(Michelle Lui's POV)
By the time we finished our hot chocolates and left the café, the sky outside the glass ceiling of the mall had shifted into a warm apricot orange. Fall decorations—leaf garlands, cinnamon-scented displays, and pumpkin-themed everything—made the whole place feel like a cozy foreign city rather than a mall in our country.
Lara practically vibrated as we walked.
"I LOVE shopping days. Today feels like destiny. I can FEEL IT."
Kate adjusted the straps of her minimalist handbag. "Destiny for what?"
"For something dramatic," Lara said seriously. "Like a plot twist."
I blinked. "Lara… this is real life."
"Hahaha," she laughed without humor. "NOT when you're friends with this group."
…Okay. Fair.
We were entering the fourth boutique when I heard it—
"YO! LADIES!"
Oh no.
We all turned.
And there they were.
———
Vince, leading the charge, obviously.
