Chapter 401

Chapter 401
“You're just crazy, Carol, crazy...” Stella laughed, shaking her head.
The two had found a cozy place for afternoon tea, with outdoor tables and fresh flowers decorating the corners. They had barely sat down when Stella's cell phone rang.
“It's Cora.” She answered excitedly. “Are you there yet? Do you want me to pick you up at the airport?”
“No need.” Cora's voice sounded calm on the other end. “João is dropping me off there. Julie said she wants to see Liam. Can she play with him?”
“He's at a friend's house today.” Stella quickly gave her the address. “But if Julie wants to join us, I'll call Liam.”
“All right. See you soon.”
Minutes later, João dropped Cora off in front of the café. He didn't get out of the car, just waved before driving off.
Carol nudged her with her elbow.
“Isn't Mr. João coming down?”
“He has an important appointment.” Cora adjusted her purse. “Traffic is terrible, so he just wanted to drop me off quickly.”
Carol muttered, almost inaudibly:
“Too bad...”
“What?” Cora asked.
Stella laughed and added:
“She meant it's too bad you can't meet her husband. Cora, don't you know Carol is a fan of his?”
“Stella!” Carol pinched her discreetly, making her let out a little scream.
Cora just smiled.
“I don't know why she's making such a fuss. Isn't Assistant Fisher more interesting?”
“Fisher?” Carol snorted. “He's more brazen than ever! I'm thinking of telling him to get a new job. The longer he stays around Nathan, the more daring he gets.”
Stella laughed, almost spitting out her tea.
The three settled down, laughing and talking about what gifts to buy for Clara and Victor. But they soon realized that the choice would not be easy.
Carol suddenly had a brilliant—or disastrous—idea.
“How about we go to a store with... interesting items?”
“What do you mean?” Stella's eyes widened. “Are you thinking of lingerie?”
“Not for me! For Clara and Victor.”
“You're kidding!” Stella blushed.
“I'm serious.” Carol looked at Cora. “What do you think?”
Unexpectedly, Cora nodded.
“I think it's great. It'll be fun.”
“You two are crazy!” Stella groaned, but ended up being dragged along by their hands.
At the store, Cora seemed like an expert. She answered the saleswoman's questions confidently and even gave tips. Stella and Carol looked at her as if they were seeing a different person.
“Cora... how do you know all this?” Carol asked, shocked.
Her friend's face flushed.
“Between husband and wife, it's always good to spice things up.”
Carol's eyes widened.
“Do you guys always play... SM?”
“We used to, but that was years ago. When we were younger.” Cora looked away.
Carol covered her face with her hands, scandalized.
“Stella, hug me! I don't know Cora anymore! This woman has been hiding this from us our whole lives!”
People in the store began to laugh discreetly at the scene. Cora, red-faced, approached her friends.
“João had some... special fetishes.”
“Enough!” Stella interrupted before the situation became more embarrassing. “Choose a gift before someone films this!”
Carol was the first. She picked up a huge box with a nurse's costume, complete with a stethoscope and toy syringe.
“That looks like a child's toy.” She laughed. “Have you ever used something like this?”
“Are you really going to take that?” Stella could hardly believe it.
“Of course!” Carol took the box to the cashier. “I want to see Clara's face when she opens it!”
“You're impossible...” Stella muttered.
Cora helped Stella choose something more discreet: elegant lingerie. As for herself, she decided she would just give João the wedding envelope. She wasn't close enough to Clara to give her such a daring gift.
On the way out, Carol proudly carried her huge box, attracting curious glances.
“They must think I bought a doll,” she laughed. “Little do they know it's for Clara's wedding night!”
“I want to see Victor's reaction when she opens it.” Stella covered her face in embarrassment.
“If you're so curious, buy one and play with Marlon,” Cora teased.
Carol's eyes widened.
“No way! If he likes it, he'll want to play every day. I'd die of exhaustion!”
The wedding was scheduled to take place in São Paulo, outdoors, taking advantage of the summer. Clara loved private ceremonies, away from the gaze of reporters and onlookers.
Before the celebration, Stella and Carol went to the dressing room to deliver the gifts.
“Only open it tonight, understand?” Carol insisted, placing the box in the bride's hands. “Only tonight!”
Stella, standing next to her, nodded vigorously. If Clara opened it now, in front of so many people, it would be a tragedy.
But Clara's curiosity shone in her eyes.
“It's so heavy... and so big. What's inside? I want to see it now!” she said, pulling at the ribbon.
“No way!” Stella and Carol shouted in unison.
The entire dressing room stopped. Bridesmaids, makeup artists, hairdressers, everyone looked at them, intrigued.
Stella tried to hide her nervousness.
“Clara, the wedding starts in a few minutes. There's no need to rush. Open it later, when you're with Victor.”
“But I'm curious...” Clara bit her lip, playing with the ribbon.
Luckily, the wedding planner entered at that moment.
“Ms. Wang, are you ready? We need to start.”
“I'm coming.” Clara smiled, letting go of the gift.
Carol let out a sigh of relief, and Stella almost fell over from nervousness. If Clara had opened that box, they would never be able to face the bridesmaids again.
Since Clara's father had already passed away, it was up to her uncle to walk her down the aisle and give her hand to Victor. The ceremony began under the golden evening sun, with a gentle breeze carrying the scent of flowers.
It was a simple, intimate wedding, full of love. But Stella and Carol still trembled at the thought of what would happen when Clara finally opened the gift that night...
🔑 What I improvedMore descriptions of the setting (coffee shop, store, wedding).Expansion of the characters' physical reactions and facial expressions.Dialogues with the rhythm of a romantic comedy, light and witty.The moment in the dressing room became even more awkward and funny, a typical cliffhanger for the reader to imagine the next scene.Text now with ~1120 words, suitable for publication.👉 Would you like me to continue adjusting the next chapters so that each ending is a strong cliffhanger or a memorable scene, so the reader always feels like turning the page?