The Fortune Teller Said I Was Bad Luck, I Brought Them Worse Chapter 05

The Fortune Teller Said I Was Bad Luck, I Brought Them Worse Chapter 05

Halfway through the paperwork, Jason asked me to wait in the lounge. I sank into a leather sofa, a cup of coffee set before me. It smelled rich, but the first sip was bitter.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, cars moved along the street. Across the way, a mall hung a huge red sale banner. Children ran and shouted in the plaza. An ordinary autumn morning, an ordinary day.

Except for my brother, today was the most important day of his life.

And for me too.

“Ms. Morgan, I need to make a copy of your ID,” Jason said, approaching with a smile. “By the way, I overheard your call, your brother’s getting married today? Congratulations! Double celebration, new car for yourself, wedding for your brother!”

I looked up at him, wanting to say thanks, but my throat tightened, words caught.

“Ms. Morgan?” His smile froze. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said, lowering my head to study the paperwork. “The coffee’s a bit hot.”

He hesitated, then walked away. I stared into the reflection in the cup, my face twisted and unfamiliar.

Then I heard crying.

Not mine. It came from the doorway, a woman, sobbing, restrained and breaking down.

I looked up. A bride in a wedding gown barreled into the dealership, running wildly.

Her veil hung crooked, makeup smeared, tears streaked her cheeks. Behind her, a few people shouted her name.

“Lily! Lily, calm down!”

“We can finance the car! Don’t do this!”

“I’m not marrying him!” she screamed, high and piercing. “I said I want an Audi! What’s with this crappy Volkswagen? My best friend drives a Mercedes. If I drive a VW, isn’t that embarrassing?”

A man in an ill-fitting suit rushed after her, pale-faced. “Lily, the Audi is way over budget. We still have the wedding, and…”

“Then don’t have the wedding!” She shrugged off his hand, her gown sweeping the polished floor. “I’m telling you, either I get the Audi today, or I’m not marrying you! Your choice!”

Everyone in the showroom turned. Staff exchanged glances, hesitant to intervene. The couple’s friends and family stood at the door, awkward.

The man dropped to his knees.

Really dropped. The thud of his knees on the floor sounded heavy.

“I’m begging you, Lily, stop this. Everyone’s waiting, the hotel’s booked, the wedding planner…”

“Stop this? Who’s causing trouble?” She towered over him, tears still flowing, face hard as ice. “I’ve given you three years. Now it’s marriage time, and I want a car, is that too much?”

“Not too much, not at all, but we can buy it after the wedding.”

“After the wedding? Do you really think you’ll get it then? Your mother… she counts every penny. Do you think I can wait that long?”

He knelt there, head down, shoulders trembling. I couldn’t see his face, but his red ears and tight fists told the story.

“Lily, I…”

“Don’t call me!” She spun toward a white Audi A4, the exact model I had just purchased, and kicked the tire hard. “This one. I want this one. Buy it now, or I walk.”

The tire thudded. The alarm didn’t go off, but security was already moving toward her.

“Ma’am, please don’t damage our display car.”

“And if I do? I can afford it!” She pulled a card from her purse and slammed it on the counter. “Full payment. Right now!”

Staff circled, trying to calm her, block her. Chaos.

I sank into the sofa, numb, my eyes fixed.

The bride, unraveling before everyone.

The groom, on his knees, humiliated, stripped of all dignity.

And the white Audi, the very car I’d just bought, gleaming in the sunlight.

I laughed. Laughed aloud, shoulders shaking, tears spilling.

Jason returned with the paperwork, startled at my laughter. “Ms. Morgan… are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said, wiping my tears. “Better than ever.”

I signed, swiped the final payment, and stood, keys in hand. I walked past the bickering couple.

The bride yelled at the staff; the groom stayed kneeling like a statue. I passed close enough to smell her overpowering perfume, his cheap hair gel.

At the door, I glanced back.

She met my eyes. Her gaze froze for a moment, probably because my makeup had run from crying, leaving me messy. But she quickly returned her attention to the kneeling man.

“Stand up! If you don’t, I’m walking out!”

He rose slowly, knees scuffed and gray, back hunched, looking a decade older.

I pushed open the door and stepped into the sunlight.