Early the next morning, Harper sent the finished garments to Olivia at the hospital.
Olivia received the outfits in the surgical consultation room. They were exactly as she had envisioned, with a unique touch that made them truly special.
She took out her cell phone and sent Harper a voice message
Olivia: [Thank you, Harper. I love these outfits so much. You must have worked shard on it.] She also transferred the remaining payment to Harper.
But to her surprise, Harper promptly refunded the amount.
Harper: [This is what I should do. I only charge the original price.]
Olivia's heart sank a little, but she didn't insist on repaying. Instead, she gazed at the clothes on the chair, lost in thought, before dialing Joseph's number. "Joseph, are you busy?" she asked.
Joseph put down the medical records in his hand and replied, "Not at all. What's up?"
Olivia explained, "Harper has sent the clothes to me. Can you come and take a look at them for me? She said she can still change it for her if it doesn't work anywhere."
Joseph's hand holding the pen nodded lightly on the table, thinking for a moment, and said, “Good.”
When he arrived, Olivia was already wearing one of the outfits.
This was a casual professional outfit in a khaki color. It was originally a modest color, but a little chic design was added by Harper to make the whole outfit look like a showstopper.
Olivia eagerly awaited Joseph's feedback. "How do I look?" she asked.
Joseph nodded. He'd always known Harper was good at her profession, but this was the first time he'd visualized her work.
“I think it's great too.” Olivia smiled confidently before picking up another dress. “I'll go change into the other one then.”
With that, she took the dress and walked into the inner office.
Moments later, a scream came from the office. Joseph rushed over and asked, "Olivia, what happened?"
“Nope, just give me a minute,” Olivia replied.
Soon, she emerged from the office in a black dress, its unique design preventing the color from appearing dull.
However, Olivia, her sleeve unzipped, bore a conspicuous blood streak on her fair arm.
"How did this happen?" Joseph furrowed his brow as he inquired, retrieving the iodine from the cabinet.
"Just got scraped accidentally," She replied.
The zipper was discreetly concealed, evading her notice as she hastily donned it, inadvertently meeting a sharp edge that caused the incision.
Joseph dampened a cotton swab with iodine, his brow furrowed in concern, gently tending to her wound.
Olivia couldn't help but look at him a little more, and reached for her phone to sneak a picture of his side profile shyly.
"Avoid water for the next few days, and perhaps skip the overly intricate clothing," Joseph casually advised as he stowed away the iodine in the cabinet.
"Harper's clothing is indeed exquisitely crafted. It is my oversight," Olivia said.
She spoke the truth. With the zipper secured in advance, there would be no risk of it being snagged. It was her impatience that led to the mishap.
"Understood." Joseph nodded. "Take care of yourself. I'm going back."
Watching his departure, Olivia couldn't help but reveal a slight smile, as she lowered her gaze to peruse the photo she had just captured.
After a moment of reflection, she made a decision. She opened her social media and selected that precise image for her post.
In the evening, Harper returned to her apartment early.
She was in a much better mood because she ended her partnership with Olivia.
Looking at the time, she was afraid that Joseph wouldn't be back tonight.
She had long been used to a night alone.
Harper, as usual, opened the refrigerator and looked at it. The vegetables she bought yesterday were still fresh. When she was about to simply make pasta for herself, Joseph came back.
“Why are you back so early today?”Harper poked out half of her body from the kitchen, she looked at the pasta. She hadn't prepared his share.
Joseph had little expression on his face, looking at the woman's back. Finally, he asked in a deep voice, “ Why did you design the dress you made for Olivia that way?”