She was packing some of the stock back into the original packaging, hoping they could be returned. “May I ask what you are doing?” the customer asked. Olivia looked up to see William standing before her. “Dad!” she squealed, her face lighting up immediately. “Good, then that despair on your face is a fleeting thing,” he said, giving her a hug. “Well not exactly,” she sighed. “Where’s Lucy?” he asked, noticing she was not in sight. Olivia sighed deeper. It had been a month and a half since she opened the store. “Olivia,” William said sternly, “what exactly is going on?” “He’s won, I’m afraid,” she said. “I have no customers. It started with Akiko, she’s McMichael’s cleaning lady. Sarah told me he saw her come in here and told her if she ever set foot in here again, he’d fire her. I had a special order for a friend of her young son come in one day, and her Jimmy came to pick it up. McMichael he saw him leaving the store with the bag in his arms.
