Chapter 6

• Irena didn't blink at all. The woman who came out of the dressing room looked embarrassed and a little uncomfortable in the clothes she was wearing. What's more, it seemed like the woman still didn't fully agree with what had just happened. Irena herself heard complaints and grumbling as she accompanied the woman around.
• “I can't believe my eyes, Miss.” Irena moved closer. Her eyes continued to notice every detail of the clothes that hugged Evangeline's slender body. ‘You look so beautiful in this dress, Miss Eva,’ she praised sincerely. ”Ah... right. I forgot something. One moment.”
• I blinked in confusion. I hadn't even said a word, including my desire to protest Maximilian's ridiculous request. Unfortunately, I couldn't just leave. That man really played on my emotions.
• “What exactly am I doing here?” I grumbled. In this dressing room, surrounded by large mirrors, I saw my own reflection—so foreign in this dress. There were many standing displays with dresses of various colors. Not to mention some accessories made of fur or I don't know what... everything was neatly arranged and well maintained. A large glass-doored cabinet also displayed a line of handcrafted-looking bags. Curious, I approached.
• I observed more carefully than before. Reflexively, I opened the door of the cabinet and took one of the collections. A soft silk bag with beautiful sequin embroidery around it, milky white and shimmering. It seemed like this bag went well with the dress that was still on my body.
• Glancing in the mirror, I compared this beautiful-looking handbag. I smiled. “Irena was right. This dress is beautiful, but something is missing.”
• “What is missing?”
• I almost dropped the handbag. I closed my eyes tightly, and I tried to calm down. Because really, Maximilian's presence in this room was like a ghost—too shocking. “Could you knock first?”
• Maximilian chuckled. ‘The door is wide open.’ He pointed to the open door. Irena seemed to have forgotten to close it again.
• Not wanting to argue again, I chose to return the handbag.
• “It suits you, Eva.”
• “I'm not interested in modeling your clothes, sir. Like I said before.”
• Maximilian laughed. “Come on. My offer is very valuable. You know very well what Trinity Fashion is like, right? Your knowledge of fashion tastes is quite high. Even your intuition just now convinced me that you can make a breakthrough.”
• “I'm not interested.” I chose to sit on the available sofa, trying to cover my suddenly exposed thighs because the dress only reached my knees. Although I couldn't deny it, my appearance in this lavender dress was really different. I don't know why, but the aura that this dress gave off made me feel... beautiful?
• “Wait until you see my final touch.” Maximilian grinned.
• I chose to remain silent. I didn't expect to be in what I thought was a strange situation. I wanted to be angry at Maximilian's stupidity in trying to set me up. In fact, if the man had said what he wanted directly, maybe I wouldn't have to worry about this. It didn't mean that I would immediately agree, but at least my heart would be safe from that suffocating feeling.
• Six thousand dollars is worth a lot to me. I was reminded of the conversation that hadn't happened yet—a conversation that left me quite astonished by Maximilian's arbitrary behavior. The man expressed his wishes clearly, without beating around the bush, including proposing a contract for me for one season this year.
• “I have no experience as a model. You should know that, right?“ I held out the contract I had just read.
• “You can learn,” Maximilian replied briefly.
• “I'm not interested in popularity.”
• My remark just now made Maximilian laugh. “Lots of women out there are scrambling for attention for the sake of popularity. The more you are known to many circles, the easier it is for you to get whatever you want. I've proven that.”
• “Are you satisfied?” I asked briefly, which immediately stopped Maximilian's laughter.
• It took a while before Maximilian finally cleared his throat, then said, “Since I am pursuing my passion, everything I have achieved makes me satisfied. Only one stumbling block suddenly came up.”
• I looked at him a little curious. ”What is it?”
• “Lavender.”
• Eva's forehead wrinkled, but she immediately cast aside her doubts. She didn't want to get any further involved in this conversation. What was the point? Didn't she know that the more she knew, the more she would be caught up in the whirlpool that Max wanted to create? No. Eva just wanted to work, but not in a job that would get her face all over social media. No, Eva wasn't antipathetic to technological progress.
• But...
