It’s just how life is.
The old woman didn’t argue too much.
Instead, she did something that shocked Daisy even more.
She brought out her phone.
Let’s exchange contact, she said simply.
Daisy hesitated for only a second, then she obeyed because refusing would be rude.
They exchanged numbers.
The old woman squeezed Daisy’s hand softly.
“From today,” she said.
“No matter what, I will only buy from you.
” Daisy’s throat tightened slightly.
“Thank you, Ma.
” The old man stood up and adjusted his worn shirt.
He looked at Daisy with quiet respect.
Daisy walked them toward the entrance, holding the bags carefully like she was escorting important guests.
Anita watched from behind with eyes that could cut.
At the door, Daisy opened it for them.
“Please come again,” Daisy said.
The old woman nodded.
“We will.
” And as the couple stepped out into the morning light, Daisy stood there for a moment, watching them go, still unaware of what she had just done.
She had not just made a sale.
She had passed a test without knowing she was being tested.
The scene shifted, not to noise, not to gossip, to silence.
A different kind of silence, one that lived in expensive air and important decisions.
Inside a wide, tastefully furnished executive office, Ethan Adami sat behind a large desk.
Ethan was in his late 30s, tall, calm, and deliberately controlled.
He had the kind of handsome face people talked about in low voices, clean jaw, steady eyes, and a look that made it hard to tell what he was thinking.
His suit was dark and perfectly fitted, not because he wanted to impress anyone, but because he was used to being taken seriously.
He was the CEO of Apex Lux Group, the biggest luxury brand group in the country, the kind of company that could make or break businesses with one decision.
And in town, people loved to say one thing about him.
He was the most eligible bachelor, not because he was just rich, but because he was disciplined, private, and almost impossible to access.
Women wanted him.
Men respected him.
People feared disappointing him.
In front of his desk stood the same poor old couple from the boutique.
Only now they were not pretending.
The old woman’s shoulders were straight, her face was firm, her eyes carried authority.
This was Mr.s.
Claraara Adami and the old man beside her was Mr. Gabriel Adday, Ethan’s father.
They had not gone to the boutique because they wanted to shop like beggars.
They had gone because they were tired.
Tired of seeing people pretend, tired of women chasing their son because of money, tired of hearing fake laughter and fake humility.
They wanted to see something real with their own eyes.
So they had dressed down, worn torn old clothes, and walked into one of their own branches like strangers, just to see who would treat them like human beings.
Mr.s.
