Matteo Montgory hadn't been joking when he said that he had a new dress prepared for Alia. She had considered that he would be, or at least, perhaps he would've borrowed a last-minute dress for her so that he wouldn't lose his face because of her, but she hadn't expected to see sothing like that.
"See if it's your size," Matteo calmly said once the door was pushed open and Alia walked in. He tucked one hand into his pocket, the other on the door handle. "If you need any adjustnts, I'll call for the seamstress to co over."
To call it a champagne dress would be a severe understatent. It would probably even work as a wedding dress! It was an off-shoulder dress that had a fitted bodice and a rmaid tail flare. The bodice had a low cut and was fitted with chiffon and shimring beads, while the flare of the skirts had layers upon layers of fabric to create a full body.
It was a light gold color, similar to the sparkling alcoholic beverage, and Alia wondered if the wine had sohow seeped into her system for she must be hallucinating this entire thing.
"I... I can't possibly wear this!" Alia all but yelled, panicked.
It was beautiful, but if Kelsie Friesent destroyed this dress like she did Alia's original outfit, Matteo Montgory was going to have her head for it! There was no way she could pay him back if this dress was ruined. It didn't seem like sothing within her payroll, even with the ridiculously high salary her new employer was offering.
"Why not?" Matteo asked, looking genuinely confused. His head tilted slightly to the left as he stared at Alia. "I am sure the asurents wouldn't be too far off."
"M-asurents―" Alia had to stop herself from screaming. How did he even know her asurents?
"I will be outside if you need ," he curtly said, ignoring the way Alia's face was changing colors as though she was a chaleon. With that said, he left the room and clicked it shut.
Left alone with the stunning new dress, Alia had all the ti to gawk. She had only seen such a masterpiece off runways and magazines. She hadn't even dared to look into the fancy boutiques down the city central, knowing that those weren't pieces she could afford back then.
Reaching out, her fingers grazed the beads. The cold stone caused her hand to shiver. Goodness. These crystals felt strangely like diamonds.
Truth be told, Alia was worried but at the sa ti, insanely excited. This was a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity! When else would she be able to try on a dress like this?
Wasting no ti, she quickly locked the door and slipped out of her stained dress before donning the new one. The zipper was an issue but she managed to pull it all the way up before opening the door.
"Mr. Montgory?" she called out, poking her head out the door.
She pressed her hand against the low cut of her dress― it didn't cause anything that shouldn't show to show, but Alia wasn't comfortable with showing this much skin. All of her clothing pieces prior to this had been conservative, and the most scandalous clothes she had would be lingerie that never saw daylight past her bedroom doors.
Granted, there was a thin translucent veil that covered her cleavage, but it was much more fleshy than normal. It did, however, hug her curves perfectly as though the dress was made just for her.
Matteo had been leaning against the wall, his eyes glued to his phone screen. When he heard Alia's voice, he quickly locked his phone and stuffed it into his pocket before turning to look.
When his eyes landed on her, they widened. It wasn't an obvious movent, but when paired with the roll of his Adam's apple as he swallowed and the slight dilation of his pupils, Alia shifted uncomfortably in his gaze.
They weren't standing too far apart, and all these minuscule movents weren't hard to spot. Matteo's lips parted slightly before he lightly cleared his throat.
"It fits you wonderfully," he said. He then held out his arm for her to take. "Shall we?"
Alia hesitated only for a fraction of a second before she took Matteo's arm. Following his lead, they re-entered the main hall where the charity auction was held.
"They will be conducting the bids soon," Matteo said as they made their way through the crowd. It parted for them like the Red Sea, and Alia could feel the hot gazes of the onlookers watching them. "Let know if anything catches your eye."
"My eye?" Alia squeaked, confused. Why would her likes and dislikes matter here at the auction? She wasn't capable of buying anything!
They found their seats and Matteo helped her settle down before sitting right beside her. He adjusted his suit before he turned to look at her. A small smile danced upon his lips, and now it was Alia's turn to be awed by him.
"Consider this as an onboarding gift from to you," he said before turning back to the stage, ignoring the way Alia practically gawked at his words.
At that ti, Alia had yet to understand the severity of the situation. It was only when the first item was listed, then the second, did Alia's face turned paler and paler.
"Going once, going twice... Sold at thirteen million dollars to Mrs. Rutherford!"
"Thirteen... million..." Alia swallowed, trying to regain so moisture in her mouth. Her throat had gone dry, and by the ti the fifth item was shown, she thought she might pass out. Every item that was brought out easily cost more than her annual salary, and none of them seed as though they were worth that much.
"And now, ladies and gentlen, allow to introduce this wonderful new piece of art that had traversed decades before landing in our hands," the auctioneer eagerly said as his assistants wheeled out a small table behind him.
With a flick, he revealed the item, causing Alia's eyes to widen and her heart to stop. Her breath was caught in her throat, and at that mont, the world truly began to spin rounds and rounds to the point where Alia wasn't able to focus on anything but what was on that stage. It had been years since she had last seen it― and at that ti, she hadn't expected to see it here of all places.
She sold it, she rembered it clearly, and not for a price that would warrant its appearance at this charity auction. There was no way she would have recognized the item wrongly. True enough, she quickly reached for the pamphlet and haphazardly flipped through it until she found the item she was searching for. The photo detailed the item clearly, and it was just as she rembered it to be, down to the tiny stamp that bore their family crest.
"My flute..."
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