"Spotted something you like?" Carol noticed her friend pausing; linking arms with her, she suggested, "Shall we go in and have a
look?"
The mannequins were adorned with tags that declared "New Arrival".
"See anything you fancy, just try it on. It's ontoday!" Carol declared with a generous laugh.
"Did you cinto smoney?" Arabella asked with a light chuckle.
"A bit," Carol whispered, "Splurging on a few outfits isn't a big deal."
Arabella had known for a long tthat Carol mastered the "Deadly Seven Steps" - a drug she had once used against Arabella. So
Arabella guessed, "Pharmaceuticals?"
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"Nope, but how did you know | dabble in little concoctions?" Carol said; then suddenly remembering something, she laughed again,
"It was my artwork, actually. Sold a piece on the underground market for 50 grand. You know, my foster parents were teachers;
they loved painting and calligraphy, and | picked up a bit from them growing up."
Though they weren't masters of their craft, her artwork and calligraphy could fetch a decent sum.
"l also sold a calligraphy piece for 30 grand, so today you pick whatever you want, my treat!" Carol's smile had just begun to
bloom when a girl shot her an unfriendly glare.
"Carol?" The girl's voice dripped with disdain, "What are you doing in a place like this? Dad's been giving you too much pocket
money so you dare to shop here?"
"Let's head over there," Carol took Arabella's hand, eager to avoid a pointless spat.
The girl noticed the bouquet of white roses in Carol's arms and said with even more scorn, "Your mom's been dead for how many
years now, and you're still wasting money on that? Just looking at it bringsbad luck!"
"Katherine!" Carol's anger sparked, but she held it in, not wanting to cause trouble for her father.
"What? Am | wrong? Your mom's long gone, and you're squandering money on something for a dead person. Think the family
fortune is yours to waste?" Katherine's words were cruel, and she even knocked the bouquet from Carol's arms.
Carol watched the flowers meant for Crystal fall to the ground and felt her temper rise. Her voice carried a warning, "Pick them up."
Instead of complying, Katherine stomped on the bouquet, "Pick up something for the dead? As if!"
Carol was skilled enough to handle Katherine in under a minute, but the problem was, Katherine was her half-sister; they shared
the sfather.
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Katherine, still feeling unsatisfied, kicked the ruined flowers at Carol's feet, "Pick up every petal and get out with your bad luck
charm! This place is out of your league!"
As Katherine turned to leave, Carol's hand shot up, delivering a stinging slap, "Didn't your mom teach you manners? Living in my
house for so long, you never learned decency?"
Katherine clutched her face in disbelief, staring at Carol, "You weakling!"
When had she becso strong?
"The ruined flowers, 19 bucks." Carol said, taking out her phone and displaying the payment code, "Scan it."
"You dare askfor money." Katherine seemed to be encountering such audacity for the first time, "Isn't dad's money enough for
you? Now you're after mine too."