Lila and I wandered around, eating and shopping. My gloomy mood lifted considerably. Oliver kept his distance, following behind without interfering.
"Serena, I can't walk anymore." Lila slumped onto a bench in the mall. "Let's go home."
After an entire afternoon of shopping, I was also exhausted and parched. I nodded. "Agreed."
We picked up our bags and were about to leave when a group of men in matching white T-shirts appeared and blocked our way.
"Ladies, we've just opened a new beauty salon. We'd love for you to try it out."
"Yeah, come on. Help us out."
The men surrounded us, closing in from all sides. All I could hear was a cacophony of voices. My instincts screamed that something was wrong, but the noise drowned out my protests.
"Get lost!" I swung my handbag like a weapon, striking one of them. "I don't want to try your stupid treatments. Move!"
That was when I realized that they were after me.
Through the crowd, I saw that Lila had already been pushed to the outside. She was frantically trying to break through the group, desperate to help me. Meanwhile, my handbag had been snatched away.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" A loud, commanding voice cut through the chaos. It was Oliver.
He rushed into the crowd and yanked me out. "What are you trying to pull in broad daylight? Who sent you?"
The man leading the group hesitated briefly when he saw Oliver. "What could we possibly be doing? We just want this lady to try our new treatment."
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