Ch 33 - I'll Compete with You

"You're mistaken, I'm not Alex's girlfriend," Debbie forced herself to say to Cathy with a smile. She grabbed Alex's arm and walked toward the door without saying a word. 

One of Russel's assistants had been watching the exchange.

Is this new boss cheating on his girlfriend? He must be very irresponsible. That little girl, Debbie, is so kind. He must have tricked her into thinking he was single. He deserved to be caught today! the assistant thought.

Russell meanwhile didn't know what to think.

"Debbie, listen to me—" Alex looked at Debbie. He wanted to tell her that Cathy had already broken up with him.

"Don't say anymore, Alex. Thank you for taking care of me these past few days. I'm very sorry for causing such a misunderstanding. You should go back to your girlfriend," Debbie said with a trace of resentment.

Since you have a girlfriend, why are you still being so nice to me? Could it be that you don't know the meaning behind why I kept coming to Ramsey Lake to find you every day? she thought.

"Haha, you little slut—aren't you thinking too much? How could I possibly be this loser's girlfriend?" Cathy said as she walked over with a smile. She glanced at Alex with disdain. "Look at him—which part of him is worthy enough for me? But he is rather compatible with you."

She's not Alex's girlfriend! Debbie suddenly realized.

A wave of excitement rose in her heart, and she felt as if she had just recovered from a loss. I knew Alex wouldn't lie to me, Debbie thought as her eyes lit up again when she looked over at him.

Russell was also relieved. Luckily, this new boss isn't playing two sides and cheating on his steady girlfriend, otherwise, I would have despised him, he thought.

At the same time, he was extremely dissatisfied with Cathy. Is this crazy woman intentionally causing trouble for him? She's not his girlfriend. Alex is a free man, so why is she pointing fingers at him?

"Cathy, have you chosen your clothes?" At this time, a young man walked in with two bottles in his hands. He was tall and thin and with his hair slicked back with gel. He looked very hard. If he wasn't Billy Wilde, who else could he be? When Billy saw Alex, his face showed anger. "You brat—you're asking for a beating, aren't you? Are you here to harass Cathy again?"

He spoke with an overbearing attitude as if Alex was someone he could bully.

"Dearest, I asked you to buy a bottle of water. You've been gone for so long!" Cathy ran over to Billy and wrapped her arms around his waist. She then looked at Debbie and boasted, "This is my boyfriend. He's rich, tall, and handsome. He's not someone that loser can compare himself to."

"Alex didn't come to harass me today," she said to Billy. "He's here to buy clothes for his girlfriend."

"Oh my, look at that girl's tattered clothes. She suits him!" Billy patted Cathy's butt as he smiled playfully.

"Debbie, quickly go in and see if this fits you or not," Alex said in a low voice. He didn't feel like arguing with the other two. 

"That dress is really beautiful. Let me try it on!" Cathy grabbed the dress from Debbie's hands and looked at her, "For a woman like you who has no money, it's better to find something more suitable for you to wear. There are dozens of dollar stores and second-hand shops in the city that are more suitable for you."

After saying that, she took the dress into the changing room. A few minutes later, she walked out wearing it and proudly showed it off in front of Debbie and Alex. "This dress is not bad. It's perfect for me to wear. Some people would ruin this dress."

Alex looked at Cathy as if she was crazy, unwilling to pay any attention to her.

"Let's go over there and take a look," he said to Debbie as they went to the other side.

"Cathy, since you've already chosen your clothes, let's go," Billy said to Cathy. He had taken her there that day so he could buy her a piece of clothing. The Autumn Beauty Boutique was a high-end ladies' clothing store, so he didn't dare to spend freely there.

"Go? What a joke—I haven't bought enough yet!" Cathy didn't want to leave. As Alex had taken Debbie there to buy clothes, she had to buy more than him.

Cathy was really out of balance at that moment. When she abandoned Alex, she thought he had no money. If she didn't buy more clothes in front of Alex and prove that she was better off than when she was with him, he would underestimate her.

No! I must not let Alex laugh at me. I must buy more clothes than him, she thought.

While Cathy was still thinking, Alex had already chosen a dress with Debbie. He was waiting for her at the door of the changing room.

