Chapter 165 - 163: Definitely a Habitual Offender
As a woman herself, she had a natural sensitivity to this kind of thing.
But Jane Sterling was also afraid of a misunderstanding, so she observed him for a moment from behind. If the man panned his camera around, he might just be filming the LV store’s interior.
But if he only filmed that one woman, his intentions would be crystal clear.
So, she quietly watched his phone screen and confirmed that the man was, in fact, filming the woman.
Still, Jane Sterling didn’t immediately rush forward to stop him.
’What if they’re together?’
So she feigned ignorance and casually walked over to Cecilia Sterling’s side.
At that moment, the sales associate was asking Cecilia Sterling if the top was comfortable and if she needed a different size.
Cecilia Sterling was quite pleased with how it looked. She was startled when someone suddenly crowded into the reflection beside her.
Thinking the other woman wanted to use the mirror, Cecilia Sterling instinctively shuffled to the side. But unexpectedly, the woman leaned in and whispered, "Miss, there’s a man behind you filming you. I was standing behind him and saw it clearly. Is he with you?"
Cecilia Sterling didn’t even have to turn around; she could see the man in the mirror’s reflection.
He had a weaselly face and a lecherous smirk playing on his lips.
Cecilia Sterling’s expression darkened slightly. "No, I don’t know him."
"Do you want to call the police, then? He has a video of you on his phone."
It wasn’t an explicit video, but the thought of a creep like that having a video of her on his phone was disgusting enough.
The next second, Cecilia Sterling spun around, her eyes locking directly onto the man.
The man was clearly startled. A flicker of panic crossed his face before he quickly closed the camera app and opened another, pretending to be playing on his phone.
Cecilia Sterling took a deep breath, glanced at the sales associate beside her, and suddenly asked, "Are you straight, or... one of the girls?"
"Pfft..." At her side, Jane Sterling couldn’t help but snort with laughter.
The sales associate was taken aback for a second but quickly recovered. "I’m straight, Miss Sterling."
Cecilia Sterling nodded. ’As long as he’s straight.’ The pervert looked to be just over 1.7 meters tall, while her sales associate was 1.8 meters. That was reassuring.
"Come with me," Cecilia Sterling said to the associate, striding toward the man.
The man saw her approaching in his peripheral vision and knew he’d been caught. He moved fast, quickly opening his camera app to delete the video. The instant he closed it, Cecilia Sterling was standing before him.
"Hand over your phone!"
Cecilia Sterling held out her hand, her expression grim.
The man feigned confusion, pointing a finger at himself. "Are you talking to me?"
Cecilia Sterling continued to stare him down, her voice firm as she repeated, "Get your phone out!"
Her voice was louder this time, drawing glances from several others in the store.
The man seemed intimidated by Cecilia Sterling’s presence. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, but the thought that he’d deleted the video gave him a surge of confidence. He put on an indignant expression. "Miss, why would you want my phone? I don’t even know you!"
"You were just filming me. If you don’t hand it over, I’m calling the police!"
The sales associate beside her finally understood what was happening. ’Miss Sterling is The Cash Cow. If I don’t do something now, what will she think of me?’
’But in this day and age, calling the police would inevitably create negative publicity for the store.’
The sales associate’s mind raced. The next moment, he spoke up. "Miss Sterling, please stay calm. I’ll contact the mall’s security department right now."
Hearing this, the man instantly flared up. "The security department? Are you really going to treat me like a criminal? I’m a customer here too, you know! She says I was filming her? Where’s the proof?"
"Right here!" Jane Sterling stepped forward without hesitation, her voice loud and clear. "I was standing right behind you. I saw everything. You were filming this lady!"
She quickly added, to clarify her position, "I don’t know this lady, but I’m willing to be her witness. You were definitely filming her!"
Cecilia Sterling shot Jane Sterling a grateful look.
Just then, the man’s female companion walked over. She eyed the two women standing in front of her boyfriend suspiciously and asked, "What’s wrong, honey?"
Seeing his girlfriend, the man felt a pang of guilt but still put on a brave face. "These two are being crazy. They’re insisting I was filming her."
He then theatrically pulled out his phone, opened his photo album, and showed it to his girlfriend. "See? Is there anything? Huh?"
Seeing that there was no such video in the album, the girlfriend’s temper flared. She glared at Cecilia Sterling and shouted, "Who’s filming you? Do you think you’re some kind of princess that people film you everywhere you go? Are you a celebrity or something? Why would anyone want to film you?"
Cecilia Sterling and Jane Sterling exchanged a look, both of them confused.
Cecilia Sterling trusted what Jane Sterling had said.
But Jane Sterling was puzzled. ’She didn’t see the video?’
"I really did see him film you," Jane Sterling assured Cecilia Sterling.
Cecilia Sterling nodded. "I believe you."
She then turned to the other woman and said calmly, "Ma’am, please don’t get upset. We can easily find out if I’m mistaken. Since it’s not in his album, just let me take a look. If I’m wrong about him, I’ll apologize and offer compensation."
Cecilia Sterling’s tone toward the woman was still reasonable. ’After all, being stuck with a man like that... this poor woman has definitely been duped.’
Hearing this, the man refused to hand it over. "What right do you have to go through my phone? That’s an invasion of privacy, don’t you get it?"
Cecilia Sterling nodded and, without another word, pulled out her own phone. "You’re right, I don’t have the right. So I’ll call the police and let them check."
At the mention of calling the police, the man visibly panicked.
"Fine, fine, alright! You don’t need to call the police over something so minor. If you want to look, then look," the man said, reluctantly handing his phone to Cecilia Sterling.
He was banking on the slim chance that Cecilia Sterling was as clueless as his girlfriend and wouldn’t find anything.
Cecilia Sterling scoffed, took the phone, and opened the photos app. Instead of looking through the main album, she went straight to the "Recently Deleted" folder. The covertly filmed video of her was sitting right there.
Jane Sterling leaned in to look as well, and her eyes widened at the sight.
Cecilia Sterling flipped the phone around to show the man the screen. She and Jane Sterling both shot him a look of utter contempt.
The man panicked and lunged for the phone. The sales associate reacted instantly, moving to block him and shield Cecilia Sterling. "Sir," the associate warned, "the evidence is conclusive. We will be calling the police now!"
"A misunderstanding, it’s a misunderstanding!" the man said frantically. "I was just filming randomly, I didn’t mean to film her specifically."
His girlfriend finally processed what was happening and slapped him hard across the face. "You creep! I can’t believe you’re this kind of person!"
With that, she turned and stormed away in a fury.
Seeing this, Jane Sterling leaned toward Cecilia Sterling and whispered, "I bet he has other videos in his hidden album. A guy like this is definitely a repeat offender!"