Dress fitting part 2

She hesitated, the sweat at her brow now more noticeable. “Well, we usually present samples for our clients and the embroidery took longer than expected. The team—our head tailor, actually—insisted on double-checking the measurements to ensure everything was perfect. We didn’t want to compromise the quality.”

I arched a brow, unimpressed. “So you risked my wedding day to do something I never asked for?”

“I thought you all wanted to hold onto it forever,” I continued, my tone even but cold.

I folded my arms and stood still, watching her.

She smiled. “Ah… we’re so sorry for the delay,” she said quickly, avoiding my eyes and glancing instead toward the tall windows like s was trying to calculate the distance to the nearest exit. “It’s just been a really busy week at our stores. It’s been difficult to keep up.”

Her words spilled out too fast, too practiced. She was hoping that explanation would pass.

I didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just waited.

She cleared his throat and added, “But we wanted to give you the full experience. The best of our collection. The gown you’ll find inside was tailored precisely to your preferences. We went through all the reference images, the fabric notes, everything your assistant sent us. We made sure it fit the profile perfectly.”

My brow creased, and I tilted my head just slightly. “Assistant?”

Amelia hesitated.

Then, as if realizing she’d made a mistake, she glanced at Miriam. “Yes… she’s not your—?”

“No,” I cut in sharply, not taking my eyes off her. “She’s not.”

I turned then, slowly, to face Miriam. She stood a few feet behind me, stiff and silent. Her expression was neutral, but her gaze didn’t meet mine.

“Miriam,” I said, my voice deceptively calm. “Did you speak to anyone from Elysian Gowns?”

She hesitated just a fraction too long.

“I—” she began, eyes finally flicking up to meet mine, then falling again. “I only responded to the letter they sent. It was addressed to you, but you were away when it came, and it seemed urgent. I didn’t think it would cause any issues.”

Was she actually genuine or was she putting up a performance. I didn’t want to deal with it. It was a small issue to get angry over and especially in public where everyone’s eyes stayed glued to me.

The whispers had died down.

“She responded using your household address, under your name, with your crest,” Amelia said defensively. “From our end, it looked legitimate. We’ve worked with high-profile clients before—many of them use assistants to streamline communication. It didn’t seem out of place.”

Amelia was still trying to keep her reputation intact as well. After our encounter earlier, a few rumors about the customer service of her store spread, tainting her reputation and that of the store.

I wasn’t surprised by their actions but by the fact that I even had mail to begin with. I decided to brush it off by now.

I smiled, sweetly before turning to face Amelia. “I’ll let that slide but I’ll say this only once, no one gets to decide what looks good on me.”

I spoke loud and clear, making sure everyone heard. My words weren’t aimed at anyone specifically. It was more of a warning to everyone that whatsoever they did to the previous Giulia, I wouldn’t let that slide.

The silence that followed was heavy. Tense. Even Amelia seemed uncomfortable now, her confidence wilting under the weight of the room.

“So do you want to try it on?” Still tense, Amelia asked, her smile fading. She decided to break the silence.

“Why not? Let’s go get my wedding dress,” I answered, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible to lighten the mood.

She walked towards the clothing rack behind her and picked out a garment bag. We followed her to a a changing room. “It looks amazing, I promise”. She stopped beside the changing room, holding out the garment bag. She stepped aside, urging me to examine it.

I walked towards it and reached for the garment bag, pulling the zip open. I spread the bag widely. The dress wasn’t bad, to be honest.

The dress was stunning. A smooth, flowing fabric, tailored to perfection. The bodice was fitted and clean, with a soft scoop neckline that would frame my collarbone and shoulders. There were beads at the waist and the minimal veil was beautiful.

It was the kind of dress that didn’t need much embellishment to make a statement.

“Is it to your liking?” She asked.

I shrugged, “it’s not bad”.

I took the dress and walked into the changing room. I quickly pulled off the dress I had on and put on the wedding gown. I struggled to get the zip up. After multiple efforts, I called for Miriam. She walked in.

“Can you help me zip up my dress?” I asked. My words sounded forced.

She looked shocked for a second then returned to her usual dismissive self. She walked forward, reached for the zip, pulling it up.

She stepped back and I stared at the dress.

It was perfect. The proportions were a bit off but it was still perfect.

“We’ll need to fix a few things,” Miriam said.

I smiled, nodding.

This dress made me feel a little better about getting married to a stranger.

“You look…beautiful,” Although hesitant, she said.

I smiled. “We have to leave now, help me get it off”.

She pulled the zip down and left the room. I wiggled out of the room and wore the dress I had on earlier.

Changing between dresses was exhausting. At least, the dress I had on earlier was a simple dress.

I exited the changing room and handed the dress to Amelia. “A few adjustments have to be made, Miriam will send the new measurements”.

“Yes, ma’am,” Amelia answered.

“Have a nice day”.

As I exited the store, I knew I was going to be the talk on everyone’s lips.