Cathy held Billy's arm and walked toward Alex. When they were almost there, the door to the changing room opened.

Debbie gracefully walked out in a beige and white dress. Cathy stopped in her tracks with her eyes wide open as she looked at her. Was this still the ugly duckling girl from before?

"How is it?" Debbie asked nervously.

"It's so beautiful!" Alex's eyes lit up as he replied gleefully.

"You're lying to me," Debbie whispered. She was a little embarrassed by Alex's words, but she was secretly happy inside. At that moment, Alex held Debbie's shoulder firmly. He turned her slightly, and her beautiful figure appeared in the mirror.

The dress covered her slender body gracefully, setting off her fair face and pink lips. She looked exceptionally beautiful!

When Debbie saw her reflection, she was stunned. The person in the mirror was like a fairy. Is this me? she thought.

"All right, help us wrap this dress up." Alex was very satisfied with that piece of clothing. From Debbie's expression, he knew that she also liked it.

Russell obediently packed up Debbie's dress, then used Alex's card to charge for it.

Although Russell didn't know why Alex needed to spend money in his boutique, he could tell that it must be related to Debbie. Since he was willing to do so much for her, it seemed that he was a good man.

Alex wanted to pick out more clothes for Debbie, but she refused to continue shopping. That dress already cost two hundred and fifty dollars, and none of the items was cheap. She didn't want him to spend money carelessly.

"Since you don't want to shop more, let's go. We'll come back here again," Alex said to her with a smile.

"Mmm—I can wear this for a long time," Debbie said softly, and the two of them started to move toward the exit.

"Stop—you want to leave now?" Cathy angrily walked up to Alex.

Now that she and Debbie had both bought a dress, it didn't look like Cathy was any better off than Alex, and Debbie, who was wearing the new dress, had shocked her. She didn't want to admit it, but she did think that Debbie was even more beautiful than she was.

This caused Cathy to be so furious that she almost went crazy. If she didn't try to get back at him, she would die of depression that day!

Alex ignored Cathy and tried to avoid her, but she was having none of it. When Alex moved to the left, Cathy moved to the left to block his path. When Alex moved to the right, Cathy moved to the right.

"What do you want?" Alex looked at Cathy speechlessly.

"Didn't you bring this country bumpkin here to act cool? Now, I want you to compete with me. Let's see if it's you who buys more clothes or if my boyfriend buys more!" Cathy had decided to humiliate him.

Debbie pulled him by the hand and shook her head with a worried expression. The clothes here were too expensive, and it was a meaningless matter in itself.

"All right, I'll compete with you," Alex said as he gave Debbie a reassuring look and then looked toward Cathy and agreed. From Cathy's attitude, it seemed that she wasn't going to let them leave if he didn't agree.

"Haha—my dear, do you think Alex has a screw loose? He's going to compete with us? He doesn't know his place," Cathy laughed arrogantly.

Billy was not that happy. A shopping contest in Autumn Beauty Boutique—is he crazy? The clothes here are several times more expensive than in other places! he thought.

However, since Cathy had already started this, Billy didn't want to cross her. He thought that he might still win if he competed with Alex.

"Alex, I don't know if I should praise your intelligence or your balls. Later, I will let you know how big the gap is between you and me," Billy sneered.

Debbie was extremely scared. Alex and Russell, on the other hand, were laughing themselves to death. 

Are these two nuts? This shop is all mine. Who are you going to buy more clothes from—me? Interesting, thought Alex.

Of course, Alex wouldn't reveal his identity. He didn't want anyone to know who he was, especially Debbie.

Cathy looked at him with disdain. "I know you only have a bit of money left from what you won in the lottery after you stupidly made that huge donation to the mountain village children. I can't wait to see what money you're going to use to compete with me today!" 

After she finished speaking, she casually pointed at a pleated skirt and said, "Help me wrap that up."

"Is that all right, sir?" Russell questioned Billy intentionally. He could tell that Cathy had no money of her own, so the decision was entirely in Billy's hands.

Billy also felt pained by the price of the two-hundred-dollar pleated skirt, but he had to buy it since he already said so earlier. He pretended not to care as he said, "It's only two hundred dollars. It's only my meal money. Alex, do you have something to say?"