18

At the thought of that, Amelia reached for her phone and dialed Drake's number.




“Hello, does it still hurt?”




“Drake, I want to attend a jewelry fair. Can you take me there?” Amelia implored.




“What jewelry fair?”




“Let me show you a video.” Amelia hung up the call and forwarded the video to Drake shortly before she received a text message that briefly read, ‘Alright, I’ll take you there.’




Amelia exclaimed in excitement but accidentally hurt her swollen cheek in the process. As she hissed in pain, she began to curse Nicole once again. “You’re a b*tch, Nicole! You’re a jewelry designer, yet you can’t even attend a high-class jewelry fair like this one.”




On the other hand, Nicole stumbled across the same video about the jewelry fair in her office and learned from the others who were invited that there were formal dress codes required for the occasion; otherwise, access would be denied. Due to that, she became worried, not knowing what she should do because she couldn’t afford to rent a decent-looking banquet dress.




Just when Nicole was worrying about her dress code for the jewelry fair, her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a phone call, which turned out to be an unidentified number. Nonetheless, she answered the phone and asked, “Hello.”




“Hello, may I speak to Miss Chapman? I’m calling from FH Clothing Store to inform you that our customer has just reserved a banquet dress for you. Would you be free to drop by and try it later in the afternoon?”




“A banquet dress for me?” Nicole was stunned but quickly knew that it was Nigel who did it for her.




“Sure, I’ll drop by later.” How thoughtful of that guy! Nicole reached for her phone and sent the man a text message with a grateful emoji. ‘Thank you so much, Nigel.”




‘Don’t mention it. I hope you love it!’ Nigel replied with a big smiley emoji.




Soon, Nicole applied for a one-hour leave later that afternoon because she realized the clothing store was just a stone’s throw away from her office.




 Since FH Clothing Store was an international brand, its outlet often became the place where many socialites visited and shopped.




 As soon as Nicole entered the shop, she was greeted by the shop owner herself. “Please come with me, Miss Chapman.”




After that, Nicolt was taken to the VIP room on the second floor, where she came face to face with the dress on the mannequin, as if it was silently waiting for her arrival. 




Oh my gosh! This is gorgeous! Nicole complimented the dress just when the shop owner pointed at the dress on the mannequin.




 “This is the gown that Mr. Manson prepared for you, Miss Chapman. Do you like it?”




Nicole widened her eyes a little, wondering how rich Nigel actually was. Is he a billionaire or something? I can’tbelieve he prepared such an expensive banquet dress for me. 




Soon, she heard the shop owner explaining more about the dress with a smile. “This banquet dress is a masterpiece from our top designers. The fabric was sewn with approximately eight thousand diamond beads, and the dress is sold for eight million in our store.”




Nicole's heart skipped a beat when she heard what the shop owner said. Is Nigel trying to give me a heart attack or something? This dress is certainly not cheap at all! A few diamond beads are more than enough to make me go bankrupt, so just imagine if I lose them by accident. 




“Is there any other dress that you could recommend, perhaps?” Nicole reckoned the dress was too expensive for her.




“But Mr. Manson has already paid for the dress on your behalf, Miss Chapman. Furthermore, I think it suits you pretty well.” The shop owner showed her approval by praising Nicole's beauty despite her current ordinary outfit.




Meanwhile, Nicole was deeply in love with the dress as she loved everything about it besides the price. “Alright then, I’ll try it on.” She decided to stop being coy, thinking she could repay Nigel by treating him to some fancy meals throughout the year. After all, she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to attend the upcoming jewelry fair.




Thus, Nicole went ahead and tried on the banquet dress, realizing how fitting it was for her. Soon, she was told to come to the clothing store again the next day around 4 PM as the make-up artists and hairdressers would be there to help her dress up with the jewelry.




Later that night, she told her kids that she would be attending a jewelry fair and asked them whether he preferred Gerald Chapman or Grace to look after him. While the kids wanted their grandfather to come over, she called Gerald Chapman and arranged the plan with him. 




Needless to say, Gerald agreed to take care of the kids while Nicole was away, telling her that he would take the kids with him for some fancy meal and spend the night together with them. It was only after the arrangement was made that Nicole could finally put her mind to ease about her kids.




When Saturday rolled around, Nicole took her kids to the shopping mall early in the morning to buy some vegetables and snacks for them.




 Then, she went back home to continue her design work while the kids played with his Lego. At the same time, they were accompanied by the windy breeze that wafted through the window as the white curtains billowed with it. 




The peaceful and tranquil vibe lasted until it was 3.30 PM when Gerald Chapman swung by with some fruits and milk. Then, Nicole left her kids with her father and went out right away while Gerald sat on the couch and looked at the kids lovingly. Oh gosh! I’m going to love this cute little boy so much!




Not long after that, Nicole hurriedly arrived at the clothing store where the shop owner had prepared everything forher. Then, one of the make-up artists sized her up and commented on her appearance in a surprised manner.




 “Miss Chapman, you have perfect skin, like there are no pores on it at all. How do you maintain such good health for your skin? What kind of premium skincare products do you use?”




“Oh, it’s just the moisturizer that I usually apply on my kid’s skin.” Nicole pursed her lips and smiled while the two make-up artists instantly understood that she was born with such a perfect skin tone. Oh dear, how I wish I could have her skin.




Soon, Nicole closed her eyes just as the make-up artists started to apply some foundation to her face. After that, they kept her naturally thick eyebrows and proceeded to draw her eyeliner. Then, they went on to put the lipstick on her lips just as her beauty instantly stunned them like a glaring diamond.




 Upon lifting Nicole's hair, the artists permed the hair that hung around her ears and helped her put on a pair of diamond earrings to match the necklace she was wearing.




"Let us help you change your banquet

dress, Miss Chapman."




Nicole nodded in response, changing

into the white luna dress as she saw how

gorgeous the dress made her look in the

mirror.




"Miss Chapman, we have also arranged a

driver to take you to where you need to be.

Your ride awaits at the exit.".




"Thank you." Nicole smiled gratefully..

"Enjoy your evening." The shop owner




“Enjoy your evening.” The shop owner saw Nicole out of the clothing store while the latter looked at the Benz in front of her in a ponderous manner. I guess I didn’t really know Nigel as well asI thought I did. He told me his family was running a hotel business when we met each other abroad.

_____




On the other hand, Amelia was also working hard on making herself look as pretty as possible. For that, she hired a crew of professional make-up artists who had served some celebrities before, determined to cover her ordinary looks with the make-up so that she would look like a socialite. At that moment, a mysterious black Rolls-Royce pulled up outside the mansion, whereupon Drake Butler opened the car door and stepped out of the vehicle.




 As the setting sun shone on him, his manly aura made him seem especially charming and attractive.




In the meantime, Amelia stood in the parlor while fixing her eyes on the man who was walking closer to her, her heart pounding rapidly like a jackhammer. Oh my gosh! He is so handsome. “How do I look, Drake?” Amelia bashfully blinked, wanting to hear his compliment.




“You look great!” Drake nodded, although he reckoned his feelings for Amelia were more than just about her good looks. After all, he was under the impression that she sacrificed her own virginity for him five years ago and suffered from a trauma that would follow her forever. 




Therefore, he told himself that he would do his best to make it up to Amelia.




“Let’s go then!” Amelia seized Drake's arm, looking forward to the jewelry fair later that night. At the same time, she was glad to have Drake by her side, thinking she would be the lady whom every other woman envied wherever they went.