Chapter 7 A Photo #2
Mia raised an eyebrow. She lowered her hands slowly, confusion flickering in her eyes. “What do you mean? I’m the same as I’ve always been.”
Hazel shook her head. “No, you’re not. When you were with James, you were like a sixty-year-old — serious, quiet, always taking care of others, never smiling. But now…” She paused, smiling softly. “Now you’re alive again. You laugh. You glow. You’re… you again. Just like in college.”
Mia went quiet, Hazel’s words sinking in. She thought back to those years—how dull her life had felt, how much effort she had wasted trying to fix a love that was never really there. After she left James, everything had changed. For the first time in years, she could breathe again.
“I didn’t realize it,” Mia said softly, lowering her hands. A faint, wistful smile tugged at her lips. “I guess I’m finally starting my life again after five years.”
Hazel smiled tenderly. She pulled Mia into a tight hug and whispered near her ear, “And I’m glad I’m here to restart it with you.”
When they pulled back, Mia grabbed Hazel’s hand and grinned. “Come on, let’s go get those bracelets now!”
An hour later, when they stepped out, both were admiring the sparkling diamond bracelets wrapped elegantly around their wrists. The design — delicate leaves, moons, and tiny charms — shimmered beautifully under the mall lights.
***
Kylie walked into Max Mall with Tara at her side. Tara juggled a few shopping bags, her arms straining slightly, while Kylie kept her head lowered, half-hiding behind a pair of oversized sunglasses that swallowed half her face.
Tara’s eyes flicked to the glasses, frowning. “Why are you wearing those enormous sunglasses inside the mall?”
Kylie adjusted them with one hand, her jaw tightening. “Don’t you remember how they closed all my shops and kicked me out? Everyone here knows me. If they see me now… they’ll laugh.” Her lips curved into a tight, bitter line.
Tara’s lips twitched, fighting back a smile, though her thoughts were dripping with sarcasm. ‘I’m already laughing at you. It’s kind of hilarious how fast you fell after pretending to be untouchable all these years.’
They moved side by side through the mall, the sound of footsteps and chatter blending around them. Then Tara suddenly gasped, her hand shooting up to point. “Kylie—look! Isn’t that Mia? James’s ex-wife? The one he’s been hunting for?”
Kylie’s head snapped toward where Tara was pointing. Near the jewelry stores, Mia stood laughing lightly with Hazel, balancing several shopping bags while holding a diamond bracelet to her wrist. She seemed entirely unaware of the eyes tracking her every move.
Kylie’s lips twisted in disgust. She took a slow step forward, eyes narrowing. “Look at her. Laughing… buying all this. She must be using James’s card.”
Tara shook her head, her brows knitting. “Impossible. If she were using his card, he’d know exactly where she was. He wouldn’t be searching all over the city. She’s definitely using someone else’s money.”
They watched for a moment longer, suspicion written across their faces, but Mia had already disappeared. One moment she had been there, the next — gone, slipping out of sight so quickly it left them both frozen.
“What the—where did she go?” Tara muttered, scanning the crowds.
“She can’t have gone far,” Kylie said, tilting her head and lifting her sunglasses just enough to get a better look. “No way she walked out of the mall that fast. She must’ve ducked into another store.”
“Let’s go.” Kylie grabbed Tara’s arm and practically dragged her along, weaving through the throng of shoppers. Their steps were brisk, filled with irritation and urgency as they checked each store along the way.
Just as fatigue began to creep in, Kylie suddenly stiffened, her eyes locking on something. “There!” she hissed, pointing.
Mia had just emerged from a changing room, a dress held delicately in her hands as she talked to Hazel.
Kylie’s eyes narrowed, and a small smirk played at the corner of her lips. “There she is.” She yanked Tara along behind her, weaving through the racks until she reached Mia. Without hesitation, Kylie snatched the dress from Mia’s hands.
“I like this dress,” Kylie said immediately, her voice dripping entitlement, her tone sharp as a knife. She didn’t even pause to wait for a response, turning on her heel and striding toward the changing rooms. Her heels clicked against the polished mall floor.
Both Mia and Hazel froze, mouths slightly open, shock written across their faces.
“What the hell—?” Hazel muttered, her eyebrows shooting up, jaw slack. “We’ve already paid for it!” she shouted.
Kylie didn’t so much as glance at her. Her eyes were fixed ahead as she pushed the fitting room door open with a swift jerk.
Inside, she yanked her phone from her bag, fingers drumming impatiently across the screen. She dialed James’s number, pressing the phone to her ear. Silence. No answer.
