Chapter 3

That night, Caleb knelt by the bedside for a full three hours before I finally forgave him.

Even though I still had some doubts, we both tacitly avoided bringing up meeting Mom again. Instead, we focused on preparing for the wedding.

What I didn't expect was that when I went to try on my wedding dress, I ran into Emily again. She snapped, "So what if someone else reserved it? Whatever she paid, I'll pay double!"

The store manager tactfully said, "It's not about the money…"

"Do you have any idea who I'm marrying? My fiance is a part of the Lehman family from Crowville. Who in the whole of Wraydale would dare oppose the Lehman family?"

When the manager saw me walk in, she looked like she'd just seen her savior and finally let out a breath of relief. "This wedding dress was specially custom-made by the designer for Ms. Shaw.

"It was made to commemorate their collaborative brand's first appearance at Plavas Fashion Week."

Hearing that only made Emily's eyes burn red with hatred. "The dress honestly looks pretty average."

She came close to my ear, her voice low and sinister, sounding like a hissing snake. "But if it's yours, I just have to take it."

The next second, she adopted a pitiful, tearful tone. Tilting her head, she threw herself into Derek's arms. "Derek, everyone says I'm a fake heiress and that I don't deserve anything…"

Derek gently rubbed her head and comforted her. "No one gets to bully the Lehman family's future daughter-in-law. If you like it, take it."

Visibly hesitant, the store manager turned to me, her expression troubled. I nodded, silently allowing it. After all, with the way Emily had stuffed herself in order to have a child, there was no way she would fit into it.

As expected, a loud rip sounded.

A scream came from the fitting room. When Emily emerged, she stomped on the wedding dress twice out of rage and frustration.

With that, the few crystals left on the dress became loose and fell like raindrops.

The store manager hurried in with the bill. With a crowd around watching the drama unfold, Emily grew even more embarrassed and annoyed.

"What are you rushing me for? I'm obviously going to pay for it since I tried it on."

But the next second, when she saw the numbers on the bill, she blurted, "What? Ten million dollars?"

Emily nervously glanced at Derek. After all, Linda had only given her a budget of one million dollars. No matter how sweet she could act, she would never dare to ask for ten times that amount.

"Derek, it's all this lousy dress's fault! It cut my waist, so I panicked and I…"

Derek signed the bill without hesitation. "It's fine. But you'll have to explain this to my mom yourself."

Emily's expression faltered. Although Derek seemed as doting as usual, his gaze never left me.

Even Emily, who had been smug just moments ago, sensed something amiss.

Suddenly feeling a little mischievous, I leaned close to her ear and whispered just as she did before, "Do you think that it's possible that Derek's actually playing along with me just to mess with you?"