Pretending to be the hart empire heir fiancee does not cost much,you just need to be prepared to lose your mind.
"Okay," Sammy said, stretching like she was about to run a marathon. "Today, we shop."
I blinked at her from my bed, still in my pajamas, with my hair looking like I had just fought a lion.
"Elena," she said, hands on hips, "you are about to play fiancee to Julian Hart, heir of the richest family in this city,and possibly the country.You can't just show up looking like you have been living in the past and have no sense of modern day fashion."Come on ,get dressed,we are going to a kind of boutique you might never get to experience again.
An hour later, We arrived at a store that had no name on the outside. Just a glass door,but a single look at the building got my insides screaming "Girl,you can't afford this".Too late,we were there already and I just had to see it through.
Inside, the walls were white, the racks were gold, and every assistant stared at us like they were sure we missed our way.
Sammy,on the other hand beamed like she belonged here,while I kept clutching my purse like the prices might jump me.
"Let's start with something simple," she said, handing me a satin dress that looked like it belonged to a fifteen year old. "You're going for 'elegant mystery.'"
I put it on.
And I was sure I had never looked this terrible. Okay,maybe a couple of time.
"Nope," Sammy said immediately. "You look like you're going to cry at your ex funeral."
I glared at her.
An hour and about thirteen dresses later, I stood in front of the mirror in a red gown so tight I couldn't breathe properly. Sammy walked around me in a slow circle.
"Now I am certain julian is going to fall right in love with you once he sees you in this dress .
"I can't sit, eat, or breathe."
"Beauty is pain,sweetheart "
"Why do women put themselves through this?"
"Because we like being hot and miserable," she said.
By the third hour,We had 3 shopping bags, tens of dresses and shoes,designer bag and a broken leg ( I tripped while trying on a five inch heels).I slumped into a cushy chair while Sammy paid with Julian's card ,and at the same time flirt with the Cashier.
As we left the boutique, I stepped onto the street in three-inch heels, wobbling like a baby giraffe.
"I swear," I muttered, "if I fall in front of the paparazzi, I'm going to haunt you forever."
Sammy cackled.
We headed to a coffee shop after, our arms filled with luxury bags and our faces beaming with pride.
"You're really doing this," Sammy said as we sipped our latte
"Yeah. I guess I am."
" Are you scared?"
"Nope,I am terrified."
She smiled. "Good. That means you care."
I looked up at her. "How do you always know what to say"
She shrugged. "You make it easy."
For a second, I forgot about the fake fiancé, the ridiculous heels, the judgmental boutique lady and my broken leg.
For a second, it was just me and my best friend, sitting in a café, laughing about how ridirculous life was.
And somehow, that made everything okay.
We were about to head home when Sammy suddenly gripped my wrist like she'd seen a ghost .
"Elena," she whispered. "Look across the street."
A sleek black SUV had just pulled up and and an effortlessly gorgeous woman stepped out. Tall,elegant, and with a huge smile on her face,She is definitely the real definition of class.
"She's stunning," I said. Who is she?
"That's Julian's mother," Sammy hissed.
I blinked. "Seriously?"
She nodded. "Olivia Hart. Known for her charity work,Amazing fashion sense, and ability to scare billionaires into submission with just one glance or at most a single word."
I squinted. "Why is she here?"
"Not sure about that," Sammy whispered. "What I am sure of is that she's looking at you."
I panicked. " Me?What should I do? bow? Smile? Hide under the table?look away?"
We both tried to act natural—Well,If natural means sitting frozen awkwardly sipping iced coffee and pretending we weren't being watched by someone who is probably the most influential in the country .
She didn't approach us. She just stood by the shop entrance, eyes calm and steady behind her glasses, watching with quiet intensity.