Chapter 28

Charlotte lounged on the sofa with a lazy grace, milk in one hand and her phone in the other. She didn’t just look relaxed, she radiated an icy confidence that made the whole room feel colder.
Nancy rushed over, practically sliding to her knees at Charlotte’s feet. “Thief—no, Charlotte, please. I need your help. Can you lend me a million and a half?”
Charlotte took her last sip and tossed the empty bottle into the trash, nailing the shot without even looking. Her lashes flicked up as she glanced at Nancy. “If you need a hundred and fifty bucks, I might be able to manage. But a million and a half? No way, I don’t have that kind of money.”
The second Nancy realized Charlotte wouldn’t help, her expression twisted.
“Charlotte, if you hadn’t dragged me here to try on clothes, I never would’ve put on this stupid dress. If I hadn’t worn it, it wouldn’t be ruined. This is totally your fault.” Nancy’s voice got louder, desperate to push the blame onto Charlotte.
Charlotte didn’t even look bothered. She lifted her head, eyes half-lidded. “You’re the one who pulled me in here. You insisted on trying it on. I haven’t said a word this whole time. How is this my problem?”
“Charlotte!” Nancy was about to burst. Back in the day, Charlotte would’ve jumped to do whatever she asked.
Charlotte just shrugged, sinking deeper into the sofa. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t have the money.” She unlocked her phone and started scrolling through the news, tuning out Nancy completely.
With no way to pay for the ruined dress, the store clerk picked up the phone and called the police.
It didn’t take long for officers to arrive. The commotion drew a crowd, and soon people were gathering outside to see what was going on.
Once they heard the story, the whispers started.
“She ruined the dress and thought she could just walk away? Shameless.”
“It’s not just shameless, it’s pathetic. So many girls these days want to show off in designer brands they can’t afford.”
“She showed up here looking like that, tried on a dress worth over a million, and now she’s in trouble. Serves her right.”
All the attention made Nancy’s face go pale, and she collapsed to her knees.
“Charlotte, we’ve been friends for years. You can’t just stand there and watch me go down like this.”
Charlotte sighed, giving Nancy a look like she was scolding a small child. “What am I supposed to do? Just now you told me to steal my dad’s money
“Stealing is illegal. We can’t do that.”
She looked so innocent, like she was the poster child for good citizenship.
Nancy gaped at her, lost for words. Was Charlotte seriously pretending to be a saint right now?
One of the officers overheard and his face darkened. “Not only do you try to get a free dress, you want to drag someone else into it too?”
“You look pretty young. What, didn’t even finish high school? The education system really failed you.”
“Take her to the station.”
“No! I don’t want to go!” Nancy
fought against them, her voice rising in panie. “Charlotte, just wait. Sooner
or later karma’s coming for your I’ll make sure of it.”:
The officers dragged her out as she struggled, and the crowd’s cameras caught every second. Within
minutes, the whole thing was online and people everywhere were talking about it.
Karma, huh?
Charlotte wiped her hand where Nancy had grabbed her, a soft, amused smile playing on her lips.
Funny. She believed in karma too.
…
No sooner had Nancy been taken away than Olivia and her mother finally showed
up, a little late to the scene.
“You just ”
Olivia stared at Charlotte, who was
still sitting coolly on the sofa,
completely unfazed. Olivia could.
barely find her worden
She’d run m
Nancy earlier and casually mentioned that Charlotte was here, hoping Nancy would take her down
a peg. Back in school, Nancy had bullied her all the time.
She never imagined things would end like this.