Ellery pulled the yellow tape measure away. She picked up her clipboard and quickly scribbled down the numbers.
Crystal walked out of the VIP room and marched straight to the front reception desk. She tapped her long acrylic nails against the marble counter.
"Ring me up," Crystal demanded.
Ellery walked behind the counter. She typed the custom order details into the computer. The total price flashed on the screen. She turned the monitor so Crystal could see it.
Crystal scoffed. She reached into her limited-edition Birkin bag and pulled out a heavy, matte black card.
It was an American Express Centurion Black Card.
Ellery's eyes locked onto the card. She recognized the specific wear on the metal edges. It was Holland's secondary card. The blood drained from her face.
"He gave this to me last night," Crystal bragged loudly. "As an apology."
The two sales assistants standing nearby gasped softly. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Ellery did not reach for the card. Instead, she reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out her cell phone.
She unlocked the screen and dialed Holland's private number.
The phone rang three times. Holland picked up.
"What?" his deep, irritated voice came through the line.
Ellery did not press the speakerphone button. She turned the volume on her phone all the way up and stepped around the marble counter, holding the device right next to Crystal's ear.
"Mr. Sutton," Ellery said. Her voice was incredibly soft, yet dripping with pure venom. "You are certainly generous to your mistresses."
There was a split second of silence on the other end. Then, the sound of a heavy leather chair scraping across a wooden floor echoed through the earpiece.
"Ms. Crystal is standing at my register," Ellery continued smoothly. "She is attempting to use your Black Card to pay a fifty-thousand-dollar bill for custom lingerie."
Crystal's face went pale. She lunged forward, trying to grab the phone out of Ellery's hand.
Ellery easily swatted her hand away, keeping the phone locked in place.
Holland was silent for two full seconds. The silence was heavy and terrifying.
When he finally spoke, his voice was like absolute zero, cutting through the quiet studio just loud enough for Crystal and the nearby assistants to hear. "Any secondary card in my name is under my wife's jurisdiction. You should be apologizing to her, not bothering me."
His words hit Crystal like a physical blow.
Crystal's face flushed a deep, ugly purple. Her entire body began to shake with humiliation.
"Cancel the secondary card ending in 4092," Holland barked, clearly speaking to an assistant in his office. "Immediately."
The call disconnected. The dial tone buzzed loudly in the room. It sounded like a slap to the face.
Ellery picked up the heavy black card from the counter. She swiped it through the POS machine.
The machine let out a loud, angry beep. The screen flashed bright red: DECLINED.
Ellery pinched the card between her index and middle finger. She tossed it back at Crystal. It hit Crystal's chest and clattered onto the floor.
"My studio does not accept clients with bankrupt credit," Ellery said, offering a flawless, empty smile.
A few of the staff members let out low, muffled laughs.
Crystal's eyes filled with tears of rage. She let out a high-pitched scream, grabbed her Birkin bag, and spun around. She didn't even look at the card on the floor.
She ran toward the exit. In her panic, her ankle twisted in her high heels. She stumbled, slamming her shoulder into the heavy glass door before pushing it open and disappearing onto the sidewalk.
Ellery watched her run away. She bent down, picked up the useless black card, and dropped it into the trash can under the desk. She let out a long, shaky breath.
