Don't Tease Me!
Caterina and Alessia had finally left the manor, and were chauffeured to the mall. On the way to the mall, Caterina tried to gauge Alessia's state. There was something different about her. She was no longer meek and a pushover. Instead she was regal, sitting calm and exuding an aura that could only come from a Cargona.
"Alessia, a-are you mad at me?"
Caterina's voice was soft and sad enough to evoke pity in any man. Alessia looked at her and sneered internally. Such a tone wouldn't work on her, not anymore.
"Silly girl, why would I be? Have you done something for me to be upset about?"
Caterina felt a chill go up his spine, but she tried to ignore it.
"Of course not, but… you seem a little different now."
At that, Alessia kept silent, smiling sweetly. Caterina had no choice but to let it go. Besides, she had other things to worry about. It seemed that Alessia was no longer falling for Nicolas and his games. So, how would she force the two of them together? Caterina stared off into the distance, lost in her devious thoughts.
When the two girls made it to the mall, Caterina dragged Alessia into a boutique named Amahle. It was the most popular brand in the city, well known among the elite women. They sold clothes, jewelry, shoes and bags. It belonged to the Andlar family, a fashion house that was very closely associated with the Cargonas and their textile company.
Alessia looked a little overwhelmed, which made Caterina smirk in satisfaction. The reason she had brought her here was to embarrass her in front of the patrons in this store, since she almost never left the house.
"Miss Caterina, welcome back! Are you here to see our new collection?"
The shop assistant stepped forward to greet the young lady who walked into the store. While her voice was kind and professional, her body language said otherwise. Whenever Caterina walked into the store, she wreaked havoc on the staff, and was disrespectful. She glanced at the beautiful young lady behind Caterina with dread in her eyes. Alessia read the expression on the assistant's face, and realized the situation. She decided to step back and allow Caterina to do what she does best.
"While I would love to see the new collection, I'm actually here to do some shopping with my cousin. Please excuse her, she doesn't know anything about fashion, so help her out as much as you can."
Caterina's voice, while not loud, could be heard by other shoppers nearby. They could recognize Caterina but not the other woman next to her.
" Did she say her cousin?"
"Wow, she must be the Cargona heiress. But how is it that she doesn't know anything about fashion?"
"Yeah, that's odd. Isn't it embarrassing to be a Cargona with no sense of style?"
The other shoppers around them started to whisper among themselves, pleasing Caterina to no end. It was going as planned; Alessia would be embarrassed and look unfit to be heiress. But when she turned to glance at Alessia, it wasn't as she had predicted.
Instead of being red faced in shame, Alessia's face was calm and she had a slight smile on her face, before turning to Caterina.
"Come on now, Cousin! Don't tease me! Just because our styles are different doesn't mean I don't have one."
Although her tone was a light one, it made things clear for all those in the store. When the shoppers took a closer look at both of the girls' attire, they could see a clear difference. Caterina wore clothes that seemed extravagant and showed off her beauty in a very dramatic way, with a lot of very clunky jewelry and bright colors, while Alessia wore simple clothes that accentuated her features, with simple and expensive jewelry, and light makeup. Both ladies were beautiful, but Alessia seemed to stand out in a way that Caterina could only try to imitate.
"One would have to be blind to say that the Cargona heiress has no sense of style!"
"Absolutely! How can she look so elegant with a single hairpin?"
The shoppers quickly rectified their previous thoughts. If they had to pick a better dresser out of the two, it would definitely be Alessia!
Caterina's face fell, as she heard the approving murmurs around her. Her way of dressing could only be amplified if Alessia dressed poorly. With that in mind, she quickly turned to Alessia to pull her out of the store
" You feel uncomfortable right? Let's shop somewhere else with simpler clothes. That may be the better option!"
However, Alessia wasn't ready to leave yet. She gently pulled away from her cousin saying,
"Oh don't mind me. I have to get used to stores like this anyways, since I will be taking over the business later. Don't worry, I'll look on my own and buy a few things!"
After saying those words that struck at Caterina's heart the most, she walked over to a shop assistant.
" Excuse me miss, could you accompany me while I shop around as well as start a fitting room for me? I haven't been in this store before, and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed."
She spoke kindly, being respectful of the young lady. The assistant stood shocked for a moment; she had assumed that this woman would have been exactly like Caterina. She wasn't used to being treated with kindness or respect. Her impression of Alessia had changed completely, and the shop assistant became friendlier.
"Of course, miss. You have such a good figure and a beautiful face, so there are so many things you would look amazing in! You can look at a few pieces and, if you would like, we can set up a private viewing room for you. "
Alessia nodded, before making her way around the store. She picked out a few simple articles of clothing and shoes, before entering the viewing room. Completely forgotten, Caterina trails in behind her. She had come here multiple times and spent an inordinate amount of money at this shop, yet she was never treated in the manner that they were treating Alessia. She had never even been given a private viewing room before!
It was simple really. Respecting others is the best tool to earn respect. She had never treated them like equals, so they could never help her wholeheartedly.
She calmed herself down. No matter, she thought, it wasn't like Alessia knew how to dress. She would just embarrass herself in front of the staff. Then she had an idea!
Before walking into the fitting room she pulled aside another sales associate.
"You, come here!" She barked the order at one of the only shop assistants near her. She hurriedly rushed to Caterina's side.
" I need you to take pictures of all the outfits that Alessia tries on and post them online, got it?"
The shop assistant was confused, but agreed, before rushing into the private viewing room.
Caterina smirked, as she entered. The world would be able to see how unfit Alessia was to inherit the Cargona business, bring her one step closer to taking everything she deserved.