After buying clothes for Dustin, Natasha still wanted to shop more. She led him into the boutique next door to pick out a few handbags from the latest collection for herself.
While she was browsing, a young man spotted her and his eyes lit up. He wore a flashy shirt and gold chains as he made his way over.
“Hey, pretty. You’ve got great taste. This bag just arrived. It’s a limited edition and would suit you perfectly.”
Zayden Riche smiled as he spoke, his eyes roaming over Natasha while completely ignoring Dustin beside her.
She didn’t even look up and continued examining the bag in her hands. Zayden didn’t give up, flashing what he thought was a charming smile. “How about we become friends? Pick whatever you like today. I’ll pay for it.”
He shot Dustin a smug glance, as if showing off his wealth.
Natasha frowned in annoyance. “Get lost.”
The smile froze on Zayden’s face. He had status in this part of town, and no woman had ever dismissed him so bluntly.
His face turned grim, and he threatened, ” Don’t be so hostile, pretty. Do you know who I am? You think you can talk to me like that?”
Dustin moved forward and stood between them, shielding Natasha. He looked at Zayden with mild amusement.
“Really? So who are you? Why don’t you tell us?”
Now that Dustin had responded, Zayden became even more arrogant. He lifted his chin and looked down at them.
“Listen carefully. My father is the chairman of Grandview Properties. If you know what’s good for you, get lost.
Otherwise, one word from me and you’ll disappear without a trace.’
At the mention of that company name, Dustin and Natasha exchanged a glance. Both caught the helplessness in each other’s eyes.
These entitled rich brats really were everywhere, buzzing around like flies that wouldn’t leave, no matter how many times they swatted at them.
“What’s with all the noise?”
A cool, pleasant female voice came from the store entrance. Everyone turned to see a woman walking in. She wore a pastel purple dress and had stunning features with an elegant, aloof air.
Her beauty rivaled Natasha’s, though their styles couldn’t be more different. One was warm and passionate, while the other was as cold as ice.
When Zayden spotted her, all his swagger drained away instantly. His expression shifted to an ingratiating smile as he scurried toward her.
“Dahlia, what are you doing here? There’s nothing serious going on here, I just ran into some jerk…”
Natasha, standing behind Dustin, frowned the moment she spotted the woman. She muttered quietly, “What rotten luck. How could we run into each other here?”
Dustin glanced at Dahlia. Something flickered across his face at the unexpected encounter. The world was smaller than he thought.
Whatever surprise he’d felt settled back down into nothing. Truth be told, his ex-wife meant about as much to him now as any stranger would.
Everything they’d been through together, the good times and the mess that followed, had worn away over the years until there wasn’t anything left. Standing here now, Dahlia might as well have been anyone else shopping in the mall.
“Why is he here?”
Dahlia’s gaze swept past Zayden and landed on Dustin, and she froze in place.
In a city of millions, they had somehow ended up in the same luxury store at the same time, even after they had cut off all contact between them.
Even someone as rational and composed as she was couldn’t deny the sense that fate had played a hand in this. She had to admit that maybe it really was destiny. Her face revealed a tangle of emotions-shock, confusion, and something she refused to name
Dustin’s features were familiar yet somehow more mature and distant. Her old memories came rushing back. Their broken marriage, the way she had walked away so harshly, and the damage she had caused made remorse hit her hard.
Dahlia wanted to approach him and apologize for what she’d done, but the words were stuck in her throat no matter how hard she tried.
She was now one of the prominent leaders of the Mosey family, someone countless people admired and looked up to. Her position, her status, and her reputation were like invisible chains that held her impulses in check.
The feeling only intensified when she noticed Natasha standing beside Dustin. A bitter ache she couldn’t quite name spread slowly through her chest.
“Still not over him?” Natasha grumbled, narrowing her eyes.
As a woman deeply in love with Dustin, Natasha was highly alert to any gaze that lingered on him for more than three seconds. This was especially true when that gaze came from his ex-wife, someone she already had bad blood with.
Watching Dahlia stare at Dustin with an unreadable expression set off every alarm in her head. Natasha stepped forward and positioned herself slightly in front of him, making it clear who he belonged to.
