Not A Small-Town Girl

Audrey. [Audrey, isn’t she the relative you mentioned a few days ago? The one from a poor village.]

Seeing the message, Audrey immediately called her friend. "Hope, where are you?"

"I’m at the mall we went to last time. I didn’t expect to run into that evil relative of yours," Hope replied.

"What? How could she afford to shop at such an upscale mall? She didn’t even come home last night, leaving us worried sick. We don’t even know with whom she spent the night, and now she’s here shopping?" Audrey refrained from revealing Danielle’s true identity, deliberately misleading her friend.

"Really? She seems decent-looking but turns out to be nothing more than a hooker." Hope scoffed, completely taken in by Audrey’s insinuations.

"She’s new to Soufield and doesn’t know better. I can see why she’d give in to temptation, but I don’t agree with making money through disgraceful means. If she’d just told us, we could’ve helped. I really worry about her as a sister," Audrey added, feigning concern.

Thoroughly deceived, Hope replied, "You’re too kind, Audrey. Don’t worry. I’ll teach her a lesson for you." She looked at Danielle with growing disdain, fully convinced that she was an indecent woman.

Meanwhile, Juniper was offended by the thinly veiled insult. She hadn’t expected to be snubbed by the sales associate. The sales associate was about to speak when a voice chimed in.

"It means poor nobodies shouldn’t pretend to be rich. Someone who uses her pretty face to seduce men for money shouldn’t act all high and mighty," Hope said condescendingly.

Danielle and Juniper turned around to see a haughty woman dressed in a designer outfit.

"Who are you calling poor? And who’s seducing men for money?" Juniper demanded.

"You know who you are. Living off men’s money- how shameless can one be?" Hope drawled, staring at Danielle with contempt.

The other sales associates whispered to one another, casting sidelong glances at Danielle.

"I’d like to know who told you this. If you have proof of your accusations, show it." Danielle shot a chilling glare at Hope.

Hope’s expression faltered, unwilling to betray her friend. "That’s none of your concern. Your guilty reaction proves you’re hiding something," she retorted.

Danielle was speechless, wondering, ’What’s wrong with this woman? Why is she throwing these accusations at me out of the blue? I don’t even know her.’

"If you have evidence, show it. Otherwise, I’ll sue you for slander," Danielle said firmly.

Sensing the brewing tension, the sales associate intervened. "Miss Hill, please don’t stoop to her level. Let me assist you with whatever you need." The sales associate brushed off Danielle as if she were beneath her.

With a smug look on her face, Hope pointed to the dress Danielle was eyeing. "I want to try that one."

"Of course, right away," the sales associate responded with an attitude that was a sharp contrast to how she treated Danielle and Juniper.

"But we saw it first! Why does she get to try it on?" Juniper protested furiously.

The sales associate was unapologetic, sneering as if her behavior was justified. "Ladies, I doubt your outfits combined even add up to 300 dollars. What’s the point of trying on something you can’t afford?"

Her words sent a thrill of satisfaction through Hope, who smirked and said derisively, "Why don’t you two stop embarrassing yourselves and leave? You’re just asking to be humiliated."