CHAPTER 43
Celeste’s POV
Isadora’s smugness faltered, her face draining of color.
The women around her started. A few even stepped away from her.
“You–you’re lying,” she sputtered, trying to regain control. “Madam Diane would never wear such trash. She has better taste than this cheap mess you’ve draped on these hangers.”
words had barely left her mouth when a voice, cool and unmistakably elegant, cut through the tension like silk over glass.
But the w
“Oh? And here I thought I’d arrived early.”
Everyone turned.
There, standing in the boutique’s entrance, was Madam Diane herself.
Everyone in the business world knew better than to offend Madam Diane lightly. She was no mere socialite with a vanity title, but the wife of a senior Ministry of Finance official,
She and her family have the power to make or break reputations with a few pointed words, Connections like hers didn’t just open doors–they decided who was invited in, and who was left out in the cold.
Isadora turned, all pretense draining from her face as she spotted Madam Diane. Panic flared in her eyes.
Madam Diane’s eyes dropped to the shredded fabric still clutched in my arms. She frowned, taking a few steps closer. “Is that the one I commissioned?”
I nodded slowly, hands trembling slightly as I held it out to her.
She took the gown from my hands. And then her face changed
“Oh, my… 7
gala?”
is the gown I commissioned, isn’t it? What happened here? Do you really expect to salvage this mess before the
Before I could answer, Isadora stepped in quickly, her voice rising in a brittle laugh.
“Celeste must’ve mislabeled it,” she explained while shooting me a vicious glare. “It shouldn’t have been out here where anyone could accidentally touch it. I had no idea it was your gown, Madam Diane. None at all. It was careless of her to leave something so important lying around-”
I blinked at her, keeping my tone as wide–eyed and even as I could. “But I didn’t do anything wrong,” I said, felgning confusion. “The gown was displayed where it always is for fittings. Isadora just… grabbed it and started tearing it apart.”
I let out a soft gasp. “I even pulled it back before more damage could be done. Thank goodness I managed to save what little was left.”
1/3
+20 Bonus
Isadora’s face contorted, and she spun toward me. “Don’t twist my words. You’ve done enough. This was your carelessness-
your fault-
“Enough,” Madam Diane’s voice cut clean through the air, low and glacial.
Everyone fell silent.
She stepped forward, her heels clicking once–twice–until her presence was impossible to ignore.
“I saw everything,” she said coolly “From the moment I stepped inside this boutique. I watched you reach for that gown with no
regard. I watched you rip it–purposefully, might I add. And now you’re trying to spin some convenient story to avoid the
blame?”
Isadora paled, her mouth opening uselessly, but nothing came out.
Madam Diane didn’t flinch. “You damaged my property. And now, you’re insulting my intelligence by lying about it. That’s twice
the offense.”
“No… that’s not how it happened.” Isadora’s voice trembled. She looked around, hoping someone would speak up for her.
but the women who had come in trailing behind her stood like statues. Not a single one came to her defense.
I came forward carefully. “I truly apologize for this entire inconvenience, Madam Diane,” I said, voice soft and composed. “I never imagined someone would say your gown “wasn’t worth much.”
My gaze slid to Isadora–sharp and glinting–but my voice remained calm. “Though I suppose everyone has their own standards
of taste.”
The room tensed. Madam Diane’s eyes slowly shifted to Isadora, her expression darkening with every heartbeat. “That gown was meant for a diplomatic event at the embassy next week. One that will be attended by foreign dignitaries and officials.”
She took one last look at the ruined silk, her lips pressing into a line. “Settle this,” she said icily, her gaze locking on Isadora. “Or
else.”
She didn’t clarify what the ‘or else‘ entailed.
She didn’t have to.
With her heavy silence crashing over the boutique, Madam Diane turned and walked out without another word.
The door hadn’t even swung shut behind Madam Diane before Isadora rounded on me, her eyes wild.
“You little snake,” she hissed, stepping forward like she might actually throttle me. “You set me up!”
I took a measured step back, my voice as calm as ever. “Careful. You don’t want to ruin another gown by accident, do you?” I let the warning hang in the air, then added, “You may not realize how many pieces here belong to people you can’t afford to offend.”
She froze, hands twitching at her sides.
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But soon, she scoffed. “Don’t act like you run some luxury house. This boutique isn’t even that high–end. Madam Diane was just
curious. That’s all ”
I smiled, “Then I’m sure you won’t mind covering the damage,” I paused dramatically before continuing. “70 thousand dollars- for the fabric alone, of course. Labor and rush delivery will be separate”
A couple of the women nearby gasped.
Isadora’s hand froze as she rummaged through her purse. “Are you extorting me?” Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “You actually think this qualifies as top–level haute couture?”
“That’s business. “I said sweetly.
Her jaw clenched, the muscle twitching. Suddenly, like the petulant coward she truly was, she raised her hand.
But I was faster.
I caught her wrist mid–air, the sound of our sudden clash cutting through the boutique like a blade.
Gasps followed again. But I wasn’t affected at all. Instead, I leaned in slowly, letting my words brush just against her ear.
“I’m not the woman you used to scold and humiliate,” I whispered, calm and razor–sharp. “You raise that hand again, I will strike back–and trust me, I won’t miss.”
Her wrist trembled in my grip, and 1 squeezed–just enough to make sure she felt it.
She yanked her arm away, her expression crumpling with a mix of outrage and disbelief. For a moment, I could see it–real fear flickering in her eyes.
She couldn’t win here. Not now.
With a strangled scoff, she turned on her heels and stormed toward the exit,
I didn’t stop her. Not until her hand reached the door.
“Oh, Isadora?” 1 called, my voice smooth as silk. “Don’t forget the compensation. I’ll give you until tomorrow before I inform Madam Diane… and if I don’t see payment, I won’t hesitate to take this to court.”
She paused. Just for a second.
Then she was gone, along with her so–called friends.
And as I watched their backs retreating. A smile came to my lips.
