21 Her dream man

"Aren't you going in anymore?" Tara asked, looking at Ava.

"Uh... I will. I just...I just wanted to..um... nevermind. Let's... let's go in." Ava concluded.

"Do you want me to come with you? Cause I'm fine here. I don't mind." Tara said to Ava with a small smile. She did not want to intrude on Ava's personal space or make her feel uncomfortable, as Tara thought that Ava might be tired of her company.

"Oh no. Please come with me. As you rightly said earlier, I'm new to this place. So I'd definitely need your assistance." Ava said, not in all sincerity however.

Although she was new to the environment, getting a phone, any kind of phone for that matter, wasn't something she was unable to do on her own. All she wanted basically, was a chance to talk to Tara about the impending danger ahead.

"Okay, let's go in," Tara said with a smile as they entered the store. The guy behind the counter greeted them politely, and they returned his greeting.

Due to its proximity to the estate, the store was not very large. However, it offered a wide variety of high-quality products and brands as the ladies clearly observed.

Ava and Tara walked up to the counter, "I just need a phone that can make and receive calls." Ava requested.

Tara raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you sure? Don't you want a phone that offers better quality and features?"

"No. I just want to make a phone call. I won't be needing it for anything else." Ava answered.

With a shrug, "Ok then." Tara replied.

"Uh, I suppose you're fine with any one, right?" The guy behind the counter asked.

"Yeah. I am." Ava replied, before flashing a smile.

"Ok then. Excuse me." He said, before turning around.

Immediately the young man turned, Ava spoke up. "So you said something about your boyfriend's sister earlier."

"Yeah?"

"Did you get into a fight with her?" Ava asked as Tara threw a brief glance at her before letting out a long sigh.

"That's of course, if you don't mind telling me." Ava added immediately.

"Well, we got into an argument this morning, when she came to take something from her brother's_"

"Good day ladies." A young man who had just walked in greeted, as he went over to stand at the counter where Ava and Tara stood.

"Good day sir."

Both ladies looked up and simultaneously greeted the man with a polite, "Good day, sir" they glanced at him briefly, before looking away.

Ava then spoke up, trying to pick up where they had left off. Her heart was already pounding against her chest as Tara's words were confirming her fears. "So, you were saying...."

The counter guy then interrupted her with a smile as he placed the phone on the counter. "Here you go, miss," he said as he pushed it towards Ava gently.

"Thank you." Ava said with a polite nod, before picking up the phone.

"Good day sir." The Viking haired counter guy greeted the man who had just walked in.

"Good day. Is the TLK Fold Z smartphone still available in your store?" The man asked.

"Of course, we have the TLK Fold Z Smartphone. Which colour and storage capacity were you interested in?" The salesperson asked.

The man made his selection, as the sales guy began to process his order.

Tara, who was standing nearby with Ava, couldn't help but notice the man's choice of phone. She bent backwards slightly to get a better look of the man who had ordered her boyfriend's brand.

The man on the other hand, was seemingly busy with a phone on his right hand.

Tara briefly glanced at him, noting that he must be rich to purchase a Fold Z model smartphone of the TLK brand.

Ava on the other hand was still standing with her knees straight only because just like the street of Winsteria which was originally Alexus in her novel, TLK was described as TDC. She had forgotten Tyler owned a Tech brand.

At the moment, she had just unboxed her new phone, feeling relieved that she had finally found a device that met her needs. However, she still needed to find a suitable network provider to use the phone for calls, texts, and data..

So as per usual, she cleared her throat, causing Tara to straighten up.

Ava spoke up, realizing that she still needed a network provider. "Excuse me," she said to the salesperson. "Do you have any recommendations for a network provider that offers good rates for international calls?"

"Of course, miss. Just give me a minute," the salesperson replied as he went to fetch the two packs of the product the man had ordered.

"Why are you the only one attending to the customers at the moment?" The man asked, as he seemed to be a regular customer.

"My colleague stepped out." The sales guy replied.

"I see." The man replied.

"Excuse me." The counter guy said as he stepped away from there, probably to get Ava's order.

Ava wanted to continue her conversation with Tara, but she felt a little discomfortable with two others in the same place. So she decided to do that once she made the call to Madam Chen or Vincent.

Tara seemed to have the same idea, as she also stayed quiet, perhaps waiting for coffee.

Before long, the salesperson returned to the counter with Ava's order.

"Here you go, miss. These are the two network providers that I would recommend," the salesperson said as he placed the SIM packs on the counter.

Ava looked at the two options, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "I don't know anything about these providers," she admitted. "Could you help me choose the best one?"

The salesperson nodded and picked up one of the SIM packs. "In my opinion, this one offers the best value for international calls and data usage," he explained.

And immediately, Tara let out a dramatic sigh, causing Ava and the attendant to turn towards her.

"Is there a problem?" Ava asked.

"No, it's nothing." Tara said. "Go ahead, make your choice." She said to Ava.

"Ok then." Ava replied before she as well as the attendant returned their gaze to the SIM Pack in front of them.

"Ok then. I'll take it." Ava said to the attendant before flashing a smile to the attendant.

"I'm sure you won't regret choosing iGiO." The attendant said with a smile, but Ava froze.

"Did you say iGiO?" Ava asked, feeling a sense of unease.

"Yes, miss. Is there a problem?" the salesperson asked, noticing Ava's reaction.

Suddenly, Ava staggered backwards, feeling lightheaded. The other customer quickly stepped forward and caught her, preventing her from falling. Tara rushed over to help.

"What's happening?" Tara asked, looking concerned. The salesperson hurried around the counter to assist Ava and helped her to sit down.

Ava took deep breaths, feeling a bit better. "I'm sorry," she said, feeling embarrassed. "I just had a bit of a dizzy spell."

Tara and the salesperson looked at each other, still unsure of what had caused Ava's sudden reaction. They waited patiently for her to recover before continuing the conversation.

"Are you okay, madam?" the other customer asked as he helped Ava to sit down. By this time, Ava had regained her balance and was standing upright, although the customer was still holding onto her waist for support while Tara held her arm.

"I..I'm fine." Ava said. Tara couldn't help but wonder what the issue was this time.

Because regardless of the fact that iGiO was her boyfriend's competing brand, she would never have reacted that way if she realised she was about to patronise the opposition brand. The lady was becoming a mystery and Tara's curiosity peaked by every minute.

But for Ava, it was a different reality. iGiO, according to her first novel, is a part of Darien's Company. Her dream man!