CHAPTER 4
“Rise and shine, little sis,” Viviana’s voice rang through Amelia’s bedroom door. “We’ve got a full day planned, spa, shopping, and lunch at Cafe Etoile. You’ll love it. A day spent with your big sis.”
Amelia sat up slowly, the sun already high. Her room, though elegant, still didn’t feel like hers. She stretched, then got up and opened her wardrobe. Most clothes still had tags, everything seemed new to her, just like these clothes. She couldn’t get used to all the things that Viviana had just said, most of which she didn’t even understand. But she was willing to learn if she was going to spend time with the Cole’s. Viviana seemed excited to have her here and she did not want to let her down.
Amelia sifted through the clothes and picked one that echoed her simplicity, then nervously made her way downstairs.
Downstairs, Viviana was ready and waiting. She wore a soft pink linen dress and matching sandals, oversized sunglasses perched on her head. “Cute!” she said when she saw Amelia. “That Valentino dress suits you.”
“Thanks,” Amelia said, fiddling with her hem. She’d picked a floral dress and flats, expensive, but simple. She didn’t feel like someone who belonged in designer brands. All her life she had worn thrifted clothes, and now she was dressed in one outfit that could feed her entire village! Her Nana would not approve if she knew, she would argue that the money would be better used to help people who needed it for their livelihood than buying one outfit. That’s how her grandmother had been, she always thought of others before herself.
A black car pulled up. The driver opened the door, and they were whisked off to the city. On the way, Amelia stared out the window as the buildings passed. She didn’t know what the day would bring, but she hoped maybe, just maybe, she’d feel like part of this new world.
The car came to a stop in front of a building written in large letters “City Haven Spa and Lounge.” Amelia had never been to a spa all her life. She had watched rich women in dramas go to spas and have their bodies washed and massaged with expensive drinks being offered to them but she never once thought that she would be experiencing any of that in her life time. And yet here she was, about to go into a spa. She was excited and nervous at the same time.
Viviana must have noticed her anxiety “Have you ever been to one?” She asked gesturing towards the building.
“No, never. “Amelia responded nervously.
“It’s great! Trust me, you’ll be a new being when you come out. Come on.” She held Amelia’s hand as she led her inside the building.
At the spa, a woman at the front desk greeted them with a warm smile. “Welcome, Miss Cole. Your private suite is ready.”
Her eyes slid briefly to Amelia, and the smile dimmed. She instantaneously concluded Amelia did not belong there. Her simplicity and naivety could well show this was not her usual scene.
Viviana leaned in and whispered to the receptionist, her voice sugar-sweet. “My father insisted I bring my…friend. She’s new around here. Not used to our kind of service yet. You understand?”
The receptionist’s smile returned, colder this time. “Of course.”
As they changed into robes, Amelia noticed hers felt thinner than Viviana’s. The towels were smaller too. The spa workers were polite but distant. No one offered her water or asked what she wanted. When she asked a question, her masseuse replied flatly, “Please relax, ma’am.”
The things she had seen on TV, the ones that those rich women experienced, none of them was offered to her. She could tell the staff were being rough with her on purpose too.
Viviana, on the other hand, was treated like royalty. Cucumber water, soft laughter with her attendant, and relaxed whispers floated from across the room.
“You okay, babe?” Viviana asked once, smiling across the lounge.
“I’m fine,” Amelia said, even though she wasn’t. Her muscles were tense and her stomach twisted, but she couldn’t let Viviana see that after she had offered to bring her there.
Back in the car, Viviana stretched with a yawn. “Wasn’t that heavenly?”
Amelia nodded. “Sure.”
Viviana tilted her head. “They didn’t mistreat you, did they?”
“No, it was fine.”
“Great! Next stop: Star Mall. We’re doing a full makeover. Shoes, hair, everything.”
Star Mall sparkled, almost painfully bright. Amelia followed Viviana into a boutique called Elegance Couture. Inside, assistants flocked to Viviana, offering water and pulling out the latest styles.
No one noticed Amelia at first. She stayed close, silent.
Viviana handed her a pair of red heels. “Try these on. I’ll be right back.”
Amelia sat on a velvet stool and stared at the shoes. They were beautiful, but she’d never worn anything that high. Just as she was about to set them down, two security guards approached.
“Excuse me, miss. Could you open your bag?”
She blinked. “What?”
“We believe an item may have been taken from the store.”
“I…. I haven’t bought anything.”
“Please open the bag.”
Her hands shook as she unzipped the purse Viviana had given her to carry. Inside, next to her makeup pouch, was a velvet ring box. The guard opened it. A diamond ring sparkled under the lights.
“I don’t…. I didn’t put that there.”
A crowd began to form. People murmured.
Viviana returned just then, linking arms with a stylish woman.
“Sasha, I’ve missed you!” she said brightly.
“Viviana!” Sasha said. Her brother stood beside her, watching the scene unfold.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“She had this in her bag,” the store manager said, pointing at Amelia.
Viviana blinked. “Amelia…?”
Amelia turned to her. “I didn’t take anything! I swear!”
Sasha’s brother raised a brow. “Is this the sister you mentioned, Viv?”
Viviana gave a soft, apologetic smile. “Yes, Adrian. She’s still adjusting.”
He looked Amelia over. “A misunderstanding that involves a stolen ring?”
“I don’t know how it got there,” Amelia said, voice cracking.
“I’ll ask again,” the guard said. “Did you take the ring?”
“No! I didn’t touch it.”
Viviana stepped forward. “Please check the cameras. I trust my sister.”
The manager nodded and rushed off.
While they waited, Viviana wrapped her arm around Amelia. “You okay?” she whispered sweetly.
Amelia gave a shaky nod. She felt like she couldn’t breathe.
Twenty minutes later, the manager returned. “It was a mix-up. A staff member accidentally dropped the ring in the wrong bag.”
The guards apologized. The crowd dispersed. But Adrian stayed a moment longer.
“Be careful,” he said to Amelia. “Appearance matters.”
Viviana smiled. “Don’t be so serious, Adrian. We all make mistakes.”
As he walked away, Amelia sat frozen. She didn’t know what had just happened, only that she wanted to disappear.
In the car, Viviana hummed cheerfully. Then she reached over and squeezed Amelia’s hand.
“That was dramatic,” she said with a soft laugh. “City people, always so suspicious. You did well not to lose it. I’m proud of you.”
Amelia gave her a faint smile, too confused to say anything else.
Viviana turned to the window, a soft smile playing on her lips, satisfied.
A wide smirk formed on her lips as she recalled how easy it had been to humiliate Amelia. Earlier that morning, Viviana had pulled aside one of the boutique employees she recognized from past visits. She had handed him an envelope, cash, neat and folded.
“I need a small favor,” she’d said, voice low and calm. “Slip this ring into the bag of the girl with me. Quietly. Just during a handoff. Make it look like a mix-up. She pranked me the other day when we went shopping and I want to pay her back.”
He hesitated. “You want me to plant it?”
She smiled, tilting her head. “I promise, it won’t get back to you, and nobody will get hurt by the prank. We shall just embarrass her a little and then say it was placed there accidentally. What do you think, you want some easy cash?”
The man had nodded shyly and put the envelope in his pocket. Viviana had smiled as she watched him pocket the cash “Everyone has a price” she had thought to herself.
Now, as the car glided through the city streets, Viviana leaned back, her fingers lightly tracing the edge of her seat.
Everything had gone exactly as planned.
