When Loyalty Turns to Greed

trange ways, a phantom limb of my daily routine. But more than that, there was a con

a week later

it, but a part of me needed to k

u want, Mrs

omplete one-eighty from the ven

and I've been doing a lot of thinking. I was

d silent,

something that just screamed 'Sarah'. I bought it for you. A litt

d. A part of me was morbidly curiou

ter, my buzzer ra

from a high-end designer. She swept into the apartment as if she

said, beamin

as a brand I recognized, one I'd casually ment

. very generous. But you

there are no hard feelings." She sighed dramatically. "It was quite expensive,

the brand, and while expensive, that specific model was nowh

xamining the stitching on the bag. "

red for a fract

he latest model.

pend that kind of money on a gift for me, I insist on payin

was a

a greedy gleam that s

h, I couldn't

ou a check right now. Do you have the re

s died. Panic flicke

away. You know how it is, they ask if you want the r

e receipt?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's not very carefu

bluster, her fa

ent out of my way to buy you something so lovely? I thought you were different, S

around, to make me the b

rofessional, Mrs. Jenkins. I deal with data. Facts. The fact is, you're trying to make me pay you five thou

up the designer's website, and found the exact bag in l

and fifty dollars. Plus

s caught. The silence in the room was t

h opening and closing like a fish. There was n

ey, not really. It was about seeing what she could get away with. It w

r purse and go," I said, my

bag off the table, he

precious money

ago. "It's about the principle. I don't allow people to lie to me or try to stea

the door and

on, you are not to use any of my personal information. You are not to buy

just stormed out, and I slammed the door shut behind her, the sound of the lock clicking int