Chapter 22 A Dress for My Wife
The sales assistant understood immediately.
After looking at Daisy's outfit, she led her to the premium display area and showed her several pieces from the current season's collection.
Each one was designed with simple elegance— not too flashy, but not cheap-looking either.
The prices were within Daisy's budget too.
She tried one on, and just as she came out of the fitting room, she saw another sales assistant carefully wheeling out a mannequin covered with a dust cover, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Lily, come give me a hand and wrap up this dress."
"Be really careful— this is our store's treasure, a new haute couture piece. There's only one in the entire state, worth two million dollars!"
Daisy's eyes unconsciously turned that way.
She watched as the dust cover was gently lifted, revealing the long gown underneath.
It was a sky-blue strapless gown, the bodice covered in tiny diamonds that sparkled under the spotlights.
The skirt was made of layers upon layers of sheer tulle, light and flowing, like a cloud of moving mist.
The design had both a young girl's romance and a mature woman's elegance— it was breathtakingly beautiful.
Soft gasps of admiration filled the store.
Daisy gasped. The dress was perfect—exactly her style, exactly her color.
Plus, sky blue was one of Luna's favorite colors, and the elegant, sophisticated style wouldn't seem too over-the-top.
Perfect for her daughter's birthday party.
She could almost picture herself wearing this dress, standing next to Luna.
Almost without thinking, she took two steps forward and reached out to touch the soft tulle fabric.
But just as she extended her hand, the sales assistant quickly slapped it away with a sharp smack.
Daisy's hand turned red from the slap. She looked up in shock.
The sales assistant was quite rude. "What do you think you're doing? Who said you could touch it?"
"I just wanted to feel what fabric it was." Daisy rubbed her hand awkwardly.
"Feel it? Lady, are you kidding me? You think this is some discount store near your house where you can touch whatever you want?"
The sales assistant looked her up and down and rolled her eyes dramatically. "This is a multi-million-dollar dress. If your rough hands snag it, are you going to pay for it or am I?"
Her voice was sharp and piercing, drawing everyone's attention in the store.
Daisy's face burned with embarrassment.
She was in the wrong here, but this sales assistant was being way too aggressive.
She took a breath, not wanting to argue, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"Didn't mean to? I think you're just trying to take advantage!" The sales assistant wouldn't let it go. "Let me tell you, this dress was custom-ordered by Mr. Vincent Black for his wife!"
"If you want to touch it, look at yourself first and see if you're worthy. If you've got what it takes, go marry a rich guy yourself and have him buy it for you."
Daisy didn't catch what the sales assistant said after that— she froze at the first sentence.
Vincent ordered this?
For his wife... so this dress was actually hers?
This realization left her momentarily stunned.
In six years of marriage, Vincent had never paid attention to her, much less noticed what dresses she wore. Aside from family dinners and Luna's birthday parties, he'd never taken her to any formal occasions.
As if he found her embarrassing, not presentable enough.
But now, he'd custom-ordered such an expensive gown for her?!
So, for the sake of appearances at their daughter's birthday party, or as some last-minute compensation before their divorce?
Daisy's mind was in turmoil.
She glanced at the stunning sky-blue dress, then at the sales assistant, and finally said nothing, turning back to the fitting room.
Since Vincent had already prepared a dress, she didn't need to rent one anymore.
Just as well— it saved her money and trouble.
She changed back into her own clothes and said to the young sales assistant who had helped her earlier. "I'm sorry, I won't be renting a dress. My husband has already prepared one for me."
The young sales assistant looked a bit surprised but remained polite. "Alright, ma'am. Please come again."
Walking out of the dress shop, Daisy stood on the street, watching as the dress was being packed up, and couldn't help but smile.
Well, since he'd already been so thoughtful, she might as well take it easy.
-
On the night of the birthday party, the ballroom at Skytop Hotel was brilliantly lit.
The servers and performers were all in place after some time, and all kinds of gifts and refreshments were ready.
Daisy arrived three hours early to do a final check for any oversights. After she finished, she went to the VIP dressing room the hotel had reserved for her.
The makeup artist and hairstylist were already waiting there.
"Mrs. Black, you look wonderful today." The makeup artist greeted her with a smile.
Daisy smiled back and sat down in front of the mirror.
The makeup and hair took three hours. She looked at the woman in the mirror— refined and elegant makeup, hair pinned up, revealing the beautiful lines of her neck.
A few loose strands hung lazily by her cheeks, adding a touch of softness.
She was very satisfied.
Next, she just needed to change into the dress Vincent had prepared for her.
Normally, such an important dress should have been delivered to the dressing room in advance, but after searching the room, she couldn't find anything resembling a dress box.
Maybe it was sent directly to the main lounge? Daisy thought, getting up to check the lounge.
The lounge door was slightly ajar, and cheerful laughter and conversation drifted out. Daisy knocked, then pushed it open.
Vincent was there, already changed into a sharp, custom-made black suit, chatting and laughing with several business tycoons.
Luna wore an expensive puffy princess dress, surrounded by a group of children, her little face flushed with excitement.
But the most eye-catching person was undoubtedly Vanessa, standing in the center of the lounge.
She wore a sky-blue strapless floor-length gown, the diamonds on the bodice reflecting dazzling light under the chandeliers.
The layers of sheer tulle made her look as if she were standing in a cloud of shimmering mist, beautiful and dreamlike.
This was the very dress Daisy had seen at the boutique— the one the sales assistant had treasured and claimed was "custom-ordered by Mr. Vincent for his wife," the haute couture piece worth two million dollars.
It was on Vanessa.
She had naturally done her makeup and hair to match the dress, and coincidentally, her styling was almost identical to Daisy's.
Daisy stood frozen, feeling as if all the blood in her body had turned to ice.
Her ears rang, and all the sounds in the lounge became distant and muffled.
So she'd been mistaken. That so-called compensation and consideration for appearances— it was all her own wishful thinking!
Daisy felt like the stupidest, most foolish idiot in the world! She'd paid good money for someone to do her makeup beautifully and style her hair perfectly, yet she didn't even have a decent dress to wear.
An unprecedented wave of humiliation crashed over her. Her cheeks burned hot while her hands and feet went numb with cold.
"Daisy?"
Perhaps she'd been standing in the doorway too long. Vincent looked over at her, his brow furrowing slightly. "Where's your dress?"