Second Chances

Chapter 25 

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The two women had indeed picked out the most expensive items to wear, completely disregarding whether they suited their figures or not. 

“You bitch!” Hearing Emma’s sarcasm, the woman glanced down and saw the horizontal stripes on her clothes, which actually made her look a bit like a traffic sign. She instantly became furious, rushing forward with the intention of scratching Emma’s face. 

However, Emma swiftly raised a silk shirt to shield herself. Her move was half intentional, both for self–defense and to teach these women a 

harsh lesson. 

As Emma expected, the woman’s sharp nails instantly tore a gaping hole in the high–end silk shirt as she grabbed it. 

Witnessing the disaster, the two women screamed in horror. That one piece of clothing cost tens of thousands of dollars. If they had to pay for 

it, their salaries for half a year would be gone. The woman charged at Emma in a rage, but Emma quickly picked up another garment, threatening, “You still want to make a move, huh? Take a look at the money in your wallet. How many times can you afford to do this?” 

The woman immediately wilted, retracting her hand, and stared furiously at Emma in silence. 

Emma let out a cold snort and walked out of the fitting room. 

As soon as she stepped out, she saw Liam. He had also heard some noise in the room just now, but he didn’t quite catch what it was. “What happened just now?” he asked. 

“Nothing much. I just gave some gossipy women a piece of my mind,” Emma said. 

“Miss Wilson, are you satisfied with these gowns?” the store manager inquired. 

Emma glanced in the direction of the fitting room and remarked, “The clothing from your brand is commendable, but you should pay attention to your customers who try on clothes without purchasing, carelessly dressing up, not only distorting the cut but also smearing lousy makeup on the collars. You really need to check these things carefully.” 

“Sure…” The store manager was caught off guard, not expecting such an incident to happen in front of a big client like Liam. He quickly turned back to check the clothes, only to discover the damaged silk shirt. 

“Did you try on these clothes?” the manager asked the two women. 

The women got nervous. “Yeah… so what if we did! Aren’t your clothes hung here for people to try on?” 

The two women had always come to try on clothes without buying them, occupying the fitting rooms for hours, and now they’d damaged one silk shirt. The manager’s face darkened, saying, “Apologies, but our policy clearly states that any damage to garments incurred during try–ons must be compensated at the original price. Please come with me for the payment.” 

“No way! Why should we? We didn’t even buy anything. Why should we pay!” shouted one of the women. 

“Exactly! You know what? Forced consumption is illegal! Don’t think you’re above the law just because you sell luxury goods. I can take you to court!” added the other woman. 

The two women were now causing a scene in the mall, but the staff, used to such tantrums, simply called the police. 

The cops showed up in a jiffy. After checking the fitting room footage, they confirmed those two women tore up the clothes and had to cough up the cash, which was a whopping 11,200 dollars. 

The two women not only paid up but also got taken away by the cops for causing trouble, receiving a stern lecture. 

Emma felt a bit more at ease after the two were led away. 

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Her thoughts returned to the gowns that Liam had bought. She felt both helpless and grateful towards him. “Now I understand why you said you have so much money and you need a woman to help you spend it. Mr. Hall, you really do spend lavishly every time, don’t you?” 

She had just tried on a few dresses, and to her shock, Liam bought anything she liked and tried on in one go. 

“Do you like that?” Liam asked with a low chuckle. 

“Hard to say I don’t,” Emma leaned in to peck his cheek. “Love you, muah.” 

Even though Emma had been rolling in dough in the black market and mysterious organizations in her past life, this was the first time a man had spent money on her. 

It felt different from spending her own money. One was about self–reliance. The other was about being spoiled. And she was being spoiled 

rotten. 

Although Liam hadn’t heard the two women’s mockery of Emma in the fitting room, he knew that Emma would be badmouthed when he appeared in a wheelchair. Even if Emma didn’t mind, he didn’t want his woman to lose face. So, this lavish spending was all about making 

sure nobody dared look down on her. 

After paying, they passed by a dessert shop. Emma suddenly asked, “Mr. Hall, do you want some dessert?” 

Liam frowned slightly and said, “I don’t like sweet things.” 

“Then wait a moment. I’ll go buy us two ice creams.” The weather was getting a bit hot, and after shopping for so long, Emma was feeling a 

bit thirsty. Seeing the long queue at the dessert shop, she couldn’t help but feel eager to try. 

Shortly, she returned with two ice creams, each in one hand, and handed the dark chocolate one to Liam. “It’s not very sweet. Give it a try?” 

Liam couldn’t recall the last time he had ice cream, but since Emma had bought it for him, he didn’t refuse. His long, slender fingers took it. 

Looking at the ice cream, he said, “If you like it, I’ll have them stock some in the fridge.” 

Emma licked her ice cream, replying, “I don’t love it that much, but it’s our first date. We should have something sweet.” 

Upon hearing that, Liam lowered his head and took a small sip. The cool, refreshing taste, slightly bitter at first, melted into a dense sweetness. It was a unique and irreplaceable richness, just like their love. Setbacks abound, but luckily, she was his. 

The gowns arrived at Icovine Estate the day before the welcome party. 

Emma chose a deep purple mermaid dress that was both everyday and elegant, paired with semi–transparent, fully–studded high heels. A hair accessory styled her black hair into a graceful arc atop her head. Even the hairband was adorned with sparkling diamonds. Her makeup was flawless, resembling a purple rose blooming on midnight thorns. 

As Emma looked at herself in the mirror, spinning around, she suddenly noticed the silhouette of a man in the mirror. “When did you come in?” she stuttered, 

“I’ve been here for a while, but you were so focused on getting dressed and didn’t notice,” Liam explained. 

Emma gave him a smile as she walked over, comforting him, “Just be good and wait for me at home. I’ll be back soon.” 

Liam was indeed worried. After all, she looked so beautiful today, making him want to tear apart her exquisite gown and take her. If he thought this way, others might, too. So Liam wrapped his long arm around her hips from behind, pulling her closer to his body, and whispered, “You need to be good too. I don’t want to hear any gossip about Mrs. Hall flirting at the party, okay?” 

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12:56 Fri, 5 Jul 

“Don’t worry. I’m a good girl. I promise to come back right after the party ends!” Emma reassured him. Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

“Go ahead,” Liam said. 

Emma bid farewell to him and then set off in his multi–million–dollar car. 

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