Chapter 2 - The Red Jacket
A sharp, rhythmic tap of leather soles echoed from the back office.
A young man in a tailored burgundy double-breasted suit stepped out from behind a heavy velvet curtain.
His black tie was pinned with a small gold needle.
He passed Victoria without a glance, his polished shoes gliding across the marble floor.
He stopped two feet in front of the young woman in the white dress.
His hands folded neatly over his waist.
He inclined his head in a deep, formal bow.
"Doña Yacita, bienvenida."
The words floated smoothly through the warm air of the showroom.
Victoria’s breath caught in her throat.
Her platinum card slipped between her ringed fingers, dropping onto the glass counter with a tiny metallic clink.
She looked from the man’s bowed head to the girl’s plain white dress.
Her eyes blinked rapidly behind her thick mascara.
"Doña Yacita?" Victoria asked, her voice dropping its smooth polish and cracking at the edges.
"Who is she?"
The man in the burgundy suit straightened his posture.
He did not look at Victoria’s fur coat.
He kept his chin level, his hands resting behind his back.
A small, wooden toy horse sat on the corner of the register counter—a child's plaything left behind from earlier that morning, its left wheel missing.
Yacita glanced at the broken wooden toy, her expression remaining entirely tranquil.
Victoria took a half-step back, her heels making a sharp, frantic click on the stone floor.
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