SWNOVELS Chapter 16
Chapter 16 Saving Face
“Carlisle wouldn’t lie to me,” Helene said firmly.
Both Carlisle and Miki were surprised to hear this.
Miki, for one, was shocked to see that there were women out there who weren’t interested in Carlisle’s money. Why else would they marry someone as powerful as him?
And Carlisle was surprised to hear that Helene placed so much trust in him. He almost felt guilty for hiding his identity from her.
Miki wanted to say something in response, but after much deliberation, she decided to drop it. She already had her fun teasing Mr. Bamford, and it was clear that he was becoming upset. It wouldn’t be a simple joke for much longer.
After arriving at her place, Miki took the initiative to add Helene on social media before she left. The two promised they would keep in touch, they said their goodbyes, and Miki was on her way.
As soon as Miki left, Carlisle received a text from her.
“Your wife is beautiful, but she’s nothing like you. She’s dirty. Do you understand? She’s not good enough for you.”
After reading the message, Carlisle promptly deleted it. Then, he took Helene to the mall.
At first, Helene was under the impression that Carlisle was shopping for himself. Instead, she quickly learned that Carlisle
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was trying to buy clothes for her. They walked into stores that Helene normally wouldn’t ever bother with, internationally renowned brands where each garment cost thousands.
Just thinking of the price tags terrified Helene, and she urgently pulled him away.
“It’s way too expensive! A single top is more than I make in an entire month.”
But Carlisle stubbornly disagreed. At the very least, he wanted her to try on a few things and forced her into a dressing room. Helene tried on so many things that the staff member helping them was becoming impatient.
“Are you going to buy something or not?”
Carlisle wanted to dismiss the clerk and walk to the counter with everything Helene had worn, but he knew better. That would easily reveal his identity, or at the very least, his wealth. In the end, the two decided on a single blazer that he thought
would suit her best.
“We’ll go with this,” he said calmly.
Helene took a look at the price tag. $2500.
That was more than some people made in two months in some places.
Once again feeling anxious, Helene pulled Carlisle aside and said, “I didn’t bring the card today, so let’s grab something to eat for now. I’m hungry.”.
“We can do that after we finish up here.” Carlisle took out his phone and opened up his digital wallet. “Our card is linked to
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my phone, so you can just tap and we’ll be on our way.”
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“But it’s still way too expensive. This is over half of what you make for the entire month, and you’re spending it on a single blazer!”
“Then I’ll make more money in the last half of the month,” Carlisle replied ignorantly. It was clear that he had no idea what his supposed financial situation was.
“What? What are you talking about? The month just started!” Helene exclaimed.
With a salary as low as Carlisle’s, buying this blazer would leave just over $1500 for the rest of the month, the majority of which would go to Matilda’s salary. They’d be left with only $300.
Were they planning to fast for the rest of the month?
“Just trust me, okay? We’re not going to starve.” Carlisle insisted.
Helene reluctantly paid, knowing that he wouldn’t back down. Once the transaction was made, he told her to put the suit back on for him. Sure enough, the clothes at this shop were different. The style was modern, and the textures were unlike any other. Helene cleaned up well, and in Carlisle’s eyes, this blazer had turned her from an ugly duckling to a majestic
swan.
Carlisle looked at her with satisfaction, which only served to make Helene more uncomfortable. All she could think of was how she could return the damn thing. Knowing exactly what Helene was thinking, Carlisle motioned one of the staff members over and asked them to cut off the tag.
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Helene was so angry that she nearly lost her breath, and Carlisle watched her fuming silently. It was as if he had ordered for her to be slashed at. Understanding that he was on thin ice, he hurriedly put his hand on her shoulder and said, “I want this for you, do you understand? This money means nothing to me, not to mention I can afford it. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t spoil you every now and then?”
Helene was stunned to hear this, but she was quickly brought back to her senses by a memory of Diego. She could imagine his voice grating against her ears as he sneered, “Who fucking cares what you wear? It all looks the same anyways. If you have that much money saved up, spend it on me. All that money for some shitty top? Someone’s got their priorities all mixed up… What? So what if I spent that much at a restaurant? What did you want me to do, go somewhere cheaper? Do you know how embarrassing that would be?”
