It's been five days since Selena's transmigration. As usual, she avoided interacting with the main characters at school. She still had to adjust to her new environment. It was already Saturday morning. Selena couldn't sleep a wink yesterday night as she received a notification from the system.
[*Reminder to be at the location of the 1st scene.
Location: Sakura Mall
Time: noon]
Selena tried to remember what happened during that time in the novel. It was a small scene where Grace encounters the villainess at the mall and is humiliated by her. Making sure that Grace would be at the mall tomorrow, she texted Yuki who already became friends with Grace within a few days.
Friday night
Selena: Is Grace going somewhere this weekend?
Yuki: Yes, she's going to Sakura Mall on Saturday. She said she had to buy a gift for her mom's birthday.
After transmigrating and seeing Grace's familiar face, Selena wondered what her parents would look like. Did they have the same face as her mom and dad in her past life?
It was Sunday morning. The bright sun lighted up her bedroom through the big glass windows. Selena shuffled through her big walking closet and found a simple white dress. Her other clothes were either too extravagant, hideous or too mature for her age. Someday, she'll need to go shopping for some new clothes. Selena left her penthouse at 10:30 am to arrive earlier at the mall. Wandering in the mall, she finally found the jewelry store where Grace would try to buy a necklace for her mom. It just so happens that it was one of the businesses of Selena's family. The villainess would often visit this jewelry store to pick whatever item she liked.
A worker in her mid-thirties greeted her as she entered the store, "Miss Selena, what a surprise! It's a pleasure to see you again! How may I help you today?"
"If there's a pretty girl with pink hair around my age who enters the store, tell her that we are doing a special event. Tell her that she can have something for free. Put the price on my account later. I'll give you a signal for when you should intervene. She's sort of my friend."
The worker looked confused but gladly agreed to cooperate.
At noon, Grace entered the store. She wore a light pink dress which matched perfectly with her soft hair. Her green eyes were gleaming with excitement. She couldn't wait to choose a gift for her mom. She strolled around the store hesitantly. It seems that she entered a very expensive store. The necklaces were all beautiful. She could always come back when she grew older. For now, she will just admire their beauty. Suddenly, at the corner of her eyes. she saw Selena. Intimidated, she instinctively took a few steps back.
Selena smiled happily inside. Her sister was so pretty today! However, to not act out of character (OOC), she kept a poker face.
"Look who it is. Isn't it the girl who's seducing my fiance?" Selena mocked.
"I-I'm sorry," Grace stutters. She wanted to run out of the store.
"What are you even doing here? It's not like you can afford anything." Behind her back, Selena signalled the worker to make her move.
"Actually, it's your lucky day today miss. We are celebrating our 100th anniversary and you are the 100th customer to enter our store today. We will gift you an item from the store for free!"
"For-for real?" Grace was too stunned to speak. Overjoyed, she thanked the worker again and again. Seems like she would be able to give her mom an amazing gift this year.
"Of course! You are today's special customer. Is there anything you are looking for in particular?"
"I'm looking for a pretty necklace for my mom."
"Yes, of course! We have many designs to choose from. This way please."
The kind worker showed Grace to the necklace section and winked at Selena. She then explained the different types of necklaces patiently to Grace. Satisfied with the worker's attitude, Selena decided to ask her dad to give this employee a bonus for the month.
Seeing the prices again Grace asked, "Is it ok for me to have this? It's really expensive."
"Of course! Don't worry, it was our boss's decision."
After an hour, Grace settled on a silver necklace with a simple design of a four-leaf clover, hoping to bring good luck to her mom. Seeing her choice, Selena was even surer that the female lead was her sister. Her dear sister also liked simple things.
"Tch. Some people are just lucky." Selena left the store pretending to be angry but a small smirk drew on her face. She was happy for Grace. Paying for the necklace was her way of thanking Grace's parents for taking care of her. She remembered that in the novel, Grace's parents showered her with love even if they weren't financially stable.
Selena left the jewelry store humming. Her joyful face turned dark when she spotted Lucian a few meters away from the store. The novel doesn't mention that Lucian appeared in this scene. Did the author omit his presence or was he not supposed to be here? Was she worrying for nothing or was the course of the story already changing? Is it a coincidence or was he already on the move to possess Grace? From where he was standing, he definitely saw Grace inside that store.
Suddenly, her phone rang, distracting her away from the male lead. It was the villainess' mom.
"Hi, mom!"
"Sweetie, why didn't you call me these days? Are you busy with schoolwork?"
"Sorry Mom, I was a bit busy with other things."
"Where are you right now? Are you outside again?" she asked after hearing the background noises.
"I'm at Sakura Mall, right now."
"Perfect, I'll send you a chauffeur. You are coming home."
Selena grimaced, she wasn't ready to meet the villainess' parents yet.
"Why? Do I have to come?"
"Of course, you have to! We are having guests today. The Sinklairs are coming to discuss your arranged marriage with Lucian."
"What!" Selena blurted out. She almost forgot that she was Lucian's fiance. She quickly corrected herself and acted excited to hear about the news, "Really! Is Lucian coming too?"
"Yes."
Selena died inside. She didn't expect to officially meet Lucian so soon. In the novel, there wasn't a scene like that. She realized that besides the main scenes, she didn't know much about what would happen besides what was written in the novel. Selena stared at Lucian who was still standing at the same place. How is she going to escape from this arranged marriage without raising the male lead's suspicions?