Afraid she might fall, Bet instinctively reached out to steady her, a helpless smile on his face. "You''re about to be a mother, and you''re still so concerned with looking beautiful."


    “A woman never outgrows her vanity, even when she''s a grandmother," Yvonne retorted with augh.


    Bet reached out and affectionately ruffled her hair, then told the sales associate to wrap up everything she had just tried on.


    Since Yvonne had chosen quite a few items, it took some time for the staff to package them all.


    Bet and Yvonne sat in the waiting area.


    Knowing Yvonne was pregnant, the staff thoughtfully prepared fresh-squeezed juice for her. While sipping her juice, Yvonne casually flipped through a magazine on the table.


    It was a promotional catalog for the store, featuring the season''s new and ssic handbags. For every bag that Yvonne nced at for more than a second, Bet instructed the sales associate to pack it up.


    This particr boutique required a certain purchase history to even buy their bags, but of course, that was no issue for Mr. Bet Thompson.


    As Bet told the associate to wrap up the fourth bag, Yvonne couldn''t help but stop him.


    She was pregnant and barely left the house; she would have no asion to use them. They would just end up collecting dust in her closet.


    After the sales staff had packed up all the clothes and bags, Bet handed over his car keys.


    The car was parked in the mall''s underground garage, and they could just load everything directly into it. Bet and Yvonne still wanted to browse the baby section on the lower floor.


    Just as they were about to leave the store, they came face to face with Mrs. Walker and her daughter, Ynda.


    It waste summer, and the mother-daughter duo were clearly there to shop for the new season''s clothes as well.


    It was an unexpected coincidence. When Ynda saw Bet, she instinctively shrank behind her mother.


    She''d applied her makeup with precision, but even the best concealer couldn''t mask the exhaustion etched into her face or the slight bloating of her frame.


    Due to her illness, Ynda hadn''t been out in days and her temper had grown increasingly vtile. Her mother had practically dragged her out of the house today, and she never expected to run into Bet and Yvonne.


    Yvonne looked ethereal in her flowing white maxi dress, the loose fabric clever enough to keep her pregnancy a secret from the casual observer. Her face was fair and makeup-free and her striking deep-set eyes were as captivating as ever.


    She clung to Bet''s arm, the picture of delicate charm, a sight that was a dagger to Ynda''s eyes.


    "Mrs. Walker, Ms. Walker," Bet greeted them politely, his voice perfectly calm and steady.


    "Bet, what a coincidence. Are you two here shopping for clothes too?" Mrs. Walker said with a cheerful smile.


    "We''re picking out some maternity clothes for my wife," Bet replied casually.


    Shopping for maternity wear in a luxury boutique was quite the extravagance, but the Thompson family certainly had the means for it.


    "The seasons are changing, so we came to pick out some new things as well," Mrs. Walker added.


    “Please, take your time. We''ll be going now," Bet said, then led Yvonne toward the elevators.


    Ynda instinctively nced back at their departing figures, her gaze growing more and more sinister.


    "Ynda, what are you looking at?"


    By the time Mrs. Walker followed her daughter''s gaze, Bet and


    Yvonne were already gone, the


    elevator doors having closed behind


    them.


    "Nothing," Ynda said, pulling her gaze back with a cold expression.


    Mrs. Walker didn''t press the matter, instead asking a sales associate to bring out all of this season''s new arrivals.


    Ynda showed little interest, so Mrs. Walker picked out a few outfits for her and had an associate lead her to the fitting room.


    As regr customers, the associate habitually brought out clothes in Ynda''s usual size.