Carlisle turned to Helene and took her hand. “Hey, what’s the matter? Is something wrong?”
Helene could feel the heat building up in her eyes.
“Why are you crying?” Carlisle asked, gently brushing a finger against her cheek.
“Who is crying,” she snapped. “I’m just… hungry.”
“Then I’ll get some takeout and we’ll eat at home. It’s too busy around here,” Carlisle suggested. He was afraid of running into another acquaintance, which was likely since the mall was close to the company building.
After asking Helene to wait for him at the store, he walked off to order some food.
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As soon as he left, the woman who helped him walked over to make some small talk. “I’ve never met such a good man. before. You’re lucky to have a husband like him. He’s willing to spend so much on you without batting an eye.”
Helene could only smile bitterly and nod as her memories haunted her. That wasn’t what she thought of when she looked at all these expensive clothes in the fitting room mirror. Her mind was much more concerned with how much money they’d have left and how they’d survive the month.
She had already poured all her savings into her grandmother’s hospital fees, so she had nothing left to keep herself afloat.
“That blazer she’s wearing looks so nice.”
“Do you know how pricey that place is? You think you could afford anything in there?”
“I mean, technically. I might not have much saved up, but if it really comes down to it, I guess I’ll start stealing. And so what if we starve for a while?”
Helene could hear a couple talking loudly in the distance. She didn’t pay much attention to them at first, but their voices were so familiar, and as they neared, they became harder to ignore.
Freya walked into the store and directly to the counter. She pointed to Helene, who was standing with faced away from her, and asked, “How much is that blazer?”
“$2500,” one of the staff replied.
“Eek, that’s expensive. Any chance you could give me a discount?”
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“That is the discounted price.”
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“I already told you that you couldn’t afford it,” Diego insisted as he tried to pull Freya away.
He was almost successful, but Freya shook him off. “Leave me alone! Can’t I at least try it on?”
Freya asked for a set to try, to which the staff member explained that all the styles were limited editions. Each piece was one–of–a–kind, and once they were sold, there would be no additional pieces made.
“Fine,” Freya said with a humph. “Is she done trying it on yet? I’d like to see it.”
Feeling that the clothes were much too expensive for anyone in the area to afford, Greya wouldn’t give up so easily. She had walked into this store to see herself in that blazer, and that’s what she would do.
“My apologies, but that blazer has already been paid for. If you’d like, I could direct you to a few similar styles.”
Unable to believe this, Freya called out, “Have you paid?” As she looked at this woman, she couldn’t help but feel as though this figure was somehow familiar to her.
Just then, Helene received a call. It was Carlisle, asking her to find him in the parking lot. And so, she quickly walked out of the store.
“Helene!” Freya suddenly called out.
Diego was confused and looked at Freya like she was crazy. There was no way it could have been Helene, but he was
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stunned when she turned around.
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This certainly wasn’t the same woman that they knew. But it was, and just seeing her sent him into shock. There was something about her in that blazer and that look on her face. She was completely different now, which made sense considering he had only seen her in street clothes.
“So it’s you!” Freya said. Though she had called out her name, she didn’t expect it to actually be her. “When did you get rich enough that you could buy something from a place like this?”
“Her husband bought it for her,” the staff member explained.
“You’re married?” Diego asked in surprise.
“What? How is that even possible? Are the lights working up there?! You just left Diego a few days ago. How did you find someone else and get hitched so soon?!!” Freya exclaimed. She couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to marry her that quickly.
“I hate to tell you like this, but I got married basically the day after I broke up with Diego. My husband works in tech and he treats me well. And that’s why I can afford this place.”
Freya was so angry that steam may as well have been coming out of her ears. She wanted to pass away thinking about how Helene was living the good life.
Diego, on the other hand, couldn’t take his eyes off Helene. She was so beautiful and confident, and the sight of her now reminded him of when they first met. Seeing how comical their reactions were, Helene let out a small sigh. Though she was spiteful toward both of them, she chose to drop her grudges for now.
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“My husband’s waiting for me outside, so if you’ll excuse me.”
And with that, she turned around and walked away
confidently.
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