Secretly Mine
Chapter 133: Dress Picking

Chapter 133: Dress Picking

When I arrived home later that evening, I noticed that there was a lot of hustle and bustle in the house. My automatic response was to flee. After the surprise engagement I was forced into with Karl, every time there was something happening around the house, I would begin to feel frightened and uncomfortable.

"Leslie, you’re home. Come here and choose which one of these dresses you want. I can’t decide between the two." My mother waved me over to her side.

She had a large catalogue open in front of her that was filled with dress designs. Our family worked closely with a private designer, and this must be the latest catalog.

"What’s the event?" I asked nervously as I walked over to look at the booklet.

Fear spread through me. I fully expected to look into the catalog and see a full spread of wedding dresses. Though I haven’t seen Karl since the night of the auction event, I was still very painfully aware that I was engaged to him.

"Hurry up. Why are you dragging your feet?" she scolded.

I sucked in a deep breath and walked over to her side. As soon as I noticed that the dresses weren’t wedding dresses, I instantly felt relieved.

At least it’s not the worst-case scenario.

There were three different evening gowns laid out in front of me. They were all very opulent and much more ornate than our typical gowns.

My mother looked at my confused face, "Did you forget? The annual charity gala is right around the corner."

Oh, the charity gala...

Every year, someone would host the annual charity gala. It was a major event that all of the upper circle attended, even those reclusive families who didn’t normally attend events. It was such a big event that not attending it was akin to social suicide.

"Who’s hosting this year?" I asked. It was strange that I was only now hearing about the event. Usually, the invitations would be sent out months in advance, and all of the ladies in the upper circle would gather to discuss the theme while probing to find out what everyone was wearing.

My mother tightened her jaw, "The Amatos! Can you believe it? That girl spent so much time under our roof but failed to mention that they were hosting the Gala this year!"

"Cherie’s family?" I asked. I was also shocked to find out that a family who’s been out of the country for so many years was chosen as the hosts.

"It should have been our turn!" my mother stammered. "I had everything planned out!"

Morgan walked over, yawning. She looked like she had just woken up from a nap. "What’s going on here? The servants are rowdier than usual."

"We’re preparing for the annual charity gala," my mother replied, shooting Morgan a disapproving gaze. "I thought I told you to study Christian’s close colleagues? You’re going to need to know all of this information when you become the future Mrs. Vittoria."

"I know, Mom," Morgan yawned once more, "I tried studying it, but it was so boring that I fell asleep."

"Well, you won’t find it boring when Christian resents you for embarrassing him in a meeting one day!"

"Mom!" cried Morgan. When it came to Christian losing feelings for her, she would immediately resort to tears.

My mother ignored her sobs and turned her attention back to the catalog. "Do you have a preference for any of these?" she asked me once more.

The three dresses were all very different. One was all black with a halter top neckline. Gems and beads were embroidered all over it. The second one was black and red, very striking and form-fitting. It had fewer gems, but the overall design of the dress was very unique.

It was the third dress that drew me in the most. It was an off white, cream color and had a beautiful sweetheart neckline. There was delicate gold and pearl embroidery, making it seem like the dress was partially made out of gold.

The skirt puffed out due to the many layers of the sheer fabric, making it feel ethereal and soft. I felt that this dress would really suit my skin tone and hair color.

"This one. I really like it," I said, pointing to the third dress.

Morgan looked over and frowned, "That one is so boring, this black and red one is much better."

My mother looked down and inspected the drawing of the third dress more closely. "Very well. I’ll place an order for this dress then. It’ll suit your personality."

I nodded, thankful that I got an option to put in my input for the first time in my life. Morgan ran over and began flipping through the catalog.

"What about me? I want to choose a dress too!" she said, pouting.

My mother shook her head, "I already chose for you. Don’t worry, I chose something that would match the earrings you won from the auction."

Morgan’s eyes lit up, "Really? Can you show me?"

My mother snatched the catalog from Morgan’s hands and flipped through until she landed on a beautiful silver dress that had a few sapphire accents embroidered over the bodice. Unlike the dress I chose, this one was much more tightly fitting and featured a mermaid-style skirt that cinched at the knees.

"Oh, it’s beautiful, Mom!" said Morgan. She studied the design for a long time before going back to her room, satisfied.

I turned to leave as well when my mother stopped me.

"Leslie, that isn’t the blouse you wore this morning..."

My heart stopped. The blouse I wore this morning was torn to shreds by Christian’s hands. I picked one out that closely resembled it, thinking that no one would notice. The only difference between the two blouses was the small buttons that lined the collar.

I turned back to meet her inquisitive gaze. She studied the rest of my outfit but didn’t say anything.

At least she hasn’t noticed that the skirt is different, too.

Actually, all of the clothes outside of the tweed jacket were different. The only reason that she didn’t pick up on the skirt was because there was an identical one in Christian’s closet at work.

"I...I spilled a bit of coffee today at work. I asked one of my coworkers to help me buy a new shirt," I said, trying my best to weave a believable story.

"Coffee? Don’t tell me you drink sweetened coffee at work all day!" she questioned me angrily.

I quickly shook my head, trying to avoid yet another problem. "No, Mother. I only drink a cup a day. It’s always just black coffee," I explained before she insisted that I skipped dinner or something.

She studied me closely, trying to verify if I was telling the truth. After a brief pause, she let me leave. "Tomorrow morning, I’ll have the maids weigh you. Also, be more careful at the office. Spilling coffee is very unladylike."

"Yes, Mother," I said quietly, trying not to let my anger show.

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