“I’ve been saving something I think you’ll love.”
She turned briefly toward Diana.
“Excuse me.”
Then walked away.
No request to wait.
No mat.
No explanation.
Diana remained beside a $350,000 necklace and an unlocked display.
For a manager who had apparently been worried about her buying power, Patricia had just left her beside one of the store’s most expensive unsecured pieces.
That contradiction interested Diana.
If Patricia truly believed Diana was a theft risk, leaving her beside the open case made no operational sense.
Which suggested the issue was not genuine security assessment.
It was status.
Diana watched.
Patricia seated the Blackstones.
Champagne appeared.
A velvet tray came out.
Then another.
A sapphire bracelet worth more than the Aurora necklace.
No questions about financial capacity.
No proof of funds.
No occupation.
No occasion beyond an anniversary.
At one point, Patricia glanced toward Diana and said to the Blackstones:
“Sorry about the delay. We get all kinds wandering in here.”
Evelyn Blackstone’s smile faded slightly.
Richard looked toward Diana.
Diana did not move.
The sentence hurt.
More than she wanted it to.
Twenty-three years.
Forty-seven stores.
Hundreds of employees.
Millions in revenue.
Awards.
Magazine covers.
Boardrooms where people now returned her calls within minutes.
And still, with no visible title attached to her, one woman had reduced her to “all kinds wandering in.”
That was exactly why Luminous existed.
Ashley noticed.
The twenty-three-year-old associate glanced between Patricia and Diana several times.
Finally, she approached.
“Ma’am?”
Diana turned.
“Would you like water while you wait?”
“That would be lovely.”
“And if you want, I can show you the design book for the Aurora series.”
Diana smiled.
“I would.”
Ashley reached toward the drawer.
“Ashley.”
Patricia’s voice cut across the store.
Ashley stopped.
“Could you please reorganize the back inventory?”
Ashley looked confused.
“I finished—”
“Now.”
The young woman glanced at Diana.
Then Patricia.
Diana said softly:
“It’s all right.”
Ashley hesitated.
“I’ll bring you water first.”
Patricia’s expression tightened.
Ashley brought the water anyway.
Then went into the back.
Diana remembered that.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Diana watched Patricia serve the Blackstones as though they were the only customers in Beverly Hills.
Kevin Torres emerged from the office carrying sales reports.
He nodded politely toward Diana.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
He seemed ready to ask whether she needed help.
Patricia called his name.
He turned.
She gestured toward the paperwork.
Kevin went back to the counter.
Another five minutes.
Diana finished her water.
Then approached Patricia.
“Excuse me.”
Patricia turned slowly.
“Yes?”
“I’m still interested in the Aurora necklace.”
Something close to irritation appeared openly now.
“Of course.”
But she did not move.
Diana waited.
Patricia lowered her voice.
“Those pieces require a very serious financial commitment.”
“I understand.”