Chapter 81
Other than drying her hair, Alexander definitely had other things in mind.
But how could he let Zoey know that? Besides, he was just thinking about it, not actually planning to act on it.
"If you don't dry your hair, you'll get a headache. If you don't want me to do it, I can hold the dryer while you do it yourself."
"Okay," Zoey agreed, thinking that sounded fair.
Even though Alexander wasn't touching her hair, he stood behind her, watching. His intense gaze made it hard for her to stay calm.
So she reached out and said, "I'll do it myself."
She felt more flustered with Alexander watching her than if he were actually touching her hair.
Just then, Alexander got a call. He handed her the hairdryer and gently patted her head. "I'll wait for you downstairs."
Zoey quickly finished drying her hair and went downstairs, only to find the living room filled with people and a row of new clothes.
"Ms. King, Mr. Garcia sent us to take your measurements. Is now a good time?"
"Measurements?" Zoey tilted her head, puzzled.
"Yes, for the Garcia family dinner next week," a middle-aged woman explained with a smile. "Mr. Garcia said you would be attending."
She had agreed to go with Tamsin, but she hadn't expected Alexander to arrange everything so meticulously.
"Alright."
Several people surrounded her, taking measurements and calling out numbers while an assistant quickly jotted them down.
"Mr. Garcia specifically requested imported silk fabrics," the tailor said, pulling out fabric samples from a leather case. "Which color do you like?"
Zoey's fingers brushed over the expensive fabrics, finally stopping on a silver-gray one. "This one."
"Just as Mr. Garcia predicted," the tailor smiled. "He assumed you would choose this color."
Zoey was taken aback. She hadn't expected Alexander to know her so well.
By the time Alexander finished his call and came back, the tailors had already left.
"So, did you see any styles you liked? Which color did you choose?"
He naturally sat beside her, asking softly while handing her a plate of sliced fruit.
Zoey took the plate and asked, "Aren't you in charge of the Garcia Group?"
How did Alexander always have time to be around her?
"Yes," Alexander chuckled, stealing a grape from her hand. "But I don't need to oversee everything, so I don't have to be at the office every day."
"Why, are you trying to get rid of me?"
Get rid of him? What was he talking about?
Zoey looked down. "I'm not trying to get rid of you. It's just that I've already had breakfast and might head to the medical school later. Shouldn't you be going too?"
"I rarely get to relax. I want to spend time with you. Is that so wrong?"
She was clearly still in a bad mood. If he left, who knew if she'd retreat into her dark thoughts again?
His Zoey, had she always been like this?
"Fine." Zoey didn't find Alexander annoying; she was actually getting used to his company.
"Mr. Garcia..."
"Alexander," he corrected her.
Zoey wasn't used to calling him by his first name, but seeing how much it mattered to him, she relented. "Alexander, Tamsin only mentioned taking me to meet your grandfather, not a family dinner."
A family dinner meant a gathering of family members. Wouldn't it be awkward for her, an outsider, to attend?
Alexander took the opportunity to feed her a grape. "A family dinner is just among family. Don't overthink it."
"To Tamsin, you're family. Or are you saying you don't consider Tamsin a friend?"
Zoey replied, "Of course, I consider Tamsin a friend."
Tamsin had always treated her sincerely, and Zoey had long regarded her as family.
"It's just that attending your family dinner feels a bit sudden."
"What's so sudden about it? You're Tamsin's family, and you're the person I'm pursuing. I actually want to introduce you to everyone."
Hearing him say "the person I'm pursuing" made her heart race again.
After all that, Alexander didn't see any issue with her attending the family dinner.
Zoey didn't want to argue anymore. She got up, planning to go out and think about what gifts to bring to the dinner.
She didn't tell Alexander because if she did, he'd probably insist on paying, which would ruin the gesture.
"I want to go out for a bit. If you have things to do, go ahead."
Seeing that she was in good spirits, Alexander felt reassured. "Alright, remember to use the card if you need anything. Don't hesitate."
Before leaving, he turned off the silent mode on her phone. "And remember to answer calls and messages."
"Okay." Zoey agreed, but she still preferred to use her own cash for shopping.
The Garcia family was big, and she couldn't bring ordinary gifts.
Zoey visited many high-end stores but couldn't find anything satisfactory. She needed to buy gifts for Tamsin, Alexander, and Finn.
Everything had to be perfect. She didn't want Tamsin to be embarrassed, so she was extra careful.
Finally, Zoey wandered into an antique shop. This shop had a hundred-year history, and she had heard that Finn loved chess. There was a chess set made of jade, quite expensive, and only sold to those who appreciated it.
When she entered, the sales assistant was initially enthusiastic but quickly became dismissive when Zoey only touched things without making a purchase.
"Don't touch anything. It's expensive, and you can't afford to pay if you break it."
Zoey knew they were looking down on her and sneered. "Go serve someone else. Don't worry about me."
The assistant was about to lose her temper when she noticed three well-dressed girls entering. The leader wore expensive clothes and a jade bracelet that had just come out last month.
"Welcome! Can I help you with anything?" She immediately went to serve them.
"No, we're just looking. Don't bother us, and don't let anyone else disturb us," said the leader, Opal Blake, from the Blake family. She visited the antique shop every week.
Cleo knew her from the high society circles. The Blake family's wealth surpassed the King family's, so she liked to befriend the rich.
Whenever Cleo visited the Blake Villa, she would charm Opal's parents, who treated her like a daughter.
Opal also treated Cleo like a sister. When she heard that Zoey had bullied Cleo, she even spread rumors about Zoey's character. But within an hour, those rumors were taken down, which made her quite angry.
"Cleo, cheer up."
"Opal, I want to, but..." Cleo's eyes reddened. "I don't want to badmouth Zoey, but she's really gone too far. She took my dad's shares and even spread lies about me to Grandma. Now Grandma is even more biased."
"Once you marry into the Graham family, let's see who dares to say anything!" Opal promised. "I'll make sure Marcus falls for you."