"Hello Mrs. Mendes ", Ava said as she stood in front of her.

"Who are you?" Mrs. Mendes was confused.

​​

She noticed that people in the shop stopped what they were doing and were starting to gather around and was watching what she was doing.

"Don't you have work to do? Why are you staring at me?" Mrs. Mendes bellowed.

Everyone felt there was something wrong with her, she was acting like a barbarian and like someone who was illiterate.

Did she not know that this shop was one of the most famous shops around, people who shopped here were from the upper class. Her actions cheapen the store.

"I am Ava Wesley. I'm Alaric's friend ", Ava introduced herself.

Mrs. Mendes heard about the Wesleys, Mr. Wesley was a very competent businessman and her husband knew him.

She vaguely remembered that there was a small girl that used to tag along with her son when they were little.

It has been a few years and she has forgotten what Ava looked like.

"I remember you. How are you?" Mrs. Mendes asked.

She wasn't really interested in knowing anything about her when she learned that she was Alaric's friend, but since she was Mr. Wesley's daughter, so she'll give her a try.

She needed to associate herself with people who had very high status after all.

Ava did not know this, she thought Mrs. Mendes would be kind like Alaric, but she vaguely remembered that Mrs. Mendes hardly talked to her, she would only utter one or two sentences at the most.

Then again, she was a child so she seldom mingled with the adults at parties.

One thing was for sure Mrs. Mendes dressed very elegantly even though her clothes paled in comparison with what the other rich ladies wore.

Ava could not believe that Mrs. Mendes has changed a lot and it seems that she was declining.

She noticed that from up close she had more wrinkles than average and she was hiding it with too much makeup.

She looked ten to fifteen years older than her real age.

"I am fine, thank you! What seems to be the issue?" Ava asked.

"Nothing really, I was just trying to buy these shoes ," Mrs. Mendes said, raising her eyebrow.

"Ma'am, would you mind giving me back the shoes?" the manager's patience was wearing off.

"Hey listen ….," Mrs. Mendes held the shoes tightly with both her hands.

"Maybe we can just give them back the shoes," Ava said, hoping Mrs. Mendes would listen to her.

"Ava, I forgot my cards but I really love these shoes, I don't know what to do," Mrs. Mendes said pitifully. Ava felt bad for her and really believed that maybe she did forget her card.

"How about I pay for the shoes?" Ava volunteered, seeing that they had no other option.

She was purchasing the shoes in honor of Alaric's friendship. They've been friends for so long and he'd always been good to her.

Since Alarics' mother was in trouble she wouldn't mind helping her.

What Ava did not know was that Mrs. Mendes was a very cunning woman, she was always taking advantage of other people.

"Really, you would do that?" Mrs. Mendes asked surprisingly because Jimmy Choos were very expensive.

"Yes, Mrs. Mendes," Ava told the manager to charge the shoes under her name. The manager knew who Ava was and agreed to her request immediately.

"I hope it's not too much trouble for you," Mrs. Mendes said schemingly.

"Never," Ava said, giving her a small smile.

"Ma'am, hand me the shoes so we can pack it up for you," the shopkeeper said.

"No need to, I'll wear it now." Mrs. Mendes snapped at the shopkeeper like they were going to snatch her shoes.

The shopkeeper sighed. Looking at Mrs. Mendes made him remember the saying that sitting a monkey on the throne will never make it act like a King, it will always act like a monkey.

Just like Mrs. Mendes, no matter how expensive her clothing may be, she will never be sophisticated enough. Her true color will always come out.

"Oh don't worry, I will pay you back later," Mrs. Mendes shrugged.

"No, don't worry, you don't have to pay for anything ", Ava said. She thought they were just shoes. Others may see it as expensive, but it was nothing for Ava.

"Thank you so much," Mrs. Mendes said. It made her happy because that's what she was waiting for.

She didn't really intend to pay Ava back, it was just for formality.

In reality she really had no money, all her cards have been taken by her husband.

In the Mendes' group her brother-in-law was the president and he managed all their finances.

Her husband was the vice president, but in name only, he didn't have any authority or power in the company.

He used to handle all the company affairs, but too many investment failures led them to a huge misfortune.

Her brother-in-law wanted to remove her husband from the company, but her father-in-law could not see his younger son suffer so he made a deal.

The deal was that her husband would be the vice president for him to save face, but her brother-in-law will handle both positions.

Coming from a rich background, her sister-in-law always flaunted her wealth, which made Mrs. Mendes very jealous.

She on the other hand was from a rural area so she never learned how to act or how to choose the proper attire for high society.

The women of the upper class always mocked her behind her back.

It made her feel awkward trying so hard to fit in and to look stylish all the time.

And no matter how much effort she gave, it was never enough.

She thought buying expensive accessories and clothing would eventually transform her like everyone else.

Her husband learned about her spending sprees so he took back all her credit cards.

She pleaded again and again but he turned his back on her. She was heartbroken.

She was window shopping when the Jimmy Choos caught her eye.

It was calling out to her and she was going to get it at whatever cost.

She thought she could pay half now and convince her husband to pay for the rest later.

Who thought she would have good luck meeting Alaric's friend.

She didn't really think she'd pay for the shoes. She smirked just thinking how good her shoes looked on her.

"Ava, you should come visit me one of these days. I know Alaric is still abroad but there is no need for us to be strangers," Mrs. Mendes invited.

She thought it would be good if she kept in touch with Ava.

She could definitely enjoy a few more benefits from knowing her.

"Mrs. Mendes but…..," Ava was confused. Mrs. Mendes was telling her that Alaric was abroad but he came back a month ago.

Is she really not aware of his return or is she lying? What is her reason for lying?

Alaric told his parents he was busy attending a competition.

Did he not tell his parents? It seemed like his mother had no idea about him coming back.

Is he lying to her? She did not know who to believe anymore.

"Ava, you should call me Aunty, no need for any formalities between us," Mrs. Mendes said brazenly.

Ava was about to respond, but her mother came to see what she was up to. "Ava, did you finish selecting your shoes", Mrs. Wesley said.

"Yes mom ", Ava nodded.

Mrs. Mendes stared at Mrs. Wesley in awe.

Mrs. Wesley looked more beautiful and classy than her sister in law.

She looked so much younger, her skin was so well maintained and was dressed in the most current designer outfit, she was jealous.

She wanted to look younger, she tried all the products they said would give you that youthful glow.

But instead of making her look younger she looked older.

She didn't understand why, when she bought the most expensive items in the market, but the issue was that she was not using the correct products for her skin type.

"Hello, Mrs. Wesley ," Mrs. Mendes greeted.

Mrs. Wesley sent Ava a questioning look, wondering who she was.

"Mom, she is Alaric's mother," Ava introduced.

Mrs. Wesley gave her a small nod.

She thought Alaric was so well behaved, how come he had a mother like her? She saw the greed in Mrs. Mendes' eyes when she was checking her out.

"Would you like to have coffee together?" Mrs. Mendes asked.

Mrs. Wesley went to a lot of parties with her husband where she met all types of people and she knew her kind.

She was one of those kind that wanted to be her friend so they could show her off to others and they try to get closer and please her just because of her husband's status.

"I'm sorry but we have to go now. We can't have coffee with you." Mrs. Wesley said sternly.

Ava said goodbye to Mrs. Mendes and they left the shop.

"Ava, Alaric may be your friend but I did not get good vibes from his mother. Stay away from her," Mrs. Wesley warned her.

"Okay mom," Ava agreed. She trusted her mom's judgement and knew that after their meeting today, Alaric's mom did not exude a friendly vibe.

PLEASE READ AUTHORS NOTE-