Chapter 5 - Bypassing the Elite
"Mr. Whitworth! What an incredibly unexpected honor," Eleanor purred, practically gliding across the marble floor, her voice dripping with sycophantic sweetness. But the corporate titan did not even blink in her direction. His radar had already swept the room and locked onto the one thing that mattered: the small, trembling figure in the grey sweater standing near the emerald dress. The tension in the boutique stretched taut like a piano wire. Ignoring the outstretched hand of his highest-ranking manager, Arthur Whitworth strode deliberately past Eleanor. He crossed the invisible, rigid boundary that separated the elite clientele from the supposed street urchin, leaving the manager standing utterly foolish and ignored in his wake.
