Walking inside the store, Mnie nces around, eyes searching for Hannah.


    When she’s tired of searching, she decides to check if she’s attending to someone in the dressing room.


    She strides toward the section that leads to the section and she beholds a guy there, standing with ady in uniform, his hands intertwined behind his back.


    “Ehm, excuse me, please is Hannah here?” Mnie asks, if she’s going to pick anything here, then she needs the help of Hannah. Thest time that she came, she seemed to know what suited her body perfectly.


    “She no longer works here.” She hears the voice of a youngdy, not taking a glimpse of her.


    “Okay.” She says shortly, turning around to leave the section when she hears the familiar voice stopping her from walking away.


    “Why are you looking for her?” The voice asks, his voice is so calm and soft.


    Mnie turns around to have a glimpse of the person that is talking to her.


    “Andy Reid?” She gasps, seeing the face of the man she was chatting with early on instal.


    Andy smiles, seeing Mnie in front of him, standing in her goodness.


    “My brand model.” He smiles, taking a few steps closer to her.


    “What are you doing here?” They both ask in unison and they bothugh at their curiosity.


    Mnie clears her throat, “I’m here to shop.” She smiles sweetly at him, making Andy’s mouth an ‘oh’.


    He moves his curly brown hair to the back.


    “I own this store.” He says, rubbing his palm together.


    “Oh, wow.” Mnie smiles, looking around the store, feeding her eyes with the beauty and richness of the store.


    ‘He must be quite wealthy for him to own one of the best stores in NYC’


    She nods her head, agreeing with her thoughts. She has heard of AR Empire before, but she isn’t wealthy, she never thought she would ever shop in any of AR Empire, not to talk of meeting the founder in person.


    Her lips curve in a beautiful smile, bringing out the dimple at her jaw.


    “What is the purpose of shopping?” Andy asks, ncing at the section behind him.


    “For a dinner date.” she blurts out.


    A noticeable frown crept into Andy’s face. He shakes the thought that slithers his mind. His facees back to normal, and the frown is no longer there.


    “Come here with me.” He takes her hand.


    He dismisses theziness that he’s with early. He leads Mnie to the VIP section of the store.


    Mnie’s mouth flung open at the sight before her.


    “Woah!” she gushes loudly. “They’re so beautiful.” She smiles desiring the dresses.


    “Wait, let me pick out one for you.” Andy let out. He takes Mnie’s hand to take her measurement with his eyes.


    Mnie smiles at the professional look on his face.


    “Sorry, I need to check your waist size.” He says and Mnie nods, raising her hands a little.


    “Okay, you’re going to pay me extra for attending to you.” Andy jokes, circling his hands on her waist.


    Mnie chuckles, and she pinches his hand on her waist.


    “You can’t charge customers an extra fee for attending to them,” Mnie says and they both startughing.


    “You have three seconds to get your nutty hands off my woman!” The angry voice of Mr Gordon screeched, marching angrily towards them.


    Mnie seems shocked by his attitude and his sudden appearance at the section. It feels as though she just cheated on him by his reaction. She slipped her body out of Andy’s grasp on her waist and faced Mr Gordon with trembling hands.


    “He’s just helping me pick the costume.” Mnie mumbles.


    Mr Gordon walks up to them and shoves Andy out of his way.


    “Is that what you can’t ask me to do?” He res at her.


    Andy scoffs, “Is this how you’re going to treat your friend, after all these years?” Andy smirks behind him.


    “You and I were no friends… Okay?” He red at him, grabbed Mnie’s hand and started pulling her with him.


    “I’m sorry, Andy.” Mnie mouthed to Andy, before moving her gaze back to the front.


    Archie sees them scramble out of the store and he rushes after them to the parking lot.


    “We’re not shopping here ever again.” Mr Gordon hiss.


    Archie scoffs at him and then enters the car. Mnie rolls her eyes before entering the car.


    Everyone remains silent as Mr Gordon drives them back to the mansion. His eyes not leaving the side view mirror, ncing at Mnie.


