Chapter 112
The sounds coming from the fitting room made the female salesperson standing outside frown more and more.
"I bet they're taking selfies," the salesperson whispered to her colleague nearby, her lips curling slightly, "You know, those bestie fitting room party pics they post on social media with hashtags about shopping with the girls, and then they don't buy a single thing."
Her colleague nodded sympathetically, organizing clothes on the rack, "Another day with no sales, huh? These young girls always try on the most expensive stuff, take a ton of photos, and then say, 'I'll think about it.' God, I hate this job."
The two pretended to stay busy, but their ears were tuned to the noises from the fitting room.
The laughter went on for at least ten minutes.
Then the door suddenly swung open.
First out was Isabella, wearing the wine-red sheer gown she had tried on earlier. The side slit was still shockingly high, but she had thrown on her own camel-colored wool coat, barely covering the most daring parts.
Next was Doria.
She didn't add a coat, just wore that black dress.
That piece of art that barely covered her hips.
With a deep V-neck, short hem, and a high side slit, every detail of the design looked perfect on her curvy figure.
She didn't look like the usual Doria, the wife of a politician, but like a movie star, a woman who could command everyone's attention.
Her face was still flushed with excitement.
Last was Aria, following behind in a silver sequined mini dress she had picked on a whim.
The design was more modest, but the shiny material made her look like a socialite straight out of a party.
Aria raised an eyebrow and flashed a bright, proud smile at the two salespeople.
"I think you can help us check out now."
The two salespeople exchanged a glance, seeing surprise and a spark of hope in each other's eyes.
They had thought these three women were just broke girls messing around, but they were actually buying.
And not just one item, but three! That black dress was one of the most expensive pieces in the store!
"Of course! Of course!" the salesperson who had first greeted them immediately put on her warmest smile.
Aria smirked at Isabella and Doria with a wink, then followed the salesperson to look at other dresses.
Isabella and Doria stood by the counter, waiting for the items to be wrapped.
"Are you really buying that one?" Isabella asked Doria quietly, her eyes glancing at the price tag on the black dress.
$2,500. The number was so glaring it felt like it was mocking her bank account.
Doria nodded, smiling happily, "Yeah, I want to see Elliot's face when he sees me in this. He might faint, or cancel all his meetings and take me straight home. Either way, it's worth the price."
Isabella couldn't help but laugh.
But after laughing, she still felt uneasy.
$2,500 was way too much.
Even if Doria was married to the son of a political family, it was still a big amount.
She quietly pulled out her wallet, hoping to slip her credit card to the salesperson while Doria wasn't looking.
At least to pay for her own wine-red dress.
Though it was still expensive, it was within her budget, especially with the high salary Vitale paid her.
But her move was too slow.
Or rather, Doria's was too fast.
Just as Isabella's fingers touched her wallet, Doria had already handed her bank card to the salesperson.
"All three together. One payment."
The salesperson's eyes widened, taking the card almost reverently.
Isabella froze, her hand stuck mid-air.
Aria, hearing Doria's words, also froze.
"Doria, you don't have to—" Aria started, her voice rising.
"I want to," Doria cut her off, her smile gentle but firm, "It's been so long since we've seen each other, right? Two years. And in those two years, so much has happened. I got married, moved to the West Coast, my dad got sick, Isabella found love and stepped into a complicated world. Our lives have all changed."
"So, let me give you these as gifts. Don't say no, okay? I love seeing you in beautiful clothes, confident and happy, just like we were in college, full of hope for the future and courage for life."
"It makes me feel young again, back when we had nothing but each other, our dreams, and endless possibilities."
Doria paused, her voice choking up a bit, "And will I even get to hang out with you guys again? In Thalassia? Like today, shopping, having coffee, sharing secrets? I don't want to lose you because of distance, marriage, or life."
Isabella felt a lump in her throat.
She reached out to hold Doria's hand, and Aria came over too, their hands stacking together.
"Of course, friend, we'll hang out. You're back here now, we can see each other all the time. What you're saying is ridiculous. How could you lose us? We're sisters, remember? We made that promise in college."
Aria nodded hard, her voice rough with emotion, "Yeah! We'll hang out! Girls' night every week! Shopping, eating, complaining about guys, sharing the latest gossip! Just like before!"
Doria smiled, tears sliding down her cheeks, but she didn't wipe them away, "Good. Then these dresses are a celebration. A celebration that we're still friends, that we can still find each other, that life might be complicated, but friendship is always simple."
She turned to the salesperson, her smile bright again, "Wrap them nicely, okay? These are gifts for my best friends."
The salesperson, nearly moved to tears by the scene, nodded eagerly, "Of course! I'll use the best gift boxes and the prettiest ribbons!"
A few minutes later, the three dresses were packed into three huge gift boxes.
As they walked out of the store, Isabella still felt uneasy.
"Doria," Isabella said softly, "this is too expensive. I really can't accept it. Let me at least pay for my own."
