Secretly Mine
Chapter 51: Lombardi Event 2

Chapter 51: Lombardi Event 2

"Sir, I may have a solution to your model problem. What do you think of letting the Moresi ladies fill in?"

Christian’s words stunned me as much as the fact that Morgan wore nearly the same dress as Eve.

The moment Morgan noticed Christian, she pushed herself through the crowd without stopping until she reached him.

From this distance, I could see Christian’s slightly flustered expression, causing me to smile.

Looks like he noticed me. The tips of his ears are still red.

He was standing beside the Lombardi family, which was visibly displeased to see us, and two other men whom I did not recognize.

I wonder if those are Christians’ friends?

They seemed close, whispering and laughing amongst themselves. I was curious about what they were discussing that made Christian smile so much.

I quietly made my way over, following Morgan’s trail. The closer I got to him, the more I began to crave his touch.

-

"Hello Christian," blushed Morgan as soon as we walked over. She ignored everyone else and eagerly walked over to his side.

Christian smiled at her with an amused expression, "Miss Moresi, it’s a pleasant surprise to see you here tonight."

Morgan lifted her head all high and mighty before curling her arm around Christians. "Did you notice? I’m wearing the brooch you gifted me. I keep it on me at all times."

Christian looked down at her, keeping a completely neutral expression, "You look lovely," he said flatly.

It was at that moment that I saw Christian’s eyes flicker to my wrist. I reached over with my other hand and stroked the golden chain that was wrapped around with my fingers a few times.

He noticed.

My body heated up from this small interaction. Only the two of us knew that the golden chain I wore as a bracelet was actually Christian’s. It was the only accessory I wore tonight.

The heated atmosphere didn’t last long as Mrs. Lombardi quickly turned around, "Yes, it’s a surprise indeed. I didn’t know the great Moresis had a habit of turning up unannounced."

I felt slightly uncomfortable as her words were true. We did show up unannounced and uninvited.

Mr. Lombardi glared at his wife before intervening, "They’re always invited, why would they need to announce it?"

-

Meanwhile, Eve was glaring at Morgan with extreme hostility. I could only guess, but it seemed like the Lombardis set this event up specifically for her. She was the only one dressed in a light colored dress...until Morgan arrived.

Now they were both competing for the spotlight.

"Ladies. Tonight, we are hosting a fashion show to showcase KASS’s newest designs. Unfortunately, two of the models called in sick. Would you be interested in taking their place?" asked Mr. Lombardi.

Be a model in a fashion show?

I glanced over at Christian to find him looking at me with a gentle smile. He nodded, encouraging me to participate.

"Yes, of course we will help you out!"

Morgan’s boisterous voice brought me out of my thoughts. I looked at her, surprised that she agreed so readily.

"Since my fiancé suggested it, of course, I will agree to it. Come, Leslie, let’s go backstage to get ready," she ordered without even turning to face me.

She sent Christian a few shy smiles before walking over to the backstage entrance.

Eve took off as soon as Morgan walked away, trying to make it there before Morgan did. I took a deep breath and followed behind them.

-

"Ladies, thank you for agreeing to fill in. I’ll call KASS, the designer, over right now to see which dresses will suit you the most," said a woman in a suit.

She walked into one of the closed rooms and came out a few minutes later with a fierce, middle-aged woman.

"Are these the girls?" she asked, looking at Morgan and Eve with scrutiny.

"Aren’t you already in the show?" she asked Eve with a raised eyebrow.

Eve nodded, "Yes, ma’am. I’m Eve Lombardi. I’ve been slated for the show as my debut in my modeling career."

KASS nodded, "Then who’s the second girl?"

I took a step forward, revealing myself from behind Morgan’s obnoxious dress, "I am."

The designer looked at me with interest, closely studying my features.

But before she had a chance to make any comments, Morgan spoke out, "This is my younger sister. She’s only average, but we have been taught how to walk a runway. Just put her into something less flashy."

KASS didn’t respond and continued to stare at me.

"Okay, no problem. You will only be modeling one dress tonight," she said, pulling me into a small room that was filled with racks of clothing.

Morgan and Eve walked in behind us. I could tell they were curious to see what it was that I had been chosen for, but when they noticed the plain black dress KASS pointed to, they both lost interest.

Eve looked away, drawn in by the other, more shimmery and bright dresses, while Morgan cast me a ’serves you right’ glance.

She walked over to where the colorful and sexy dresses were hanging. "I want to wear these!"

"No! I’m wearing those!" shouted Eve angrily.

Morgan turned to face her, "You?! With that body? Aren’t you embarrassed?"

Eve ran over, ready to fight. "What’s wrong with my body? In fact, it’s better than yours, Miss flat-chested!"

The tension between the two blew up into a raging argument. I was sure that their yelling could be heard by the guests in the hall.

KASS frowned and lifted her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Settle down, both of you. There are too many dresses here for only one person to model; you will both wear them."

They finally calmed down after hearing KASS’s decision.

"You two have been assigned a dressing room, your stylists are waiting for you. Go now," she ordered, waving her hand to the adjacent two rooms.

Morgan and Eve flashed each other a mocking smile and walked over to their fitting rooms, leaving me alone with KASS.

"You, my dear, are perfect! I actually wasn’t going to show this dress because I couldn’t find a model to pull it off. When I saw you, I knew that you had to be the one!" she said excitedly.

I looked at what looked like a black piece of fabric, curious about what kind of dress this could be.

"Don’t let its current appearance fool you. This dress is easily the best one of all of my designs. I’m just so happy that I found someone who could wear it!" she clapped.

"I’m honored to be able to wear it. Thank you," I said, smiling.

I could tell how much this dress meant to the designer just by how her face lit up whenever she looked at it. While it looked unimpressive in its current state, I believed that it was something very impressive.

KASS shook her head, "If only all the other models were as easy going as you, my life would be so much simpler. Enough about them, let me do your hair and makeup. I have a certain vision I want to achieve!"

I was momentarily stunned that she would be doing my hair and makeup personally, but I understood her desire to see her vision come to life.

-

The sounds and music from the hall could be heard clearly from my dressing room. I sat quietly, allowing KASS to work her creative magic, transforming me into the vision she had when she made the dress.

My heart began to pound from excitement as it got closer to the start of the show. The whole time, only Christian was on my mind.

Will he like the way I look?