Chapter 15: What Did You Do To My Dress?
Lillian Kings held her selfie stick in one hand as she walked into the building. Her livestream was on, and thousands of people were watching. She had a small smile plastered on her face, and beside her was a man, her security.
"Today we’re going to be shopping for a dress suitable for my grandmother-in-law’s birthday. I need something that’s modest but sexy." Her eyes stayed pinned on the screen.
As she passed, people turned to look at her before continuing with their business.
She stopped in front of a lady wearing a black gown with white buttons lining the middle, her hair styled into a neat bun, one hand placed over the other.
The lady bowed respectfully before pointing to a hallway at the side. Lillian was popular and wealthy, and staff couldn’t afford to keep her waiting alongside other customers.
She was directed to the VIP section, where only two or three people did their shopping at a time, and that section held only limited stock.
Meanwhile, Violet’s entrance had caught a lot of attention, after all, she had arrived in a limousine, which only meant one thing: money.
She took confident steps forward, her shoulders perfectly squared. Once she reached the entrance, a lady dressed in a suit and skirt walked up to her.
She smiled and bowed slightly. "Good morning, ma’am. Welcome to Le Rosier. I’m Kendra, and it’s my pleasure to help you find the best dress." she said.
Violet was mildly surprised. She had done a lot of menial jobs, and this had been part of them.
She was always the one welcoming others, so being welcomed herself made her feel a certain way. But she pushed that to the back of her mind and looked pointedly at Kendra. "I want to use your VIP section." she said.
"Only members of Le Rosier can..." She paused when she saw the look of displeasure that suddenly crawled onto Violet’s face. "But we can always make an exception." she said.
She had seen Violet arrive in a limousine, and from the way she was dressed and carried herself, it was clear that the woman in front of her was extremely wealthy. After all, according to the boutique’s rules, exceptions could be granted in certain situations.
"This way." She led Violet through the same hallway as Lillian. The walls were made of glass, so they could see inside even before reaching the door.
Violet kept her eyes ahead of her. She stopped the same moment Kendra stopped and watched closely as she opened the door.
Her heart thudded softly behind her chest. She knew the moment the door opened, it was now left to her.
The VIP room was lined wall to wall with racks of designer dresses, shelves of handbags, and glass cases of shoes, everything a woman could ever want, all dripping with quiet luxury. Fortunately, it was just Violet and Lillian in the room.
Violet sat on a sofa at one end of the room. She pretended to flip through the magazine on the table, but her attention was actually on Lillian. She kept throwing careful glances her way, while Lillian remained totally unaware of her presence.
"What is it you want to buy? We have all the—" Violet raised a finger, cutting Kendra off. She needed a little time to think of a way to get closer to Lillian.
From what she knew, Lillian was here shopping for her grandmother-in-law’s birthday.
"I don’t think I need the magazine, I’ll just pick a few clothes I like from around the room, you can point out beautiful ones for me." she said and rose to her feet.
Her heels clicked sharply on the floor as she walked through the racks, flipping through the clothes.
She pretended to be unimpressed by most of the designs and only picked two jackets and a slim gold sash that she might actually need, so Kendra wouldn’t grow suspicious.
She was only a few feet away from Lillian. Just then, Lillian took a red dress and stepped into the dressing room, leaving her selfie stick behind.
Violet picked a dress from the rack, a deep emerald gown and placed it against her chest. "It’s so pretty." Kendra said with fake cheerfulness.
"Alright, I’ll quickly try it on." Violet said, and before Kendra could tell her that the dressing room for a second person was in another part of the section, she had already dashed into the dressing room Lillian was in.
The moment she opened the door, Lillian’s head snapped back, her expression turning guarded.
"Hey, I’m here to change too." she said.
Lillian relaxed. She could have turned her away, after all, only one person was entitled to a dressing room, but she didn’t. Instead, she smiled, brushing it off as a little mistake on the staff’s part.
The dressing room was spacious enough for two, with a wide mirror running along one wall and soft golden lighting overhead.
Lillian had already put on her dress. Violet knew she needed to make sure their conversation didn’t just end cordially. If she wanted Lillian to introduce her to everyone, she needed to act.
She didn’t need to rack her brain too much about how to start a conversation, because at that moment Lillian smoothed her dress and turned side to side in the mirror, admiring herself.
The dress hugged Lillian’s figure in all the right places, a deep red satin gown with a modest neckline and a slit that revealed just enough leg to be daring without crossing the line.
"That is one beautiful dress, I don’t think anyone could have worn it better, it suits you so well." Even if the compliment was only a means of starting a conversation with Lillian, Violet meant every word she said.
The dress did look divine on her.
Lillian held her gaze in the mirror, pleased with Violet’s compliment. "You think so?" she asked.
Violet nodded, then took a step forward and adjusted the strap of the dress, which didn’t actually need fixing.
"Of course. Where are you wearing it to? If it’s a date, your lover would be completely blown away."
Lillian’s cheeks flushed with pride, a wide, satisfied smile spreading across her face as she turned back to admire herself once more.
"It’s actually for my grandmother-in-law’s birthday." Lillian began.
"Then she is going to love this, because this is—" Violet paused, squinting her eyes before tilting her head to the side. She stroked her jaw as she studied Lillian. "Wait, I think I have something that would make it even better." she said, and pulled out a delicate gold sash from the clothes she was holding.
She placed the others on the couch beside them and helped wrap it around Lillian’s waist. "Now that completes the look." she said, holding Lillian’s shoulders and turning her to face the mirror.
The moment Lillian saw her reflection, her mouth fell open.
"Who are you, and what did you just do to this dress?" She squealed, and almost hugged Violet before catching herself. "Do you perhaps work in fashion? You’re so good."
Violet simply smiled, that part had just come to her in the moment. She didn’t actually know anything about fashion. "No, I don’t."
"I don’t believe that." Lillian said, not taking her eyes off her reflection. "I just found the perfect dress for her birthday, no need to change it." Then she turned to Violet, "How do I repay you? You gave up the sash you were supposed to wear."
"It’s fine." Violet said. "I can just get something else." Then she went on to introduce herself. "I’m Kierra Adams, by the way."
"I’m Lillian Kings." They shook hands. "I’m glad I met you. To make it up to you, I’ll help you find whatever you want. How about that?"
Once Lillian said this, Violet knew the deal was sealed, she had gotten exactly what she wanted.
"I’ll truly appreciate that."