"How is it any different?" Apollo asked, his tone measured as he gestured toward another boutique nearby. "I'm showing you alternatives, pieces that may not carry a luxury label but are just as well made as the ones you're used to. Look closely, the design, the craftsmanship, the materials… they're comparable. We're not just buying for the sake of a name. We're choosing what actually suits you."
"I don't want them," Ophelia shot back, her voice rising as her composure cracked.
"They're unknown brands. If my friends see me wearing something like that and realize it didn't even come from an auction, just some random label, do you have any idea how ridiculous I'd look? They'd laugh at me." Her tone sharpened with each word, frustration flaring openly now as she bristled at the direction the conversation was taking.
"But isn't that exactly the problem?" Apollo countered, his tone steady but edged with quiet insistence.