She tried again, and again, but, as usual, James didn’t pick up. A sharp pang of frustration tightened in her chest.
Her patience snapped, and she quickly typed a message:
‘Hey, James. I think your ex-wife found herself a sugar daddy.’
No more than a few seconds passed before her phone vibrated violently. James’s name flashed across the screen, sending a thrill through Kylie. Her grin widened.
She answered, voice dripping with saccharine sweetness. “Hey, James!”
On the other end, James’s voice was taut with urgency, almost breathless. “You saw Mia?”
Kylie tilted her head innocently, eyes wide. She leaned against the wall, flipping her hair over one shoulder with languid grace. “James… she’s in Max Mall. Shopping, carrying bags, clearly enjoying someone else’s money. Didn’t her family already go bankrupt?”
“I’ll be right there,” he snapped, the urgency rattling through his words, accompanied by the sound of jangling keys and hurried footsteps. “Stay put. Keep your eyes on her.”
“Of course,” Kylie purred, her sweetness a razor disguised as silk. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Anything for you… Oh, and about that new apartment on Rolling Street…”
“I’ll give it to you,” he cut her off, breathless and raw, and Kylie could almost hear him storming toward the door.
She hung up and let a smirk curl wider across her lips.
Turning to the mirror, she examined the dress with distaste.
She slid it on, adjusted the hem, and twirled once, letting the fabric brush luxuriously against her legs.
Then, she stepped out of the fitting room, hips swaying, chin lifted, eyes gleaming with happiness.
“I am taking this dress,” she declared.
Hazel planted herself firmly in Kylie’s path, crossing her arms, eyes blazing.
She shoved Kylie’s shoulder, chest heaving. “Are you blind?” she snapped. “How dare you snatch that dress from Mia?!”
Hazel’s muscles tensed; her face burned red. All the stories Mia had told her about Kylie and James exploded in that moment, fueling her fury like wildfire.
Kylie’s lips twisted into a smirk as she shoved Hazel’s hand away. Her eyes glittered, sharp as knives. She leaned slightly toward Mia, tilting her head, voice smooth but laced with venom. “Nothing is yours. You’re living on James’s money—whatever you touch is his.”
“It’s not James’s money!” Hazel shot back, stepping forward, shoving Kylie hard across the chest. Kylie stumbled but caught herself, eyes narrowing with lethal calm as Hazel continued. “Mia never took anything from him!”
Kylie straightened, folding her arms. Her smile sharpened, poisonous, curling at the edges. “So what if it isn’t James’s money? Either way… you’re still a bitch chasing wealth.”
Her gaze flicked from Hazel to Mia, eyes narrowing dangerously.
“Tell me… which old man this time? Last time it was that little secretary, wasn’t it?
And now someone else? Honestly, I’m not surprised.
You lived like a queen on James’s money, and once he kicked you out… of course, you’d do anything for it.”
Kylie closed the distance between herself and Mia, a smug, predatory smile curling her lips.
“Tell you what,” she hissed, venom dripping from every word, “you give me this dress—and everything else I want—paid for with that precious little card of yours, and I won’t tell James how you’ve been whoring yourself out to random men for money. ”
A cruel, gleeful glint lit her eyes as she raised her phone, her fingers hovering above the screen. “Perfect timing for a little recording,” she murmured, almost to herself.
Mia’s eyes narrowed with anger.
Kylie’s phone lifted high, and with a dramatic flourish, she pressed record. “I wonder what James’s family would think if they saw you like this,” she taunted, her voice a blend of malice and mockery. “So… indecent. So… disgraceful. Aren’t you supposed to be the perfect daughter-in-law?”
Her gaze roamed over Mia’s body, lingering intentionally on the hem of her dress, teasing, humiliating. “Now, you’ll just do whatever these men demand, huh? Strut around for them, barely dressed?”
Mia’s eyes flared, fire igniting deep within her. Her dress wasn’t indecent. She had only stayed away from mini dresses like this because, back when she was married to James, his mother had strictly forbidden it.
“Now, why don’t you—” Kylie began, stepping closer, her phone raised.
In an instant, Hazel lunged forward. With a single, fluid motion, she snatched Kylie’s phone and slammed it to the floor. The screen shattered with a deafening crack, shards skittering across the tiles.
“What the—what the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Kylie screamed, her voice high-pitched, trembling with fury.
Spinning on her heel, eyes wild and burning, she locked onto Tara. “Tara! Give me your phone! I’m going to show everyone what a whore she is!”