Aria nodded, her expression serious, "Yeah, Doria, that one costs $2,500. I can pay for myself. You don't need to cover it."
Doria sighed, pretending to be annoyed as she put her hands on her hips, "I told you, it's a gift! Don't refuse! If you keep this up, I'm going to get mad. Seriously!"
In the end, Isabella and Aria exchanged a helpless but touched look and gave in.
"Alright, thank you, Doria. This is the most expensive gift I've ever received, but also one of the most precious," Isabella said.
"One of the most precious?" Aria raised an eyebrow, "Then what's the most precious?"
Isabella smiled but didn't answer.
The most precious gift was Vitale's love—a complicated, dangerous, but real love that took her breath away.
But she wouldn't say that out loud, at least not now.
The three women decided to keep wearing their new dresses as they continued shopping.
Of course, Isabella still insisted on wearing her coat over hers, though the hem and high slit of the wine-red sheer dress still peeked out from underneath.
They walked down the main street of Thalassia's city center, chatting and laughing, completely immersed in the joy of reuniting.
Passersby kept turning their heads.
Men's gazes lingered on them—admiration, desire, curiosity.
Women's looks were more complex—envy, jealousy, judgment.
Some secretly took photos, others whispered to each other, and a few even whistled.
The trio didn't notice at all that they had become the center of attention on the street.
They also didn't notice that those photos were being uploaded to social media.
Meanwhile, in the top-floor office of Tyson Group's building, Vitale saw one of those photos.
Isabella was in her camel-colored coat, but it was open, revealing the wine-red sheer dress underneath, her long legs and the high slit clearly visible.
The comments section was full of people asking for her contact info.
Possessiveness and jealous rage surged through Vitale as he picked up his phone and dialed Amboni's number.
The call was answered almost instantly, "Mr. Luca?"
"Social media," Vitale said, his voice calm but with an unmistakable tension beneath it, "All posts and photos related to Isabella—take them down. Now."
Amboni paused for a moment on the other end.
Taking down social media posts?
This wasn't something Vitale usually cared about.
He always thought the online world was fake and not worth his energy.
But now, because of a photo of Isabella, he was pulling strings to get those posts removed.
Amboni didn't ask questions.
He knew Vitale too well.
When it came to Isabella, logic and boundaries always blurred.
"Understood," he simply said, "I'll handle it right away. Do you want me to track down who took the photos?"
Vitale was silent for a few seconds.
His gaze fell back on the photo, on Isabella's radiant smile, on that damn dress that barely covered her.
"Not yet," he finally said, a hint of restrained anger in his voice, "But if anyone tries to contact her or there's any further harassment, then yes."
"Understood."
Isabella had no idea about any of this.
They walked into a high-end jewelry store, and Isabella's eyes were drawn to a diamond necklace.
It was simple yet elegant, a delicate platinum chain with a teardrop-shaped diamond—small, but perfectly cut, sparkling with pure light under the store's lamps.
She only looked at it for a few extra seconds, but the salesperson nearby quickly picked up on it.
"Would you like to try it on, ma'am?" the salesperson asked with a professional smile, "This necklace suits you perfectly. With your elegant aura, the diamond will look like a star on snow around your neck."
Curiosity got the better of Isabella's reason, "Okay, I'll try it."
The salesperson carefully took out the necklace and placed it around her neck.
The cool diamond touched the skin near her collarbone as Isabella walked to the mirror.
The reflection made her pause.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, wine-red sheer dress, and a sparkling diamond at her collarbone.
She didn't look like herself—like a character from a movie, a woman living in a completely different world.
"It's really beautiful," the salesperson said sincerely, "And you can take it with you right now because it's already been paid for."
Isabella turned to the salesperson, her expression confused, "What? Paid for? By who?"
The salesperson blinked, glancing at the tablet in her hand, "It's a credit card payment. The cardholder's name is… I'm sorry, I can't disclose client information. But it has indeed been paid."
Isabella's first instinct was to look at Doria and Aria, who were still browsing jewelry in the store.
They were at the other end of the counter, looking at a bracelet, completely unaware of what was happening here.
Isabella walked over, her voice tinged with confusion and a bit of annoyance, "Why did you buy something for me again? That necklace? I told you, you don't need to pay for me."
Doria and Aria looked up at the same time, their faces blank.
"What?" Doria asked, "What necklace?"
Aria frowned too, "Isabella, what are you talking about?"
Isabella pointed to the diamond necklace around her neck, "This isn't from you? The salesperson said it's already paid for, and I can take it with me."
Doria and Aria exchanged a glance, then shook their heads at the same time.
"No," Doria said, her confusion genuine, "We've been looking at bracelets this whole time. We didn't notice you. And that necklace looks expensive. I might want to give you gifts, but I'm not crazy enough to go that far."
Aria nodded as well, "Yeah, it wasn't me. I haven't even taken out my credit card."
The three women froze.
If it wasn't them, then who was it?