Chapter 37: Caught Off Guard

The Brighton Plaza Superstore's home goods section was bustling with people, men and women alike, all with a shared destination in mind—the Left An Cosmetics counter.

"Miss, is it true that the model in the display window used to look really bad?" a woman in her twenties asked, pointing to Claire, who was posed inside the window display, smiling with an innocent, almost childlike expression.

Sarah, who had been darting back and forth between the counter and the register, took a moment from her busy shift to glance at Claire. With a sigh, she repeated the same line for what felt like the hundredth time, "Yes, that's right! Our model used to have very plain features and suffered from dry, dull skin due to lack of sleep. But ever since she started using Left An Cosmetics, achieving beauty has become effortless. Look at her now—doesn't she look so much more radiant?"

Sarah couldn't help but marvel at how easily the lies rolled off her tongue now, without so much as a blush or a stammer. She'd gotten so good at it, her heart didn't even race anymore.

"She looks more than just a little prettier!" another woman exclaimed, holding up a photo of Claire that Sarah had handed her. "Look at this! Doesn't she look like a completely different person? Under the lights, her skin looks so dewy and flawless. It's like porcelain—totally radiant."

"Wow! Is Left An Cosmetics really that amazing? I want to buy some too!"

"Miss, I'll take a set!"

"I want two sets—"

"I'll take three—"

…

By the time they had nearly sold out of all their Left An products, Claire could finally let go of the robotic smile she'd been holding and collapsed in the corner of the display window onto the plush white carpet.

Sarah, who had been happily watching the sales figures climb on her computer, heard Claire slump down and turned to glance at her briefly before returning her focus to the numbers.

"Claire, you might want to stand up before you show off more than you intended. I can already tell what color your underwear is," Sarah teased nonchalantly.

Unaware that Sarah was joking, Claire shot up from the floor in a panic, hastily adjusting her uniform and trying to pull down the hem of her tight skirt.

"Don't bother pulling at it. If you tug any harder, the whole thing might come off," Sarah warned with a grin, fully enjoying the moment. She didn't seem to care that it was Claire's presence as a model that had drawn in so many customers and helped them hit their sales target way ahead of schedule.

"Excuse me," a slightly rough voice called from the entrance.

Both women turned to look.

Standing in the doorway was a tall figure—a striking woman with sharp, attractive features, shoulder-length black hair, and a distinctly androgynous appearance.

"Hello! How can I help you today? If you're looking for cosmetics, we have another Left An counter two floors up," Sarah said smoothly as she rose from her seat, offering a friendly smile.

But strangely, the woman didn't even glance at Sarah. Her eyes were glued to Claire, and after a long moment, they dropped to her legs, lingering there with an intensity that made Claire uneasy. There was a fiery gleam in the woman's eyes.

Claire froze, stunned by the woman's bold, unabashed gaze. She was horrified. *Oh no, oh no! That look—it's the kind of look only men give women! What's going on? Could she be…* Claire's thoughts raced, and her heart skipped a beat. *Is she a lesbian?*

The realization sent a shock through her. Instinctively, Claire took a few steps back, trying to put some distance between herself and the woman. But to her dismay, she hadn't noticed the crescent-shaped counter behind her. As her back collided with the counter, it shifted under the impact, tilting dangerously in her direction—