    He didn’t know why he did that but he was sure it was because of Andy.


    ‘I did the right thing.’


    He thought as he drove inside the mansion, pulling the car to a halt at the parking lot.


    Mnie steps down first from the car, followed by a furious Archie. He never wants to follow them to the store, but after what seems like his father has changed a little. He agrees to go with him for the first time, and here they are, getting back home without buying anything.


    He hissed and stridden inside the house, fuming in anger.


    “Hey, Mel…”


    Mnie bows to him before striding inside the house without hearing what he has to say.


    As she got to her room, her phone started ringing from her purse. She abruptly stops on her track, sneaks her hand inside the purse and pulls out the phone from the purse.


    It’s her mother that is calling.


    “Hello, mom!” She sighs, walking up to the bed.


    “Yes, alright, I’ve heard everything.” She yawns loudly, hangs up the call and tosses the phone to one side.


    “She should stop worrying me.” She groans and hugs the bed tightly as she drifts off to sleep after another boisterous yawn from her.


    MONDAY MORNING


    The buzzing of the rm woke Mnie up from her slumber. She yawns out loud and a drop of tears falls from her left eye.


    She rolls down the duvet and snuck her feet down to the floor.


    She stands up from the bed and checks the time on her phone.


    “5 am.” She groans and arranges the bed. She strides to the bathroom afterwards to have a quick bath.


    Hourster.


    Mnie walks to the parking lot with two lunch boxes in her hands. She opens the door to the passenger seat of the White Benz and drops the boxes on the seat.


    She walks back inside and meets Archie by the door, struggling with his tie.


    Mnie stops at his front “Stay still.” Shemands him and starts fixing his tie.


    Mr Gordon that ising down the stairs sees that and he yanks his tie from his neck, wearing it back in the wrong way.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Mnie taps Archie on his shoulders, telling him that she’s done. She wanted to walk away but bump into Mr Gordon.


    “Hi, good morning.” He beams, shing her a toothy smile.


    “Morning sir!” Mnie bowed her head slightly, she wanted to walk away from the door to pave way for him.


    Mr Gordon tugs at her arm and pulls her back to his front.


    “This…” he says, pointing at the tie on his neck.”Am I wearing it wrongly? It’s itching my neck.” He groans, fighting with the tie.


    Mnie shakes her head. “Hold on, let me get you my mirror,” she mumbles and tries to walk away.


    “You can save yourself the stress and just do it for me.” Mr Gordon suggested, pulling Mnie by her waist.


    “Okay!” she furrows her brows and removes the tie from his neck.


    She loses the tie and fixes it on his neck, ring hard at him throughout. Mr Gordon on the other hand is grinding until she leaves his side, telling him that she’s done.


    “That was so fast.” He chuckles as he walks up to his son, leaning on the car.


    “Hey, good morning buddy!” He greets Archie happily before prating inside the car. Archie does the same and they drive out of thepound.


    Ka strides inside the


    police headquarters greeting herrades as she makes her way to her office.


    She has merely settled down on her seat when arade enters her office.


    He salutes her and stands in front of her desk. “Lieutenant Dean, the Chief calls for you,” she says with chest puff out and Ka dismisses him after nodding to what he said.


    “Gosh!” she groans and stands up on her feet.


    She grabs her ID and wears it around her neck, picks up her jacket and slides her arms into it, fixing herself before walking out of her office.


    Walking down the hallway that leads to their department’s chief office, she responds to the greetings of herrades as she stops in front of the chief’s office.


    She knocks twice and his husky voice ushers her in.


    “Morning, sir!” She salutes and the Man stretches out to her, gesturing for her to take a seat.


    After setting down on the swirl seat opposite the chief desk, Ka fondles her nail not knowing the reason why the chief calls for her.


    “Lieutenant Dean.” The chief calls out to her, dropping the file in his hand.


    Ka snaps her head at him, silently praying he’s not calling her because of the incident with the hooligans.


