Chapter 3No Makeup, No Problem

I almost laughed. "Are you insane? Or do you just not understand English? I keep telling you I'm in a hurry! If you can't take my payment, why didn't you say so from the beginning?"

Angela looked wounded. "Well, you didn't ask…"

Ha. This was absurd. I was the crazy one for even engaging with her this long.

Angela continued her robotic soothing. "The manager will be back shortly. If you could please just wait a little longer. Would you like a cup of chamomile tea to calm your nerves? We also have lemon water, rosehip…"

I glanced at my phone. "How long is 'shortly'?"

"Hmm… if you could please wait for about forty minutes," she said with a bright smile.

I turned and walked away.

Angela scrambled out from behind the counter and grabbed my arm. "Wait! Ma'am, you can't leave! You haven't paid!"

"I don't want the blouse anymore. Get off me."

"No, the tag has been cut! You have to buy it!"

I scoffed, pulled my arm free, and strode toward the door.

"Don't you move! If you leave now, that's theft! I can call the police!"

"Go ahead," I said with a sneer, grabbing the handle and pushing.

Huh? It wouldn't budge. The glass door rattled in its frame but remained firmly shut.

Angela was no longer in a hurry. She strolled leisurely up behind me. "I'm so sorry, ma'am. The tag on the blouse has been removed. You cannot leave the premises until payment has been made."

Something inside me snapped.

My God! It wasn't that I didn't want to pay! It was this psycho who wouldn't let me!

"I must have been cursed to walk down this street and into this store…" I muttered, running a hand through my hair in frustration.

Just as I was about to unleash a tirade, a flicker of movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. Angela had darted a quick glance toward the upper right corner of the room.

A faint red light glowed from a security camera.

I paused. When I met Angela's dark eyes again, a chill shot up my spine.

She was deliberately trying to provoke me.

Perhaps disappointed that I hadn't exploded yet, she took two steps closer, her voice dripping with provocation. "You don't seem to be in that much of a rush. Surely forty minutes won't make a difference. Please, just be patient. The moment our manager returns, I promise you'll be the first person she helps."

My voice was a little hoarse. "So, if I pay, you'll open the door and let me leave?"

"Of course."

I put my phone away and dug through my purse, pulling out a wad of cash from a birthday card. "Fine. The blouse is a hundred dollars, right? Here. Cash. You must be able to take cash. Now open the door and let me out!"

But Angela just smiled and pushed the money back. "I'm afraid not, ma'am. I truly, truly do not have authorization to process any payments. Please don't make this difficult for me."

Enraged, I threw the money at her. "What is wrong with you? I've given you the money! Why won't you let me go? What do you want?"

Just as I suspected. The more agitated I became, the more triumphant she looked.

She raised an eyebrow, her smile unwavering. "I'm so sorry, ma'am. Even with cash, you'll have to wait for the manager. For now, you cannot leave."

I clenched my jaw. "So you don't have authorization to take my money, but you do have authorization to illegally detain me?"

"Why have you locked the door? Why are you forcing me to wait for your manager? Are you doing this on purpose? Or… are you a human trafficker?"

"What?" Angela's fake smile froze on her face.

I feigned a sudden realization, dramatically knocking over a clothing rack. "That's it! It all makes sense now! You're traffickers, and this is your den! That's why you were stalling, making excuses, trying to keep me here! You're waiting for your accomplices to come and kidnap me! You monsters, where are you planning to sell me? How many other victims are there? I'm calling the police! I have to get out of here!"

Angela stared at me, her face a mask of disbelief. "What are you talking about? Are you delusional? No, what are you doing?! Put down the fire extinguisher! Ma'am, stop—"