THE RED SUITS YOU!

Gerald's eyes tried to look for that woman with nut-brown hair and hazel eyes, but she was nowhere to be seen. And then he realised that for the first time in his lifetime, his eyes were searching for a woman instead of money.

What the hell was wrong with him?

He ran his hand through his golden-brown hair to get his focus back. Enough time he had wasted, and now was time to do the work.

Gerald chuckled dryly, remembering how a couple of coins were enough to satisfy him in the beginning. And now, over the years, his greed had grown so much that he had his all pockets overloaded with money and jewels yet, he wanted more of them.

On the other hand, Bertha and Theodora were trying almost every ride in the fair and were visiting every shop, small or big, with eager eyes and bubbling joy.

"Oh, Bertha! The Ferris wheel was just sooo fun!! I cannot tell you how the ball in my stomach rolled with every round of it. That was so thrilling! I have never experienced anything like that before. Not even horse riding is comparable to it!" Theodora gushed in exhilaration, bouncing up and down like a small girl.

Bertha laughed at her gleefulness. "I am glad you liked it, Theodora! There are many more to try. So hurry up."

The women saw a dress shop and decided to visit it. The pretty colours and intricate designs attracted every passerby's attention.

"Wow! Theodora, look. How many varieties are available here!" Bertha exclaimed in awe.

But Theodora did not share her enthusiasm. She touched one of the dress's fabrics, and the corners of her lips stretched down in dissatisfaction.

"Bertha, you know I do not wear such cheap clothes. They are not up to the mark that I usually prefer. They are just... boring and cheap both in price and in quality!"

Noticing the faded excitement on Bertha's face, Theodora quickly added. "But if you want you can buy some of them. I mean you must be used to wearing such dresses rather than the expensive ones that I use."

Bertha gauged her friend's face for a long minute. She did not find the mockery or arrogance on it except the natural one that was an inborn character of hers.

She was just clueless and naturally insensitive in her words towards the others.

Bertha sighed. It was not her fault, really. A person's habits and personality is built by their parents. And when they fail to instigate the very trait of compassion and kindness, the result was bound to be like this.

Not minding her friend's words, Bertha selected some dresses for herself.

"I think this is enough or I will be left with no money for the rest of the day." Bertha pouted, eyeing more dresses she had liked so much but could not buy due to being short of money.

Theodora rolled her eyes at her. Removing the small pouch she was carrying with her tying on her waist, she put it in Bertha's hand.

"Here is enough money for you to buy as many dresses as you want and still we can spend the rest of the day the way we want!" She winked at Bertha with a smile.

Bertha obviously tried to refuse the money but Theodora was adamant about her decision. She was not disrespecting Bertha, she genuinely wanted to help her friend to give her as much happiness as she could.

After ten minutes of back and forth, Bertha accepted her defeat.

"Alright! But can I buy you something... something small that you can use and yet nobody will easily notice it. Please??"

Theodora could not see herself using any of the things there, but she could not say no to her friend, who had done so much for her all her life.

Theodora did not show how grateful she was for having a friend like Bertha. She failed to tell her how much she cared for her. But these were the small gestures through which she tried to make Bertha realise that she cared... she really did.

"Alright! Buy anything you want and I will use it. Promise!" Theodora smiled brightly at her friend.

Fifteen minutes later, Theodora realised how she had committed a big mistake by letting the other woman have her way.

When Bertha had only her money to spend, she was not taking much longer to think about what she wanted to buy for herself. But now that she had to spend Theodora's money, she was cautious of things she wanted to buy.

Her bargaining had no end, and she was not ready to give up easily. The shopkeeper was tired of arguing with her, yet he was also as stubborn as her.

But Theodora did not care about that. She suggested Bertha give him the price he was asking for as it was nothing in her ledger. But for Bertha, it was wrong!

Theodora was getting bored listening to their arguments. She had yet to discover more than half of the fair, and Bertha was just wasting her precious time.

Tapping her foot impatiently on the ground, Theodora blew out air through her mouth. She was tired and wanted to do some fun.

Glancing around the fair, she saw people trying different games and rides. Some were celebrating their petty victories, while some were cursing at the loss.

Nonetheless, every person was having the best time of their life and here was Theodora waiting for her friend to shove the money in that shopkeeper's mouth and leave.

Her sweeping eyes paused for a split second, only to retrace their previous way. Something shone under the daylight that caught her attention.

Squinting her eyes, she tried to get a better look at the thing. And as soon as her eyes noticed the beauty, her mind determined to claim that beautiful bracelet studded with the white and red stones.

Theodora's face and mood both lifted up at its sight. Although she knew it was a cheap piece of jewellery, she could not miss having it just because of its quality.

She had fallen in love with its beauty, and she would not let any other woman have it. It was hers because her eyes had felled on it first.

"Bertha-"

"Wait, Theodora! Let me teach this mister how to deal with women. How can you....'

There was no way Bertha letting the man off the hook so easily. But who needed her babysitting? Theodora was a grown-up woman in her early twenties and was completely capable of taking care of herself.

Besides the shop was only a few feet away. What could go wrong?

Suddenly Zerith's face popped up in Theodora's head. He was glaring at her for not listening to his instructions.

She shook her head with flared nostrils. Nobody could order her around!

