Chapter 117: Bad Karma, Good Karma
[Young Residence]
Melissa threw herself onto the couch in the family area, clearly upset about how her day had gone.
"Melissa, darling, what’s wrong?" Jasmine, having caught her daughter stomping in, quickly emerged from the doorway. Worry plastered her face as she rushed to Melissa’s side.
Melissa hissed, unable to contain the pent-up frustration she had been holding in all day.
"What happened? All my appointments today were canceled because the designers sold everything to someone else!" she harrumphed, exasperated. "And they didn’t even tell me beforehand!"
That was the most frustrating part.
It wasn’t the cancellations themselves that were the problem—it was that she wasn’t informed. In the end, she had traveled, only to be humiliated by being denied entry or told she couldn’t buy anything.
"This is so annoying!" she hissed through gritted teeth. "Is someone mocking me? How come all of them were unavailable the day I went there?"
Jasmine listened carefully and nodded in understanding. "Melissa, dear, you should’ve just rescheduled your appointments. It’s normal for these brands to prioritize clients of higher standing."
"Isn’t that why you and I have been working hard, so we don’t have to face these hardships?" Jasmine added, her tone softer, attempting to calm her daughter. "Just think ahead—soon, they’ll be the ones messaging you nonstop to come and visit their shops."
Still, that didn’t lighten Melissa’s mood.
"I already have the Summit Partners on my back," she muttered under her breath. "And they already know I’m there because I’m getting engaged to Derek. It’s the Lancasters!"
Melissa threw herself back onto the couch, crossing her arms. "If the Lancaster name isn’t enough to get me priority, am I... making the right decision, Mom?"
"Melissa." Jasmine’s smile faded as she looked at her daughter sternly. "Dear, what are you talking about? You weren’t given priority because you haven’t even married into the Lancasters yet. Once your engagement party is over and everyone sees you, they’ll know it’s not a joke anymore."
Even so, that didn’t sound particularly comforting.
"My dearest," Jasmine said, reaching out to stroke her daughter’s hair. "Can’t you reschedule?"
"They said they don’t know when their schedules will free up," Melissa grumbled. "So... I might not be able to buy anything from them before the engagement party."
She buried her face in her palms. "This is so annoying!"
All of Melissa’s top five choices were the best of the best. The rest? Mediocre. Her father and even Derek had already set a budget for her outfit. It wasn’t that she lacked new clothes—but this was different.
Jasmine, however, thought of a way for her daughter to get a dress that would make her the prettiest on that special day.
"Mom," Melissa suddenly looked up. "How about the MC Brand? Maybe... can I shop there?"
Jasmine’s breath hitched. Who didn’t know the MC Brand? Most elites owned at least one item from them. Unlike Melissa’s other top five brands, MC Brand was a dream. The only reason it wasn’t on her list was the price and the complicated purchasing process. Only the richest of the rich could afford more than a few items.
"Well..." Jasmine cleared her throat, hesitant. They would go over budget. "I have to ask your father first. After all, he bought Loren’s properties, and he still needs to sell them. So..."
Before she could finish, Lawrence suddenly marched in, fuming. Like Melissa, his chest rose and fell heavily as he plopped onto the one-seater couch.
"Hon, what’s wrong?" Jasmine asked, noticing the deep frustration on his face.
Lawrence’s eyes glinted as he looked at Melissa, then at Jasmine. "I just came from Chairman Lancaster’s residence, and he told me to hand over the titles to Lola by the end of the week!"
"Oh?" Jasmine arched a brow, while Melissa frowned even more.
Melissa was already in a bad mood, and hearing Lola’s name was fuel on the fire.
"What’s the problem with that?" Jasmine asked, confused. "You could have already finalized the deal."
Lawrence’s face soured as he darted his eyes between his wife and daughter. "All the buyers backed out."
"What?!" the mother and daughter gasped.
"They either said there was a change of plan or they found a land that was bigger, in a prime location, and cheaper," he grumbled. "That—damn it!"
The more Lawrence thought about it, the more infuriated he became. He could find other buyers—but with the short time left, he couldn’t. Chairman Lancaster had given him an ultimatum: by the end of the week, he would witness the handover himself.
"Why is this day so horrible?" Melissa whimpered. "Dad, does that mean you can’t buy me my dress from the MC Brand?"
"Huh?" Lawrence scrunched up his nose. "What are you talking about? Melissa, didn’t you have an appointment today for that dress?"
Bitterness shone in Melissa’s eyes until tears filled them. "They won’t let me!" She buried her face, crying in frustration.
Jasmine rubbed her daughter’s back, her eyes on Lawrence. But he was too upset to care about a damn dress.
After all, Lawrence had counted on selling the land to multiple buyers to regain his losses. If he couldn’t sell it and had to hand the title over to Lola, he needed to figure out another way to make up for the losses.
"Why is this happening to me?" Melissa whimpered into her mother’s embrace. "It’s so annoying!"
****
[Penthouse]
"Tada~!" Slater beamed proudly, practically sparkling. "Sis, how do you like this?"
Lola, standing in the middle of the living area, looked around her home. "Slater, this is a residential place," she deadpanned. "I’m not letting you set up a private boutique in my home. That’s where I draw the line."
Slater frowned, running to her and standing behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her in.
"Sis, what are you talking about? I don’t need to sell clothes — I’m rich!" he giggled mischievously. "You see all of this?!"
"Yeah, and I wish I didn’t."
"All of these are for you!" he beamed. "Take anything you like — there’s everything for all seasons! Pick anything!!"
While Melissa was crying over not being able to buy any dress for her engagement party, Lola had enough — more than enough — to start a thrift store of new clothes.