldn't quell the fire in my chest. "What did you just say? Slander is a crime. If you're so sure, let's call the police and have them investigate." At the mention of the police, a flicker of fear crossed Brenda's eyes. She shot a desperate, pleading look at Nathan. He exploded. He grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my skin. "You're a gold digger and you have the nerve to call the cops? Isn't this humiliating enough?" His words felt like a hand closing around my throat, squeezing the air from my lungs. Before I could react, Brenda lunged forward, snatched my purse, and dumped its entire contents onto the floor.
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