Judgment in Glass

Chapter 3 - Something Wicked this Way Comes

A new store opened in the middle of town. It was an out of nowhere decision for the owners, it seemed. Nobody had made announcements beforehand. One day, a group of moving vans just parked in front of what seemed like an abandoned building right in the busiest street of Desiderium.

Seemingly overnight, the paint was done, and the glass sparkled. The store’s name was called Curious and Curiouser. It was not too far away from Fortuna’s Luxury Goods. So, of course, Serafina surveyed the new arrival with hands on both hips. She would not want the establishment she worked for to have a competitor. No way, Jose. She was so close to getting her month’s quota, and it was just the 10th.

There was something about the store, something oddly familiar though she could swear she had never seen it before. Rafina was drawn to its combination of luxurious sheen and dark mystery. Fortuna’s was more of the flashy kind, red and gold, with bands of royal blue. Curious and Curiouser was precisely what it seemed to advertise – a rabbit hole. It looked like you could get lost in it. It was a black building with gold and silver accents.

It was huge, at least by Desiderium standards. It was four stories high and seemed to take half of the block in its width. Okay, it would probably be as huge as New York malls, which she vaguely remembered from childhood trips. But their town was not the sort you would expect to see these kinds of places. She vowed to go inside before going home, but she wanted to pass by and see what hours the store kept.

At the shiny black, translucent door, Rafina read the hours: Anytime you need us. She shook her head in disbelief. There weren’t a lot of 24-hour stores in Desiderium unless you counted the gas stations and the convenience stores.

The young woman checked her watch and realized that she would be late if she did not run. It was only a block away, but somehow the new store had caught her off-guard – making her move slowly when she often rushed. She was always the first one to arrive at the store, but it was now 7:55 am. She was usually in at around 7:30 am.

Breathlessly, she pushed Fortuna’s door. She managed to get in on time, but Leona was now giving her a concerned look.

“Good morning, Rafi. What happened?”

“I am not late? Am I, Leo?”

“No, you’re not. But this is not your usual time? So, something must be up.”

“Not really. I was just struck by that new store just a block away.”

“A block away? What store?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me? Don’t tell me you have not seen it yet.”

“Hmm. Well, I did hear some people talking about a new store that had just opened. Just people I passed by along my way here, but I had not checked it out myself.”

“You should. I was just checking if it was something to worry about. It reeks of luxury,” Rafina said as she settled behind her counter. “And you know that we only have the same set of clients all the time here in Desiderium.”

“True. But Mr. Fortuna has started a website. He said that we would be shipping outside of town, too.”

“He needs some unique stuff to make that happen. Do we get a commission through the site?”

“Not that I know of unless he is going to set up agents to chat with potential clients online. But, don’t worry. Knowing Mr. Fortuna, he is going to squeeze us until our last drop. He will probably tell us to entertain clients while also checking inquiries online.”

Rafina rolled her eyes at the ceiling, shaking her head at the same time. However, she admitted that Mr. Fortuna at least gave her a job for the past two years – and that was something. He was tight with money, but he was also fair. She could not blame him for how he managed his business. The store did have to rely heavily on the same group of elite citizens. With a population of 50,000, possibly only 3% of which could afford Fortuna’s, they had to be extra careful. She had to commend the owner’s decision to go online.

“He needs something to make Fortuna’s stand out online if that is the way he wants to do it. There is a prospective competitor not too far away. We cannot let him go bankrupt.”

“Are you sure about the store being a competitor? I heard that it is a sort of antique shop.”

“Antique shop? In Desiderium?”

“Well, apparently so,” Leona shrugged her shoulders.

“I was just ten years old when I last went inside an antique shop,” Rafina murmured, not realizing she was saying it aloud.

When the clients started coming in, Leona and Rafina fell into their usual routine. Leona would showcase the leather goods and even give samples of cosmetics. Meanwhile, Rafina sold jewelry and special goods, such as jeweled and even plain, branded pens. Most of the time, she sold inexpensive trinkets, such as silver bracelets and necklaces. Young lovers would buy each other such cute little keepsakes. At least, some items were getting sold; she would comfort herself.

Suddenly, the door swung hard. A tall, muscular man entered, and Rafina knew him like the back of her hand. Even though the last time she saw him was more than a decade ago, he had made an impression then. She had wondered as a child how the then-teenager would be so intimidating but still be gentle. Even though he ran with the wrong crowd, he had seemed harmless.

But blood was blood. What Dragomir’s family did to hers, she could never forget. To her horror, Leona was batting her lashes at him. Sure, he did have a certain charm, but wasn’t her friend seeing just how scary Dragomir Kulic could be?

Despite herself, Rafina noticed the tall man’s slightly longish black hair and piercing blue eyes and admitted that he was attractive. She was furious at herself for even thinking so. This man was bad news.

Dragomir nodded at Leona and even smiled at her. The little traitor was already blushing furiously and combing her curls with her fingers. Then, he turned to Rafina.

“Good day, Miss Todd. I am looking for a nice gold chain,” he drawled.

Rafina poised herself into salesperson mode, although she saw Leona mock-fanning herself across the room.

“Is it for you, sir? Or for someone else?”

“Oh, it’s for a young lady,” he said.

The sales clerk somehow confirmed a suspicion in her head. She thought that it figured Mr. Kulic had a woman somewhere. Rafina figured she should just take advantage of the situation. She took out some of the most expensive chains they had.

“Here is a nice 18 karat band with rubies and diamonds. But if you want a plain one, this 18-k gold chain is pretty classy,” she said, all business.

“I will take them both,” he said. “It goes to your commission, right?”

Rafina almost laughed in disbelief, but she prided herself in her self-control. Across the store, Leona had apparently been eavesdropping. Dragomir also had a naturally commanding voice. Her eyes were wide, and she was skipping from one leg to the other as if to cheer Rafina on.

“Yes, it does. Well, the ruby and diamond necklace is $5500. The plain one is at $2000,” Rafina tried not to let her voice tremble. She would be past her two-months quota if Dragomir purchased both.

“I will take both,” he said matter-of-factly, taking his wallet from the back of his jeans. Who would think that he could afford these necklaces when he wore a leather jacket and jeans torn at the knees? Who could be the lucky woman?

“Cash or card?”

“Card,” he said. Again, there was that indifferent voice, but Rafina felt something vibrating under the surface. He probably knew that she thought he was a criminal type, despite the stint at the army, and that he would not pay in cash.

Quietly, she swiped the black card on the machine. It went through. The sale had gone through! Rafina felt her palms sweating. Perhaps she should reward herself with something.

She thought of Curious and Curiouser. She would be a willing Alice that evening after she closed shop. When she looked up at Dragomir, she could swear that his smile was kind – just the way she remembered it. But still, he was the enemy. His cousin had been the cause of her father’s death – and nothing, not even a huge sale like this, could change that.

“Thanks for doing business with us, sir. Here are your gift bags. I separated them, but I could put them together in one bag,” Rafina said.

“That’s fine,” he said.

Then, he went off outside, gift bags in hand. He was even whistling a tune. Leona waited a little while. Then, she ran to her friend and started jumping up and down.

“Wow! I am so happy for you. I think that hunk likes you, Rafi!”

“He bought jewelry for a special woman, Leo. Think about that. Those are expensive.”

“Probably for his mom,” Leona was hopeful.

“His mother is dead,” Rafina answered. Suddenly, she felt melancholy for some reason even though she should be celebrating the huge sale.