Determined than before, she let Bertha have her time and silently slipped out of the dress shop. Theodora hurried to the shop where the beautiful bracelet was calling her. She managed to make her way through the crowd and finally reached her destination.

That bracelet was only hers.

*

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*

After finishing the juice and losing the sight of that hazel-eyed woman, Gerald focused all his attention on finding the next target amongst the crowd. There were many healthy fishes, now he only had to pick the easy one.

Gerald was roaming in the crowd, his green eyes cautiously analysing his potential targets. But then his eyes caught the sight of a guard who was watching the crowd like a hawk.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Gerald cursed under his breath while acting as a genuine buyer of the hats in the nearby stall.

The guard, tall and burly, had his eyes narrowed in search of the theif who had stolen enough jewellery and money yesterday that dozens of complaints came to Zerith.

Before they reached Lord Ralph, Zerith made sure to handle the situation on his own. He had ordered a group of guards to be on alert and stay inside the compounds of the fair.

He had ordered them to catch anyone who they suspect.

Gerald had to be careful... very careful with his actions or it would not be long before he landed himself behind the bars. And that was the last thing he wanted for himself.

While he was weighing his options, Gerald's eyes caught a woman in her mid-forties accompanied by another woman shopping for some decorative items for her home.

But what caught Gerald's attention was a pouch of money she had tied to her waist.

But the guard was still there watching the crowd carefully. But Gerald could not let go of this chance of getting a grand prize. No risk... no gain!

Confident enough, he casually walked to that woman.

"How much is this?" Gerald picked up a random statue and pretended to observe it keenly.

His ears did not pay attention to what the seller said, but they were trained on what those women were talking about. From their conversation, he figured out that the lady he was eyeing was a wife of a trader, who had a famous shop of furniture on the island.

It was no wonder that she must have loads of money and must have carried a big amount to spend at the fair. And that was what Gerald wanted.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw the guard glancing in his way a few times.

Damn it! He cursed in his head.

"Which one should I choose? The blue one or the white one?" The woman asked the other one, who Gerald assumed was her friend.

She was confused about buying the cup set.

Gerald cleared his throat and plastered his brilliant smile on his face.

"Excuse me madame, may I give you a suggestion?"

The woman was taken aback by the sudden voice coming from a stranger but when she saw him, her face softened. He smiled brightly and saw her cheeks turning pink slowly.

Gerald was always a confident man. And his striking features like big green eyes, heart-shaped face with high cheekbones and tall frame only boosted his confidence even more, especially with women.

Although he always maintained a distance from all the women except Isabella who was his best friend and Sylvia who was... well he did not know what tag he should put on their relationship.

But he did not mind using his natural blessings for his gains at such times.

"Hello, Mister. Please, I am eager to hear." The woman giggled, eyeing him from head to toe.

Gerald felt disgusted by the way her eyes sent hints to him. But acting naive, he brushed them off.

"Pardon me for my words but I must say that you are a one stunning and attractive woman I have seen around."

The woman blushed furiously, giggling like a small girl. She smirked in her friend's way as if she was boasting about her ego.

"Although blue and white are nice colours, I think red is the best suited colour for you!"

Gerald picked up the red coloured cup set that the woman had discarded before.

"Red?" Her friend made a weird face at his choice.

Ignoring her comment, Gerald focused on only his target. "Yes, red. Red is the colour of fire and I must say that you look like one, Miss." He flashed his white teeth at her, just to prove his point.

The woman covered her mouth as she giggled again. "Oh come on. I am not Miss."

"She is married and has two children!" Her friend quipped in.

The woman passed glare in her way.

"Really?" Gerald gasped dramatically. "I could not figure that out if you haven't told me. I must say you have maintained yourself very well, madame. Unlike the women these days who do not pay attention to their appearance and beauty." Gerald passed a look in her friend's way.

That was the easiest trick to make a woman fall into a trap. Tell her she was better than other women, and she would just accept it without much thought.

After hearing that from him, the woman's face brightened so much that for her he was the best man in the world and every word coming from him was a white line on the dark stone.

"Well... where was I? Oh yes, the red colour. I love red because it is also the colour of love. Don't you agree?"

The woman was dancing on cloud nine, although her friend was not impressed by Gerald at all.

But who cared? She did not have much money with her anyways!

"You are right handsome! Red is the colour for me!" She gushed, holding her hand tightly in his.

Gerald clenched his jaw, giving her a tight smile.

The things he had to do for the sake of money!

The woman bought the red coloured cup set and then opened her pouch to pay its price. Gerald smiled at the sight of how much money that woman carried with her.

Did not she hear about the thieves?

Well if she hadn't then now, she sure would! Gerald smirked wickedly.

"Are you alone in the fair?" The woman asked hopefully.

Gerald shook his head. "No no... I am actually here with my... friend."

"Friend? Which friend?" All the excitement died on her face.

Gerald looked around to find the right person to point at. And that was when he saw a woman at the jewellery stall.

"There. I am here with her. And now I should go back to her before she gets angry at me. But nice to meet you madam. I hope to see you again soon. Have a good day!"

He waved at her, almost running in the other way. The woman wanted to have some more time with him, but after seeing his friend, she had to accept the defeat.

Gerald smiled widely, as he walked through the crowd with his pocket heavy.

Naive woman!!