Chapter 540: Flattery Gone Wrong
The room went silent instantly.
Selina narrowed her eyes. "Miss Nelson, what did you just say?"
At that moment, the sales associate had just finished packing up all the clothes Grandma Perry had chosen. From the outside, no one could tell what kind of women’s clothing was inside.
Which meant Riley had no idea that every single piece was actually picked out for Selina.
In other words, Grandma Perry had been shopping for Selina from start to finish.
Riley felt like she had finally turned the tables—she was being more thoughtful than Selina, more attentive to the elder, more filial.
Thinking this, she turned and pressed impatiently, "Swipe the card already, what’s the holdup?"
Selina’s tone was slow, deliberate. "Miss Nelson, are you sure about this?"
Riley was quite pleased with Selina’s expression. Her mood lifted considerably.
Logan valued his grandmother above all else—if Riley bought clothes for the old lady, even he wouldn’t see it as meddling. He might even thank her.
Even if Selina had intended to pay, once the final bill was settled, the one who had actually paid was Riley. The method might have been a little underhanded, but the money would still be real.
"Selina, I only noticed you’d already put your card away, and I thought it would be inconvenient for you to take it out again. Since I’m right here, and it’s not a big amount, I might as well honor Grandma Perry myself."
Then she twisted the knife: "It’s really just me helping out. After all, our families are so close. It’s nothing to fuss over. Besides, Selina, the money you spend is Logan’s anyway. We’re all family here, no need to split hairs."
Riley’s eyes glinted with triumph. "You don’t mind, do you, Selina?"
...
The room hung silent for three beats. Then Selina curved her lips into a cool smile. "Why would I mind?"
"You’re right—after all, I spend Logan’s money, while Miss Nelson is spending her own. In that case, thank you so much for covering it."
The way she phrased it made several bystanders frown.
Selina was the head of SL Group—how could all her money be Logan’s?
And Riley... what about her? Did she have a proper career? Had she inherited Nelson Group? She was still living off her family’s wealth, yet she dared to sneer at Selina?
Just then, the cashier beamed. "That’ll be 1.26 million."
Riley’s smile widened with satisfaction. "Mm, put it on my card."
The cashier took her card, swiped it, then handed it back.
Riley shot Selina a "helpless" smile—her eyes full of false innocence, but also smug pride and triumph.
She told the sales associate, "Deliver them straight to the Perry estate."
Then she glanced at the shopping bag in Selina’s hand. "Selina, are you really planning to carry yours home? High-end boutiques always offer home delivery. You didn’t know that?"
The remark was meant to imply: Selina had never shopped at high-end boutiques before—she didn’t even know the basics.
But Selina only looked mildly surprised. "The clothes I bought for Logan, I want to hand to him myself. Miss Nelson, do you need to meddle in even that?"
She shrugged. "Miss Nelson, you seem to have an awful lot of opinions about how other people’s marriages should work. But speaking of which..."
Selina tilted her head, genuinely curious. "Why exactly are those clothes being sent to the Perry estate?"
Riley gave Grandma Perry a helpless glance, as if to say: See? Look how clueless Selina is.
Then she turned back with a patient smile. "Because those are Grandma Perry’s purchases, of course. Sending them to the Perry estate saves her the trouble of carrying them back. That way she can just enjoy herself and we can keep shopping."
"Oh..." Selina nodded slowly.
Then she blinked innocently. "That all makes sense. But why the Perry estate of all places?"
Riley was practically laughing in disbelief.
Was Selina deliberately trying to make things difficult for her? She had explained everything so clearly, yet Selina kept asking the same questions over and over.
Riley frowned. "Selina, I know you don’t like me, but this is such an obvious matter. Do you really have to keep repeating yourself? Others will just think you’re being unreasonable."
But Selina only shook her head.
"I’m not being unreasonable. I’m genuinely curious—why do you want the clothes delivered to the Perry estate?"
Riley let out a cold laugh, convinced she stood on moral high ground.
"Because these are the clothes I bought for Grandma Perry. Our families are very close, so of course I have the right to ask the sales associate to send them to the Perry estate—that’s the first reason.
"And second, these were carefully chosen by Grandma Perry, things she likes. I only paid for them because they were for her. Since they belong to her, naturally they should be sent to the Perry estate. What’s wrong with that?"
Grandma Perry suddenly understood what Riley had misunderstood.
Selina tilted her head. "Mm, true enough. If these were Grandma Perry’s clothes, then yes, they should definitely be sent to the Perry estate. But..."
Riley was eager to press the advantage, ready to demand what that "but" was supposed to mean.
Then she heard Selina say—
"But they’re not Grandma Perry’s clothes, are they? So why send them to the Perry estate?"
Not Grandma Perry’s clothes...
Without thinking, Riley scoffed. "What nonsense are you talking about? She picked them out herself—"
"But who ever said that just because Grandma Perry picked the clothes, they must be for herself? Couldn’t she have picked them out for someone else?"
Something inside Riley suddenly felt off.
A bad premonition rose in her chest.
No. No, this wasn’t right... What exactly was Selina implying?
"Oh? Miss Nelson doesn’t know who these clothes were bought for?"
Selina batted her eyes innocently. "And yet Miss Nelson didn’t even know, but rushed to pay for them. Isn’t this what people call..."
She didn’t finish the sentence, but everyone present understood.
—Not even knowing who the clothes were for, yet rushing to pay anyway. Wasn’t that the very definition of a fool with too much money?
Selina tilted her head again. "Grandma, why don’t you tell Miss Nelson who these clothes were really for?"
Riley’s hands trembled slightly, her throat tightening, pupils shrinking to pinpoints—
Grandma Perry gave a small nod.
"Riley, these were actually clothes I picked out for Selina. She’s my granddaughter-in-law, and I’ve always enjoyed buying her little gifts. Today I saw a few pieces that would suit her, so I chose them. I truly didn’t expect..."
Grandma Perry feigned a gentle apology. "Riley, I didn’t expect you’d insist on paying."
Selina nodded. "Maybe Miss Nelson didn’t realize they were for me. That must be why you paid. Miss Nelson, should I reimburse you? A million is still quite a lot of money."
...
Just moments ago, Riley had said a million was "nothing" and that she was happy to pay for Grandma Perry.
But now, knowing the clothes were actually for Selina, would she still want the money back?
All those grand, self-righteous words about "our families being close," about being "all one family," about how spending a million didn’t matter...
And yet now...?