Chapter 453 Something You Can't Show?
Dominic went out, and Aurelia awkwardly said, "Madeline, I can have someone send over some clothes. No need to trouble yourself."
Madeline patted her hand, "It's no trouble at all. I like you."
Before long, Dominic came back with a beautifully wrapped box and placed it on the table. His eyes lingered on the gift box for a few seconds before he reluctantly looked away and left.
Inside the box was a modified dress, and just by looking at the fabric, it was clear it was not something commonly found on the market.
Madeline took out the dress and held it up against her.
"Aurelia, you should put it on. This dress is made of silk, and the patterns on it were hand-embroidered stitch by stitch. Dominic has treasured it for many years; he originally intended to give it to someone but never did. I think it suits your temperament perfectly, so now it's yours."
Aurelia knew the dress was special but didn't realize it was so precious. She quickly waved her hands.
"Madeline, I can't accept this. It's too valuable, and it's Dominic's treasure. I really can't take it."
Madeline's face turned stern, "Can't you just wear it and let me see? This dress was brought back from the South by Dominic and me, and it's been sitting at home ever since. We don't have a single woman in this house; it's just a bunch of single men. Who else am I going to give it to?"
Aurelia still tried to refuse, "Madeline, it's really not appropriate..."
Madeline was about to get angry. "It's my birthday today, and you just have to go against me, don't you?"
Aurelia was taken aback and had no choice but to go to the dressing room to change. When she came out, Madeline showered her with praise.
"You have such a great figure, Aurelia. This dress looks like it was tailor-made for you. Consider it my gift to you. Now, come downstairs with me to cut the cake."
Madeline led Aurelia out, and Dominic, standing at the door, was visibly stunned when he saw Aurelia.
Madeline had to call him back to his senses, "Did you find Phoenix?"
"Yes, he's downstairs. I asked the butler to keep an eye on him. You better hurry down, or that rascal will disappear again."
The three of them descended the stairs under everyone's gaze.
Nathaniel's eyes immediately fell on her. The dress seemed to come alive on her, and her updo perfectly complemented it, making her look like a noblewoman straight out of a movie.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded.
Nathaniel pulled Aurelia close, having heard bits and pieces about what had happened in the hall earlier and was quite worried.
"Aurelia, are you okay?"
Aurelia huffed, "The women you attract always end up causing me trouble."
Nathaniel's mouth twitched, "Come with me."
He couldn't bear to be apart from her any longer.
In the center of the hall, an eight-layer birthday cake was being cut, and everyone got a small piece to share the joy.
Phoenix brought a piece of cake with strawberries on top to Aurelia.
"Aurelia, I looked you up online. You like strawberries."
Nathaniel glared at Phoenix, feeling the urge to smash the cake in his face. Before Aurelia could say anything, Nathaniel took the cake and bit into it himself.
"Fruits on cakes are usually not washed properly. Eating them can give you a stomachache."
Phoenix glared back at him, "If you're afraid of a stomachache, why are you eating it? Spit it out!"
"I'm not afraid of it."
Phoenix retorted, "Hope it gives you a stomachache and brings out your hemorrhoids!"
Aurelia couldn't help but laugh, "What's with you two? Weren't you childhood buddies?"
"I don't have a buddy like him."
"Who wants to be his buddy?"
They both spoke almost simultaneously.
As they were talking, a coquettish voice came from the side.
"Nathaniel, you didn't even tell me you were coming. I canceled a director's dinner and spent the whole afternoon doing my makeup to get here."
Lori had redone her makeup and hair, but with limited time, her look was noticeably rougher than before.
Nathaniel's temples throbbed. Just what he feared. He hadn't even managed to appease Aurelia, and now another troublemaker had shown up.
He asked, "Why do I need to tell you where I'm going?"
Lori pouted her red lips, "You're so annoying!"
Phoenix and Lori never got along in the industry, and hearing that she had caused trouble for his goddess made him dislike her even more.
"Oh, isn't this the queen of PS? Gave up on your crying scenes? The director didn't scold you?"
Phoenix paused and added, "Well, editing photos in PS is faster anyway. But I think you could endorse some eye drops, considering how many bottles you go through for one scene."
Lori was infamous in the industry for her terrible acting. Recently, she had trended for her fake crying scenes in a movie, with insiders anonymously exposing her for using numerous bottles of eye drops and still needing the director to scold her to get through a scene.
This incident had made her a negative example in the industry, and even slightly talented actors looked down on stars like Lori who had no real acting skills.
Lori's face turned red. It was the first time someone had mocked her to her face.
However, she had a purpose for coming this time and didn't have time to waste with Phoenix.
"Nathaniel, I called you recently. Why didn't you answer? Did you get my messages?"
Nathaniel felt a headache coming on. Speaking of messages, he had recently received some MMS messages, which he had glanced at and thought were spam. The woman in the photos was scantily clad, showing a lot of skin.
He had immediately deleted them, and the sender asked, "I'm shooting an underwear ad. Do you think the black set looks better, or the white lace one?"
In a panic, he had blocked the number. Lori had then tried calling from different numbers, but he hadn't answered.
Faced with Lori's questioning, he calmly replied, "Didn't receive them."
Lori pouted, not believing him, "You definitely got my photos. Why else would you block me?"
Nathaniel coldly replied, "You seem to have a lot of free time?"
Aurelia asked, "What photos? Let me see."
Nathaniel's face showed a hint of discomfort, "Aurelia, I'll tell you when we get home."
He didn't dare say no. The internet said every woman was a Sherlock Holmes, and she was no exception. If no one mentioned it, it would remain a secret.
But now that it was brought up, she wasn't stupid.
Aurelia gave him a sidelong glance, "Why not now? Something you can't show?"
Nathaniel scratched his brow, carefully explaining, "Aurelia, it's not like that."
Lori, waiting for Nathaniel's response, grew impatient, "Nathaniel, did you hear me? Take me off your blacklist now."
Nathaniel's ears buzzed. With two women questioning him from both sides, he had to be careful not to say the wrong thing.
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