Chapter 164 - 162: Secretly Photographed?
Cecilia Sterling really hadn’t gotten enough sleep. She didn’t know what was wrong with her lately, but no matter what time she went to bed, she would always wake up at six in the morning.
So she made sure to squeeze in a nap every day. Otherwise, she’d feel groggy and listless for the rest of the day.
She napped again, this time until almost noon. Having forgotten to silence her phone, Cecilia Sterling was jolted awake by a stream of WhatsApp notifications.
Groggy, she picked up her phone and glanced at the screen. A sales associate from LV had sent her a slew of photos from the new fall collection. "Miss Sterling, our new fall collection has arrived. Please take a look and see if there’s anything you like. I can reserve any items for you in advance."
"Or, if you have time today, you can come to the store to pick them out in person. I’ll be here all day."
Cecilia Sterling held her phone, letting her head clear. Instead of replying right away, she tapped on the images from the sales associate and started to browse.
A few of the new items were quite nice. They were her style and would suit her well.
After a moment, she peeked around the dorm room and saw she was the only one there. She typed a message into her dorm’s group chat: "Where did you guys go? I’m thinking of going to SKP for a bit. Want to come?"
Estelle Goodman quickly replied, "Sweetie, you’re awake? Blair and I are shopping over at Clearwell. Why don’t we meet you at SKP?"
Cecilia Sterling saw the message and replied with an "OK" hand emoji. She then sent a quick message to the sales associate to let him know she’d be at the store shortly. Only then did she finally get out of bed to get ready.
After taking a cab to SKP, Cecilia Sterling saw that Estelle Goodman and Blair hadn’t arrived yet, so she headed straight to the LV store on her own.
"Miss Sterling, you’re here."
The sales associate had been waiting for her. As soon as he spotted Cecilia Sterling, he came over to greet her.
Cecilia Sterling nodded with a smile. "I hope I’m not interrupting your lunch break?"
The sales associate laughed. "We work in shifts, so there’s no set lunch break. Right this way, Miss Sterling."
The store was quite busy, likely because the new fall collection had just arrived and the associates had already contacted their top clients to reserve items. Nearly every employee was busy with a customer; no one was idle.
"The shipment came in early yesterday morning. We worked overtime until three a.m. unboxing and organizing the inventory, so we have every style, model, and size fully stocked. I messaged you right away because I wanted you to have first pick. As you know, our individual allocations are quite limited."
Many new seasonal items from luxury brands are limited editions, and the number of pieces allocated to individual sales associates is extremely small. Typically, only a store’s top-performing salespeople can secure these limited-edition items for their clients.
Even for items that aren’t limited edition, popular colors and models are produced in small quantities. The number each associate receives is even smaller, so they prioritize offering them to their top clients to maintain their loyalty.
So, the sales associate wasn’t just flattering her; he was telling the truth.
Cecilia Sterling nodded with a smile. The associate had thought of her, and she had no intention of letting his effort go unrewarded. "I looked at the pictures you sent," she said generously. "There are quite a few pieces I like."
Hearing this, the sales associate beamed. "They look even better in person, Miss Sterling. Please, have a seat in the lounge area. It’s a bit busy today, and there’s a wait for the VIP rooms. Shall we just stay out here?"
Cecilia Sterling nodded. "That’s fine. Here is perfect."
"Excellent. I’ll go bring all the items over for you to look through."
Walk-in customers usually browsed the store on their own, accompanied by an associate.
The clients selecting items in the lounge area were all major customers. Although Cecilia Sterling had only shopped at LV a handful of times, her shopping style had left a deep impression on the sales staff. She bought luxury goods as if they were everyday necessities, without batting an eye.
If she liked something, she never asked for the price.
In no time, the sales associate had made several trips back and forth, covering the table in front of Cecilia Sterling with merchandise.
The new products included bags, clothes, silk scarves, accessories, and more.
"Here you are, Miss Sterling. This is most of it. If you’d like to see a different color or style, just let me know, and I’ll go get it for you," the sales associate said, kneeling on one knee beside the sofa to assist her.
"Let’s start with the limited-edition pieces," Cecilia Sterling said.
"Of course. This Crescent Bag is the brand’s limited-edition piece for the fall. The Crescent White colorway, in particular, is a massive hit. It was released in Occidenta a week before Cathay and sold out within three days. There are only fifty-six of them in all of Cathay, twelve in Lorcain, and this is the only one I have."
The more detailed his explanation, the rarer the bag seemed, and the more pleased the client would be.
Cecilia Sterling, however, wasn’t particularly impressed. Even though it was a limited edition, she wasn’t a big fan of the bag’s crescent shape.
’The Crescent White color is gorgeous, though,’ she admitted to herself.
But even though she wasn’t thrilled with it, the associate had specifically reserved it for her, and it was a rare, limited-edition piece. She was definitely going to buy it.
’Taste is fickle, anyway,’ she figured. ’I might grow to like it later. Better to just buy it now.’
"Thank you. Please wrap it up," Cecilia Sterling said with a gracious nod, still not asking the price.
Next, the sales associate picked up a ready-to-wear jacket and a form-fitting denim miniskirt. "Miss Sterling, these two pieces are also limited edition—a collaboration with the famous designer Steven Chelsea. They’re in your size. The skirt only comes in this color, and while the jacket is also available in white, I recall that you prefer black."
’He’s so thoughtful,’ Cecilia thought. ’No wonder he’s one of their top salespeople.’
Cecilia appreciated this kind of attentive service. It made shopping so much more effortless when the associate remembered all of her preferences.
"Let me show you to a fitting room so you can try them on."
Cecilia readily agreed, getting up to follow the associate to the fitting rooms. She didn’t notice that in the lounge area behind her, a man was secretly filming her with his phone.
And just behind that man, Jane Sterling was speaking with another sales associate.
"I’m so sorry, miss, but that particular bag is completely sold out."
The young saleswoman said to Jane Sterling, her expression full of apology.
Jane Sterling listened and replied calmly, "Didn’t it just launch in Cathay today? Could you try to source one for me from another city? I don’t mind waiting. You can look up my membership info—I’m a top-tier member. I’ve always done my shopping in Occidenta before this."
The saleswoman maintained her apologetic smile. "I’m truly sorry, but the total inventory for this bag in Cathay was very limited to begin with, so they’re all gone now. Would you perhaps like to see some of our other new arrivals?"
Jane Sterling deflated with a sigh of resignation. She didn’t think the associate was lying; as a top-tier member, she knew exactly how coveted limited-edition items were.
If she hadn’t been on a plane the day of the Occidenta launch, causing her to miss the message from her sales associate there, she would have bought it immediately.
"It’s alright. If it’s gone, it’s gone."
Jane Sterling didn’t give the saleswoman a hard time. Disappointed, she turned to leave, but her eyes fell on a man sitting on a nearby sofa, holding up his phone. He was recording a video.
And the person on his screen was none other than Cecilia Sterling, who had just changed into the form-fitting miniskirt and was checking her reflection in the mirror!