Chapter 117
Chapter 117:
He stopped in front of a glass display case. Inside sat a limited-edition Kelly bag, crafted from matte alligator skin in a deep, rich emerald green.
It was elegant. Understated. Lethal.
It matched the fire in her eyes. It was Aurora.
“That one,” Elias commanded, pointing a long finger at the glass.
A manager, sensing the gravity of the situation, materialized out of thin air. “Excellent choice, Mr. Thorne. That is a one-of-a-kind piece. Shall I wrap it p>
“Yes,” Elias said.
Jenny, not willing to give up, had followed him. She hovered nervously. “Mr. Thorne, about the lipstick… did you decide p>
Elias looked at her, then back at the dizzying array of hundreds of tubes on the far counter. He didn’t know which ones she would wear. He didn’t know if she preferred matte or satin. The variable was unknown.
In business, when a variable is unknown, you acquire the entire dataset.
“Xavier,” Elias said.
“Sir p>
Elias swept his hand toward the entire cosmetic counter. “I cannot determine the optimal shade without extensive testing. I’ll take them all p>
The store went silent. Shoppers stopped mid-stride.
Jenny’s mouth fell open. “All… all of them? Like… one of each p>
“No,” Elias corrected, checking his watch. “The entire inventory. Every shade. Every finish. Box it up p>
He turned back to the manager. “And have the bag delivered to my car. Immediately p>
He started to walk away, leaving a stunned silence in his wake.
𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲: g․𝗮𝗅𝗇․𝗈ν․𝖊．𝗅𝘀．ⅽ𝗈．𝗆
Jenny, her brain short-circuiting between humiliation and the realization that her commission check would be enough to buy a car, ran after him. She reached out, her hand hovering near his arm again.
“Mr. Thorne! You have such… generous taste. The lady is very lucky p>
Elias stopped. He didn’t turn around.
“It is not generosity,” he said to the air. “It is efficiency p>
He walked out the automatic doors, Xavier scrambling behind him to handle the payment.
Outside, the city noise rushed back in. Elias took a deep breath of the exhaust-filled air, scrubbing the scent of the department store from his lungs. He felt a strange vibration in his chest. He had just spent half a million dollars on colored wax and a leather bag.
It was the most illogical investment he had ever made.
And he couldn’t wait to give it to her.
The backroom of the department store was in chaos.
“He bought the whole stock?” a junior associate squeaked, dropping a box of lip liners. “Who does that p>
Jenny was frantically packing tubes into velvet-lined boxes. Her hands were shaking, but her mind was racing. He bought them all. He’s obsessive. Obsessive men are generous.
She pulled out her phone and typed a message to her group chat: Elias Thorne just cleared my counter. He totally made eye contact. I think he’s into me.