Chapter 53

**Kapittel 53**

**"Love, are you all right?"**

She gasped audibly when she heard Hades speak. She looked at him with wide eyes and her mouth slightly ajar.

"You don't look well," he said before putting a hand on her forehead. "Though, your body temperature is normal. Do you want me to bring you to the hospital?"

She felt something tugged her heart on hearing how worried his voice was.

'Why are you acting like this, Hades? Why do you act as if you care? You should stop acting as if you care! You just want my nonexistent child!' she wanted to shout at him, but she restrained herself and only kept her mouth shut. She was turning into a complete mess right now.

She shook her head stiffly at him. "No, I'm fine. Let's go?" she asked before opening the car's door and making her exodus, leaving Hades completely dumbfounded by her sudden change of attitude.

"Why hello, dear," a sweet voice with a hint of French accent greeted them before a stunning lady with smiling eyes showed up before them. She sauntered to Hades and kissed his cheek.

She felt nervous as she scrutinized the woman from head to toe. Like Hades, the woman was big and tall and had bright, steel grey eyes that matched her chic office attire that clung tightly on her hourglass-like body, defining her curves. Her golden, wavy locks matched the gold jewels that clung on her ears, wrist, and fingers, oval-shaped face, a proud Greek nose that seems to be defined by an infamous sculpture, and thin, pink lips. She looked like a real-life Barbie doll. It was no other than Charlotte Delacroix, one of the designers she looked up to.

"Hello, Charlotte," Hades greeted the French woman with his tone much tender but not as tender as he called or talked to Allison.

Charlotte moved her attention from her cousin to the woman beside him and gave off a sweet smile. Allison's heart began thumping like crazy, thinking that Charlotte Delacroix was smiling at her. Out of nervousness, she gave back a small, timid one. She wanted to extend her greetings and tell how she loved the latter's designs, but she was too nervous about opening her mouth and speaking.

"Is this her?" Charlotte asked Hades, and he nodded in response. "Oh, what a cute face!" she exclaimed in delight and clapped her hands before offering her hand to Allison. Her eyes sparkled with admiration. "Hello, cherí, I am Charlotte."

"Allison," the flustered redhead took her hand excitedly. "It's nice meeting you. I... I'm a big fan of your designs, especially the— oh, I'm sorry I'm like this, you're one of the designers I look up to."

"Oh, that's fine. I'm glad to have a cousin-in-law who actually knows my designs! You also know my taste, no? Because I'm tired of brides constantly asking for revisions for their gown. Like, mince! I make my designs out of how I think it fits them. They should be grateful!" the woman exclaimed in frustration. Allison then felt Charlotte's long fingers pinch her rosy red cheek. The pain was tolerable, and she was already used to it. People usually pinch her cheeks.

"O... Oh," that was all she could muster and thought if it was just her or Charlotte had the dibs for cheeks?

She heard Hades let out a heavy sigh. "Leave my wife's cheeks alone, Charlotte."

Allison felt all of her blood rush up to her cheeks as Hades' words kept on repeated endlessly in her head like a broken vinyl while Charlotte pouted like a 3-year-old. "Fine," she said like a kid with tantrums but obliged anyway.

She felt relief when the latter fingers left her cheeks. She massaged her left cheek mentally and noted that she'd bring an ice pack when they planned to visit Charlotte next time as she had this unexpected side. If there would be a next time.

"Are you all right, love?" Hades asked before she felt his large hands cup her face gently, inspecting her red and swollen cheek. She looked up and met his steel-grey eyes looking at her worriedly. Her lips and throat went dry as her stomach churned and tied themselves into knots. She had already made contact with those eyes millions of times, and they never failed to mesmerize her with their splendor.

"Y... Yeah."

She stiffened when he caressed both cheeks with his thumbs, but her heart dropped on the floor when he leaned, giving a kiss on both of her cheeks. "There," he caressed them again. "Feeling okay?"

She gave him a cheeky smile. "Better." 'What is really between us, Hades?' she wanted to ask. 'Why am I feeling this way about you?'

"Beurck," they heard someone coughed out of the blue. In unison, they turned their heads to face Charlotte, who was looking at them with fake disgust. "No PDA in my boutique, lovebirds."

He immediately let go of her cheeks. "Don't be such a bitter gourd, Charlotte," he told his cousin.

"Too bad I was born to be one." Charlotte rolled her eyes playfully. Then said, "Take a seat, you two, I'll just get something."

Allison obediently sat her butt painstakingly on the sofa.

"Why not ask an employee?" asked Hades but sat down anyway.

"Supposedly," said Charlotte, then crossed her arms. "The boutique is closed today. I gave my employees a one-week break two weeks earlier after their hard work. But then, when you called, I immediately opened it but exclusively for you guys. So..." she trailed off and suddenly ran. "Here are my newest designs," she said, coming back while pulling out a rack with beautiful wedding gowns.

Breathlessly, Allison stood up from the sofa and sauntered towards the rack, scrutinizing every wedding gown, admiring how beautiful they were. Charlotte was such a talent. "Well?" she asked. She looked proud of her designs.

"They're all beautiful." she breathlessly blurted out. She had already seen jaw-dropping gowns, but Charlotte's designs were marvelous. Incredibly breathtaking as ever.

"Oh dear, they're all for you."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "F... For me?"

The blonde woman nodded. "Yes, of course. The de Vries rarely have men, and of our family's men is getting married. So, we must miss this," she smiled sweetly, and a pang of guilt struck Allison's chest. It was like tricking someone into false hope. "If you must know the number of days and nights of research about you, your style. Designing and supervising for these gowns' design!"

"Thank you," that's all she could say. She felt ecstatic, and somehow, she couldn't believe that all those gowns were designed for her.

"The pleasure's all mine, cherí," said Charlotte and blew a kiss at her. "Now, why don't you try fitting them?"

Suddenly, the pang of guilt went gone. "Sure thing!" Allison said excitedly and looked at Charlotte with a smiling face.

"Now, let's come this way. Hades, are you coming with us?" the latter invited her cousin, who only did nothing but watch them.

"Of course," he said before standing up.