Chapter 266
Summer’s POV
Brandon and I both spotted Lonnie at the same time, and my eyes immediately traveled to the delicate arm linked through his. A beautiful woman stood beside him, her elegant posture and designer butfit screaming old money.
Lonnie’s gaze shifted to my hand and the ring I was still wearing. His eyes widened in understanding, Speaking of which, you two had such a low–key wedding that you haven’t even had a reception yet! Just picking out rings today?”
Lonnie examined the simple band on my finger, clearly noting it wash t made of particularly expensive materials–just a simple, elegant design. “Brandon, are you short on cash these days? Couldn’t you buy something a bit nicer for Summer? Lonnie’s pointed glance toward the sales associate spoke volumes,
The salesperson’s face immediately drained of color. The other staff members who had been watching from a distance exchanged
nervous glances.
They might not have recognized Brandon, but Lonnie’s deferential attitude made it clear that Brandon’s status was significant.
Lonnie’s expression darkened dramatically. “Call your manager out here. Now,” he demanded, turning to address the entire sales
team.
“M–manager?” one of the salespeople stammered. “Who are you? Our manager isn’t here…”
“Not here? Fine.” Lonnie’s voice dropped to a dangerous register. “Tell him that all of you, including him, need to be gone from this place by tomorrow morning.”
The woman beside Lonnie touched his arm gently. “What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly so angry?”
“What do you think?” Lonnie replied tersely. “These people have no idea who they’re dealing with.”
He turned back to the terrified staff. “Do you have any idea who this is? This is Brandon Stark, CEO of Stark Group. And you’ve just insulted his wife by treating her like she can’t afford your mediocre jewelry.”
Just then, a man in a well–tailored suit rushed over, wiping sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. “Mr. Caldwell! I didn’t expect to see you today. Is there a problem?”
“Is there a problem?” Lonnie repeated incredulously. “Do you train your staff to turn deaf ear to customers? Is that how you do
business?”
“I don’t understand-” the manager began.
“Your sales associate here,” Lonnie pointed at the woman who had been helping us, “decided that Summer wasn’t worth her time because she chose a simpler ring instead of the flashy, overpriced ones.”
“This is unacceptable! I assure you, this will be addressed immediately,” the manager sputtered, turning to us with a desperate smile. “Mr. Stark, Mrs. Stark, please accept my deepest apologies. I would be honored to offer you our finest pieces at a special discount-
“That won’t be necessary,” Brandon cut him off coldly..
Lonnie turned to us, his anger shifting to a charming smile. “Brandon, Summer, at least let me make this right. Consider it my wedding gift to you both–any ring in this store, on me.”
I exchanged a glance with Brandon, touched by Lonnie’s gesture but also uncomfortable with the scene unfolding before us.
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Chapter 266.
“Actually, I think this simple ing is perfect,” I said, feeling protective of both Brandon and my choice. “Marriage is about the two of us, not about how expensive our jewelry is. What matters is the sentiment behind it. I examined the ring on my finger before shaking my head slightly. “Besles, we’ve been married a while without rings, so it’s not like we desperately need them. It’s getting late–maybe we should head home.”
I examined the ring on my finger before shaking my head slightly. “esides, we’ve been married a while without rings, so it’s not like we desperately need them. It’s getting late–maybe we should head home.”
Brandon’s lips curved into a slight smile at my words. “Alright,” he agreed, before turning back to Lonnie. “Thank you for the offer. but we’ll pass.”
Brandon placed the ring back in its display case, then took my hand ready to leave. Lonnie quickly stopped us.
“Why the rush to leave?” he asked. “It’s rare to run into each other like this. Why don’t we go grab some tea together?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Brandon glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late. We’ll catch up another time.”
“Well, if you insist,” Lonnie conceded, noting Brandon’s less–than–enthusiastic mood. “But you absolutely must invite us to your wedding reception when you have one.”
“Of course,” Brandon nodded curtly before guiding me out of the store.
As we walked away, I couldn’t help smiling a little. “Should we have accepted his offer?” I asked, half–joking. “That diamond solitaire in the front case was pretty spectacular.”
Brandon and I emerged from the mall, with me still chuckling. “Are we being too hard on Lonnie? We deliberately avoided Stark Group’s malls to keep a low profile, and then we run into him anyway.”
Brandon’s expression remained neutral, though his brow furrowed slightly. “Did you really like that ring?”
I shook my head. “I wanted it at first, but then I thought about it. It’s not like we absolutely need rings. We’ve been married all this time without them! Besides, if I start wearing a ring, people will ask questions about the wedding, which seems like more trouble than it’s worth.”
“But we are married,” Brandon said, his fingers lightly brushing against mine. “Not wearing rings seems… wrong somehow. You’re my wife.”
“I know that,” I laughed. “Come on, we can buy rings another time, right? It’s not urgent.” I tugged at his hand playfully. “Let’s get out of here–it’s freezing!”
I pulled Brandon along as we half–jogged through the parking lot, our breath forming clouds in the cold night air. By the time we reached the car, the city lights were twinkling all around us, and we realized just how late it had gotten.
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