    “Sir?!” she mumbles almost as a question.


    “We’re having a new member in our team, he got transferred from the state and he was appointed to our team. I’ll put him in your care.” He artictes, peaking at her face to see if she’s okay with it.


    Ka smile in relief “It will be an honour to wee him to our department. I’ll do my best, sir!” She smiles.


    “So…” The chief cleared his throat.


    “As a cop, I’m sure you know what you must and must not do?” The chief raises his brows, letting his wordse out as a question.


    Ka nods her head, of course, she knew what to do and not to do as a cop. She’s well aware of every rule binding to the cop members.


    “Good!” He affirmed. “So, why were you seen in a casino, having a conversation with a delinquent?” He nagged and Ka’s heart drop to her mouth.


    “I don’t know…”


    “Here!” The chief cut her off, dropping a ton of pictures of her taken with Jericho, in front of her.


    She was still trying to defend herself when the man drop the picture on the table, this is a shred of concrete evidence, there was no way she can deny it.


    “Are you the one in the picture or not?” he sneered, spreading the pictures for her to see.


    “I’m sorry, sir.” Kamented, dropping her gaze to the floor. She has never done that before which makes the chief have to rethink the issue at hand.


    The door creeps open, followed by a clicking of shoes on the tiles floor.


    The chief raises his head and smiles at whoever enters the office. Ka has her back on the person which makes it impossible for her to see who the person is.


    “Oh, wee Detective Ben.” The chief great the person warmly.


    “Here is thedy we talk about. You’ll be working with her for the time being, she’s apetent cop and highly respected.” The chiefplimented Ka which makes her feel proud, hearing their department chief speak the praise of the new member made her feel big.


    It will be an insult to not look back and say ‘Hello’ to their new member, right?


    Slowly, she turn on the swirl chair and sprang up to her feet after making eye contact with the guy.


    “You, what the hell are you doing here?” They both yell at each other, making the chief’s mouth hang open in surprise.


    Mnie paced to and fro in her room, thinking of what she was going to wear to the dinner date with Alfred’s Uncle.


    She hissed and cursed her boss for not letting her pick the dress she saw at AR Empire the previous day.


    “If not that he’s my boss, and somewhat older than me, I would have knocked sense into his stupid brain.” She fretted, worrying about what she was going to wear to meet the wealthy man.


    Something that won’t make her feel like an outcast.


    She picks up her phone to check if she has enough money that can get her a worthy dress. But her bnce shows her, Hamburger, pizza, waffles and cookies.


    Not exaggerating, but that’s what her bnce can afford.


    She hissed umpteen times and flung her phone angrily on the bed, it bounce back and she quickly catch it in the air.


    She can’t afford a dress, not to talk of buying a new phone if this one breaks.


    She sits on the floor and her eyes snap to the dress Mr Gordon bought for her at the store, the other day.


    She went to pick it up, but then again, the man has seen her in that dress before. It will only make her look like she’s not worth being in the family if she should wear the dress again.


    She stands transfixed on a spot, thinking of what to do. Just then her phone makes a beep and she stares at the notification to see it is a message from Mr Gordon.


    She saved his contacts the previous night, she was tired of seeing a message from an unsaved contact all the time, so she saved his contact on her phone.


    She clicks on the notification and reads the message out loud.


    “Open the entrance gate and get your visitors into the house.” she read the message and she wonder what he meant by ‘her visitors’.


    ‘How can she be having a visitor without knowing?’


    She thought. She slides her feet into her flip-flop and walks out of her room to get ‘your visitors’ inside the house.


    She mimics his message as she makes her way to the entrance gate.


    Thanks, gracious, Archie has told her every security passcode of the house.


    She enters the passcode and the door opens, revealing five beautifuldies in uniform, with huge boxes in their hands.


    “You must be Mrs Gordon, we’re here to deliver this stuff for you.” One of thedies says, making Mnie widen her eyes in both shock and surprise.