C9 9

As Chloe Bishop followed the girl inside, the layout of the shop remained exactly as she remembered it. A cool, faint scent of plum blossoms lingered in the air, which was very soothing. The dresses were hung neatly, each in their designated area. It was clear the girl had taken excellent care of the place.

"Miss, would you like to sit for a moment, or should we handle the handover first?" the girl asked after leading Chloe inside.

Chloe shook her head. "No need for a formal handover. Just tell me how much inventory is left and if there are any outstanding customer orders."

The girl nodded and began explaining the current state of Kay. The inventory consisted only of the display samples currently in the shop. As for orders, Chloe didn't need to worry. Once a customer ordered a dress, the Bishop Group’s garment department handled the tailoring and delivery. Even for incomplete orders, the Bishop Group would continue to fulfill them.

Chloe was satisfied with this. She planned to close the shop temporarily anyway, so having no lingering order complications meant she could simply lock the doors and post a notice outside.

"Thank you. Has the Bishop Group settled your final wages?" Chloe asked.

The girl smiled. "I’ll head to the head office to settle everything after I hand the keys to you. Here they are. Headquarters mentioned that everything in the shop now belongs to you."

"I see. Thank you," Chloe replied with a slight nod.

The girl didn't linger. She grabbed her purse, picked up her box of personal belongings, and left.

Once she was gone, Chloe began inspecting the shop alone. She examined every single dress in detail, and the further she went, the deeper her frown became. By the time she had seen them all, only one word came to mind: Trash.

Her anger flared instantly. Who had designed these? The patterns were monotonous, the color combinations were hideous, and the embroidery was at a kindergarten level. Even five years ago, a random sketch by Chloe would have completely outshone anything in this room.

Fuming, she didn't want to look at these sub-par products for another second. She looked around but couldn't find any boxes, so she marched upstairs to find some empties. She planned to pack this garbage up and throw it away. Clothes this ugly didn't deserve the Kay label; even selling them at a discount felt like an insult to her mother’s memory.

________________________________________

A luxury private car rolled to a stop at the entrance of the old street. Two elegantly dressed women stepped out. Thanks to careful maintenance, their actual ages were hard to tell, though they looked about four or five years apart.

"Sister-in-law, what made you think of coming here today?" the slightly younger woman, Bella Stark, asked. She held the other woman’s arm; it was clear the two sisters-in-law had a very close relationship.

Sara Khan gave an elegant smile. "Just a stroll. I remember there being a boutique for traditional dresses on this street."

"Looking at dresses again? Well, you do look beautiful in them. I can never quite pull off that kind of grace. Which shop is it? What’s the name?" Bella Stark asked, looking around.

"I think it was called Kay," Sara Khan said, trying to recall.

"Kay? That’s a lovely name." Bella’s eyes lit up just as she spoke. "Look, over there! Isn't that it?"

Sara Khan followed her gaze and indeed saw the boutique. The two women walked toward it.

When they entered, the shop was empty. Assuming the sales clerk had stepped out, they began browsing on their own.

Bella Stark didn't know much about traditional fashion; to her, all these dresses looked more or less the same. She was mainly there to keep Sara Khan company and offer a second opinion.

"See anything you like? When the clerk gets back, you should try one on," Bella said after Sara had done a full circuit of the room.

Sara Khan’s face showed a hint of disappointment, and she shook her head.

"Not a single one?" Bella, not being an expert, added, "I think they look decent. That lake-blue one with the gold floral embroidery seems like it would suit your style perfectly."