Tara quietly slipped into a corner, hiding her phone behind her back like it was her lifeline. Under her breath, she muttered, “I’m not giving you my phone to get smashed too, you idiot.”
Hazel leaned in, her face inches from Kylie’s, her expression razor-sharp. “This is just a warning,” she said, her voice low, deadly calm. “Badmouth Mia again, and I’ll personally make sure you rot in fucking hell.”
Kylie’s head snapped toward Tara, desperate for backup—but Tara had already vanished behind a pillar, hugging her phone to her chest like a shield, refusing even to meet Kylie’s eyes.
Kylie’s jaw clenched. She spun on her heel and stormed toward the exit, heels clicking furiously against the tiles.
“Miss! You haven’t paid for the dress yet!” a store assistant called after her.
Kylie didn’t even slow down.
“Security!” the assistant shouted, voice rising in panic.
Two guards intercepted Kylie immediately, grabbing her arms and dragging her back into the store.
“Let go of me! Don’t touch me!” Kylie shrieked, thrashing wildly as her hair tumbled across her face. She kicked at the floor, tugging against their grip like a wild thing caught in a trap. Her glare shot straight past them—straight at Mia.
When the guards finally released her, Kylie straightened her clothes, breathing hard. She stepped toward Mia with slow, controlled fury, her chest rising sharply with every breath. Her voice came out low, icy, dripping venom.
“You better behave,” she said, her tone chillingly calm. “I’m saying this nicely. If you don’t, I will expose you so badly you won’t dare show your face to any man. Especially not James.”
Mia felt something snap.
The anger she’d been holding back surged through her like fire—and this time, she didn’t swallow it.
In one swift, ruthless movement, Mia grabbed the front of Kylie’s dress and yanked.
The fabric tore down the middle with a loud, ripping sound that echoed through the store. Gasps erupted around them.
Kylie stumbled back, staring at Mia with wide, horrified eyes, her torn dress hanging open and exposing her bra. She scrambled to cover herself with shaking hands.
Mia smiled. A cold, flawless smile that sliced cleaner than any insult. “Since I’m paying for it,” she said softly, “I get to do whatever I want. You don’t deserve my charity.”
She tugged again—harder—tearing the dress even further. The last scraps of fabric dangled uselessly as Kylie tried desperately to pull the pieces together.
Her sunglasses slipped off and hit the floor. She scrambled to snatch them up and shoved them back onto her face, trying—and failing—to hide the humiliation burning across her cheeks.
Mia stepped close, her voice barely above a whisper. “You wanted me to pay. I paid. Now enjoy what’s left.”
Mia grabbed Hazel’s hand and turned away without another glance. “Let’s go.”
Hazel burst out laughing, loud and shameless. Even as they left the store, she kept looking at Mia with pure admiration. “Mia, holy shit—this is legendary. I can’t believe you did that. I’m posting this footage everywhere. People need to SEE this.”
They walked out of the mall together, Hazel still cackling as if she’d just witnessed a miracle.
Outside, Hazel dug through her bag for her keys. “I’ll drop you home,” she offered, still breathless from laughing.
Mia shook her head gently. “It’s fine. You go ahead.”
Hazel nodded and headed toward the parking lot, still giggling, while Mia stood alone near the entrance. She slipped her phone from her bag, staring at the screen as she muttered, “Should I call the driver… or just get a cab and go home?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Across the mall, someone had seen everything.
A man leaned casually against the hood of a sleek black car—plain T-shirt, fitted jeans, leather jacket.
Simple pieces, yet each one screamed quiet luxury.
At first glance he looked effortlessly laid-back, but there was something dangerous beneath the surface.
Even the way he stood—ankle crossed, hands in pockets, head tilted as if amused by the world—radiated calm confidence.
He slid his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, revealing eyes that sharpened the moment they landed on Mia. A slow smirk tugged at his lips; he had watched the entire showdown, and Kylie’s downfall had entertained him far more than he would ever admit.
The memory of Kylie on the floor, grabbing at the scraps of her dress while Mia ripped into her with that cold smile, had him laughing the whole time.
Now, as Mia stepped outside, unsure and alone, something shifted in his expression. Amusement melted into interest—real interest. The kind that lit a spark behind his eyes, like he’d just stumbled upon something unexpectedly… compelling.
He pulled out his phone and looked at the picture he had taken moments earlier—Kylie on her knees, desperate, humiliated, while Mia stood tall above her. A masterpiece of poetic justice.
Smirking, he forwarded the photo to James and hit call.