Winning My Ex-Crush

Fenella’s POV

“We want to buy your best diamond ring,” Alan said quickly.

“Sorry, sir. Our VIP room is only open to members,” the store guard responded with a cold smile towards Alan.

“Oh, right. You’re right.” Alan smiled widely and then turned to me. “Darling, I guarantee you won’t regret coming here with me to enjoy this experience like in the movies.”

Alan then took out his wallet from his suit pocket and pulled out a black card with silver lettering. There it was! The unlimited platinum credit card!

“This is what you meant, right? I’m sure this card includes membership at all Prestishe store branches worldwide.”

Alan smiled arrogantly as he handed the card to the store staff. The staff examined the card closely and then turned to a woman who had been sitting in the corner of the room behind the display case. She nodded as a signal for her to act. The woman in the suit immediately stood up and greeted us with a wide, friendly smile.

“Hi. Would you like to see our premium diamond collection?” the woman asked. I glanced at the nameplate on her chest. ‘Linda. Manager.’

“Certainly. Show us the best collection.”

“Please follow me to the VIP room, sir.”

The store manager walked ahead of us and guided us down a narrow corridor to the back of the store. She stopped in front of a beige-paneled wall and pressed her thumb on a fingerprint scanner. When the lock opened, she opened a steel door.

OMG!

I knew Alan might get all his money from money laundering. I knew this was wrong, but look at all this! I should have been used to designer boutiques, but this was something different. Diamond collections and various jewelry were displayed behind glass boxes on the walls or tables on the floor. It resembled exhibits in a museum.

Alan then invited me to sit on a plush, dark blue velvet sofa. My eyes observed the store guards who widened their smiles at me, even though initially they had scrutinized me from head to toe. If Alan hadn’t provided that black card, the attendants would have likely kicked us out.

I knew that my outfit today was relatively simple because I sold out all the other branded clothes at the bazaar. A black knit turtleneck, a lilac jacket with a soft checkered pattern, a black midi skirt, and knee-high boots. Although Alan wore a branded suit, they still seemed unsure that I was a model.

Alan sat next to me on the sofa. He smiled broadly as he watched the store manager go to another area of the vault while the other store staff stood by with us. Then, one of the store staff came in pushing a white cart and offering a variety of snacks and warm teas.

“Alan, aren’t you going overboard?” I whispered to him.

“No. As you said, we need to buy an engagement ring that’s bigger and shinier.” He didn’t hesitate to raise his voice so the store staff could hear him.

We sipped our tea while waiting for Linda to return from the vault. Soon, the woman in the black suit emerged pushing a small trolley covered with black satin fabric. Black velvet boxes were lined up on the trolley. She then introduced one by one the diamond rings they had.

“Which one do you want, Fenella?” Alan asked me.

“I don’t know, there are so many.” I chuckled with flushed cheeks.

“It’s okay, miss. You can try them on to decide which one you like. What’s your ring size?”

Alan and I then selected various models of diamond rings offered. Then, from rings, we moved on to a set of jewelry consisting of a necklace, bracelet, earrings, and rings. We laughed and joked as we tried each collection.

Wait a minute! I think I’ve strayed too far from my mission!

Suddenly, I remembered my actual mission. The credit card had been returned to Alan’s wallet. The only way I could get detailed information about the card was to pay for the jewelry, distract Alan, and note it down while he was not paying attention.

Alright, the sooner the better.

“I think I’ll buy this one.” I pointed randomly at one of the collections.

“Are you sure you want to buy that one?” Alan asked with a furrowed brow.

“Yes, I really like the design. Besides, they’re a complete set, right?”

“Alright, miss.” The manager smiled with an enthusiastic nod.

“It’s okay, right?” I asked Alan.NôvelDrama.Org © content.

“Of course.” Alan smiled broadly as he took out his card from his wallet again. “Anything for you, darling.”

He showed the black card in front of my face. I smiled back with wide eyes, of course for different reasons than Alan.

He handed the card to Linda. The manager then left the VIP room with the card, taking it with her. If only I could distract Alan with something, I could go to the manager to retrieve the card.

“Hey, Alan, aren’t you curious about the vault inside?” I asked.

“Only the manager seems to have access there.”

“Oh, that’s a pity,” I said softly.

“I know you must be curious.”

“Uh, yeah, just wanted to check if the manager has shown all the collections.” I shrugged.

“Should we postpone the payment? Do you want to see it again?” Alan asked.

“No. It’s fine,” I declined with a slight shake of my head.

“Hey, I want to make sure there’s nothing on your mind after we leave this store.” Alan gently held my elbow.

“Er, let me inform the manager then.” Slowly, I got up from the sofa and walked backward towards the exit of the VIP room.

“Let’s ask this young lady for help,” Alan suggested as he was about to call the female staff who greeted us.

“That’s okay. Let me handle it myself. I’ve already caused enough trouble.”

“It’s fine, darling. It’s part of their service.”

“I just want to be polite and reassure Linda. I don’t want her to be upset thinking we’re toying with them,” I began walking further away from Alan. “Wait here for a moment, darling.”

Alan looked surprised by my words. He finally fell silent, and I quickly took the opportunity to sneak out of the VIP room. I walked quickly to the cashier at the front of the store and approached the manager. When I reached the cashier, I saw Linda looking down deeply.

“Hey,” I greeted her, and her body jolted.

My eyes widened as she stared at me. I furrowed my brow, seeing her body trembling in place.

“Yes?” She answered hesitantly, as if controlling her hurried breath.

“Er… sorry, I’d like to see another collection. Can you cancel the transaction?”

“Oh, yes, of course.” She immediately returned the black card, which she had apparently been holding all along.

“You haven’t charged anything to this card yet?”

“Not yet, miss.” She smiled warmly, returning her professional demeanor. “I’ll get the other collection then,” she said, walking out from the cashier and heading towards the deepest corridor of the store.

As she walked away and I was alone in the corridor, I quickly took out my phone. I turned my back to the path leading to the VIP room door. The next second, I opened the phone camera, took a picture of the front of the black card, and then quickly flipped it over. My heart raced as I finally managed to take a picture of the back of the card.

“Fenella?” Alan’s voice made me jump in panic. I turned around and saw Alan peeking from the VIP room.

“Hey, sorry.” I calmed my pounding heart by taking a deep breath.

“What’s wrong?”

I walked towards him while putting my phone back into my jacket pocket. “Nothing…” I paused, trying to come up with a reason. “My mom asked me to stop by the grocery store and buy eggs.”

“Alright. We’ll go to the grocery store after we finish here.” He smiled.