Genius daughter of what was broken

It was 8:00 a.m. on a snowy morning in Mystic Nyxoria, the capital of Bamwoodia island. The air felt sharper than usual, cold enough to sting the skin. It seemed like the world was holding its breath beneath the pale gray sky. Crunchy footsteps, covered rooftops, falling snow flakes as the traffic slowed the cars to a crawl. People bundled up in thick coats, fast footsteps going about their day, as a speeding car knocked off the side-mirror of a parked truck. A scuffle erupted between the two drivers, angry voices cutting through the cold morning, and bystanders rushing to disengage them. The atmosphere felt chaotic, the traffic was jammed and disorganized, leaving drivers frustrated and honking at each other nonstop. Amidst the chaos and noise, by the sidewalk, there was a blonde-haired girl name Alice, walking past the traffic, turning heads as she walked into a jewelry store with poise. “Hi, Kate. I have come to pick up my jewelry,” Alice said in a friendly tone, followed by a visibly exhale into the cold air. “Hey, Alice. Give me a second, let me finish up with my system setup,” Kate intoned, winking at Alice who nodded with a smile. While waiting for Kate, Alice decided to take a stroll over to the second row of glass display cases, hoping to find something new that she might like. Scanning the cases, she picked up and set down a few pieces of eye-catching jewelry. Humming and smiling softly at the beautiful and captivating collections before eventually spotting a piece that captured her attention at the far end of the row. She walked toward it, picked it up and moved to a nearby mirror to try it on. Midway through, she heard a disturbing noise coming from the reception area. She immediately dropped the jewelry and rushed over to know what was happening, only to see a customer named Justin, shouting over a failed expensive jewelry order, refusing to accept Kate’s explanations. He had earlier placed the order twice for home delivery, but due to some technical issues and the cold weather conditions, it never arrived, forcing him to drive down to the store to make a scene. Alice, displeased with his behavior, stood by the counter, witnessing the show of nonstop yelling and screaming unfold. Kate, scared and trembling, couldn’t utter a word since she was too too intimidated by his hostile outburst. Coming into defense for her scared and subdued friend, Alice shushed Justin by placing a finger over his lips, bringing his frantic outburst to a halt. “Do you usually whine this much? You should at least hear her out before acting like a crybaby,” Alice whispered softly, her words piercing through Justin’s frustration. Kate, in her trembling position, widened her eyes in shock, her hands covering her mouth. She couldn’t believe what Alice had just done—the audacity and boldness left her both perplexed and satisfied. Justin, shocked and frozen, stood in a spot, couldn’t believe Alice’s nerve. It was the first time in his entire life that a woman had stood up to him and his intimidations. With her finger pressed to his lips, and their eyes locked together, Justin found himself fixated on her expression, everything else fading into slow-motion. The room suddenly felt smaller than usual. Heartbeats racing, exhales of breaths curling from their mouths. His jaw dropped as an ice-cold feeling gripped him. Alice’s voice echoing through his head as he instinctively lifted his hand and pushed her finger off his lips, followed by a sharp, combative shout: “How dare you shush me? Who the heck do you think you are? Kate, do you know this girl?” He turned, staring furiously at Kate, eager to get an answer. A quick nod from Kate indicted a yes as she visibly trembled. Her lips shaking, fingers twitching, unable to make eye contact with infuriated Justin, who ironically started applauding Alice’s reaction with an insincere smile scratched across his cheeks. “Wow! Wow! Wow! Bravo, that was ballsy,” Justin snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he glared at Alice, eyes burning with anger. Alice, calm and unfazed, flashed a quick smile in admiration of what she had just done. She Let out a deep exhale before moving a step closer to him. “At least now you’re going to hear the receptionist out,” she said, gesturing toward Kate to give her explanation to Justin. Kate, still shocked and trembling from what had just happened, made a conscious effort to collect herself and spoke softly, yet audible enough to be heard: “I’m sorry, sir. It was a technical glitch in our system, but it has been fixed. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Your order will be processed tomorrow, and you should get your package the day after.” Justin, still stunned, accepted her explanation with a faint nod. Embarrassed and lost for words, he took a step back, before eventually finding his voice. He looked at Alice with hostility lurking behind his eyes, pointed a finger at her, and said boldly: “This isn’t over, you will regret this, I promise.” Alice, unfazed by his threats, watched him with an unbothered expression as he turned and exited the store, a look of defeat lingering in his eyes. Still beaming with satisfaction, she kept her gaze fixed on him through the glass door until he got to his car and zoomed off. An exhale of relief slipped out of Alice’s mouth as she turned to her friend, Kate, who was already staring at her with folded arms, shaking her head, a look of concern sitting behind her eyes. “What?” Alice exclaimed, spreading her arms in curiosity, eager to hear her response. “Girl, I’m worried about you. That man is one of our regular customers, and he buys pretty expensive jewelry. We don’t exactly know who he actually is. I appreciate that you were looking out for me, but I don’t want you to get into any kind of trouble because of me,” Kate lamented in a trembling voice, tears threatening to spill. “Hey, hey—don’t you cry on me now. I’ve got everything under control, I promise. I couldn’t watch you get intimidated by someone. I can handle myself,” Alice assured, hoping to stabilize Kate’s spiraling emotions. A quick nod from Kate indicated relief as she walked out from behind the counter to give Alice a hug. Sniffing nonstop, patting Alice on the back before gently pulling away. “I gotta run now, I’m running late for work. I will come back for my jewelry tomorrow,” Alice said, giving Kate a gentle shake by the shoulders. They both smiled and nodded at each other in silent understanding before she exited the store. She quickly flagged down a taxi, slipped in as it drove off—little did she know that Justin was watching.