• Having the title of Roderick Langley's widow felt like an endless burden. Popularity would only attract scandal and cheap gossip. She never imagined that her name would continue to be connected to Rick, the man who had thrown her away, just got rid of her, and humiliated her.
• She wanted to make peace with the past, even though it was difficult. But Eva had to try.
• “Look at my latest design.” Max handed her a final copy of the clothing design that she would be showing off in a month's time.
• Eva was not a stupid woman who did not understand fashion. She had to thank Marguerite Langley who always criticized every detail of her appearance, from the color she wore to the Langley family's regular boutiques that only served certain circles. One of them was Trinity Fashion, a brand that was currently popular among socialites. Rich women scrambled for limited editions or even asked their designers directly to make special dresses. She never expected that the figure behind Trinity Fashion was Maximilian Von Ziegler, the man now sitting casually in front of her.
• Eva had always imagined the Trinity Fashion designer to be a woman with the appearance of a Greek goddess, given how exclusive and mysterious the figure behind these works was. And now, in her hands, was a masterpiece.
• “It's... beautiful,” Eva praised sincerely.
• “Your eyes are observant.” Max laughed cheerfully. ”And lavender is not just any color. As a designer, this color symbolizes serenity, peace, and purification of the soul that seeks to detach from the world. This dress must be worn gracefully, with the right gestures, and just a little movement is enough to convey the message of this color.”
• There was a silent pause between them. Eva was allowed to enjoy all the designs that outsiders rarely touched. Somehow, Max seemed to trust her so much. Eva felt that Max was not the kind of person who would make her fall.
• “As far as I know,” Eva closed Max's design book, placing it carefully on the glass table in front of her, ”Trinity Fashion has famous models. I think one of them would look good in this color.”
• Max raised the corner of his lip. “You're right. How about you try it on first?” He immediately raised his hand, preventing Eva from interrupting or protesting. “Try on one of my dresses, this season's masterpiece. After that, you can meet Trinity Fashion's high-end models. You have a pretty keen sense of fashion, I think. You can judge for yourself whether they suit you or not.”
• Eva's reverie was broken by the arrival of Irena, who looked troubled. Some of the boxes she was carrying almost fell if Max hadn't been quick to help her. Irena's smile was full of fear, accompanied by an apology as Max began to scold her.
• “You're really careless, Irena!”
• “I'm sorry,” Irena's granddaughter said nervously.
• Soon the boxes were in Max's hands. Quickly, the man chose several suitable accessories. “Come here, Eva.”
• Eva hesitated to approach.
• “You can make a decision after this, Eva.” Max put on a crescent-shaped necklace with a crystal setting that Eva was sure wasn't cheap. He also asked Eva to wear dangling earrings that almost touched her shoulders. Either Max's hands were moving too fast, or the man was very professional at his job.
• Eva's black hair was neatly curled. The makeup made her almost unable to believe her own eyes. From the reflection of the large mirror in front of her, Irena seemed to be holding her breath. Eva looked so beautiful, so different, as if the old her had disappeared and been replaced by someone new.
• “Wow!“ That was all Irena could say.
• Max grinned, as if he had won a game whose rules only he knew. There was satisfaction in his eyes, as if he were enjoying every reaction I showed, no matter how subtly I tried to hide it.
• “You know what makes everything perfect?” he asked confidently.
• I clenched my fingers tightly, trying to control my heartbeat, which felt like it was pounding in my chest at an unnatural speed. No. I must not be provoked. I must remain calm.
• “What?” I finally spoke, although coldly and with almost no emotion.
• Max approached, his voice getting lower, yet sharper, piercing the layers of my defenses that were about to collapse.
• “Your eyes.”
• I froze. Instantly, my body felt like it was being swallowed up by an unstoppable torrent. I wanted to ignore his words, but the shadow of the past burst in without permission.
• Slowly, I turned, looking at him with eyes whose luster I could no longer hide. Eyes that the world once knew as something magnificent, something legendary.
• Max grinned wider. “The Great Oceanna is back.”
• And at that moment, I realized that something I had been afraid would happen had actually happened—I couldn't run anymore.