Kayden initially planned to book a fancy hotel for them, but Felicity and her mom saw such places as dens of indulgence and flat-out refused. Instead, they settled for a modest inn.
The room cost 98 dollars, which Felicity’s mom still thought was a rip-off.
Once they checked in, Felicity’s mom turned to Kayden. “Hey, Kayden! Felicity’s never been to the big city before. If it’s not too much trouble, why don’t you take her out for a walk? We’re heading back tomorrow anyway.”
Kayden didn’t decline. In fact, he had already been thinking of taking Felicity out to buy her a few new outfits.
Right now, Felicity’s wardrobe consisted of dirt-cheap street-market finds. Her overalls, while cute, cost a mere fifty, and her blouse was worth no more than thirty.
Felicity insisted she’d rather stay with her mom, but her mom all but shoved her out of the room, claiming she wanted to rest and Felicity was being noisy.
Left with no choice, Felicity went along with Kayden.
What her mom really wanted was for the two of them to spend some time alone together.
She had noticed Kayden treated Felicity differently. After all, he’d turned down a bombshell like Amelia to have dinner with them-two nobodies from a small town. That spoke volumes about his feelings for her daughter.
By now, night had completely fallen over the city, but the dazzling lights made it shine even brighter.
On a bustling street lit like a fairground, couples strolled hand in hand, chatting and laughing, painting a picture of pure bliss.
Walking beside Kayden, Felicity couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.
There were times she’d dreamed of holding hands with someone she liked, walking boldly down the street without a care in the world.
As the thought crossed her mind, she stole a glance at Kayden. He remained his usual aloof self, seemingly indifferent to everything around him. Despite his lean build, to Felicity, he seemed towering and strong. Being near him made her feel secure.
Her hand inched toward his, itching to grab hold of it. Just once, she thought. Even if it was just to indulge her vanity, it’d make her so happy.
But just as her fingers were about to brush against his palm, Kayden suddenly raised his hand and pointed to a nearby store. “Let’s check this place out,” he said.
Caught off guard, Felicity’s hand froze mid-air. Embarrassed, she quickly ran it through her hair, pretending she’d only meant to fix her bangs. “Sure, whatever,” she mumbled.
Kayden nodded and led her inside.
The moment they stepped in, Felicity felt utterly out of place.
This was no ordinary clothing store. The opulent decor alone screamed luxury, and the clothes on display were so exquisite they nearly left her slack-jawed.
The high price tags kept most customers at bay, leaving the shop relatively empty.
A tall, leggy saleswoman with model-like looks approached them. Her dazzling appearance only emphasized the store’s upscale vibe.
A store with employees who are unattractive is bound to lack a certain level of prestige. But if all the staff are stunning beauties, it’s clear that a lot of money was spent on hiring them.
Initially, the woman’s face lit up at the sight of potential customers, but as soon as she noticed how plain and shabby the pair looked, her smile faded. It was quickly replaced by a generic, professional greeting. “Welcome, sir, ma’am. Please feel free to browse.”
Trained to handle all kinds of customers, the saleswoman kept up the pretense of politeness, even though it was obvious she thought they were clueless country bumpkins who had no idea how expensive the items here were.
Kayden didn’t acknowledge her and began browsing casually. Felicity, however, gave her a polite nod.
The rows of dazzling outfits were enough to overwhelm Felicity. She couldn’t stop herself from swallowing hard.
Kayden scanned the racks and casually picked out a dress. “What do you think of this one?” he asked.
Felicity’s eyes lit up. She loved it, of course. She loved everything in the store. Back in their small town, there were no shops like this, and certainly no dresses as stunning as these.
Seeing the spark of delight in her eyes, Kayden took the dress off the rack. “If you like it, go ahead and try it on.”
At that moment, the saleswoman, who had been silently trailing behind them, couldn’t help herself anymore. So that’s their game, she thought.
Definitely from some backwater village. The guy must’ve been bragging up a storm to impress the girl and dragged her into the city to show off. Now he’s pretending to be generous and unbothered.
The saleswoman snickered to herself and stepped forward, her professional smile firmly in place. “Sir, I’d suggest checking the price tag before trying anything on,” she said sweetly. “Just to make sure it’s within your budget.”
Felicity glanced at the tag and gasped.
“Thirty-eight thousand!”
She nearly dropped the dress.
“That’s right,” the saleswoman chimed in smoothly. “Thirty-eight thousand. Pretty standard pricing for our collection. If you’re looking for something more affordable, our sale rack has pieces starting at six or seven thousand.”
Six or seven thousand? And that’s on sale?
For someone like Felicity, who’d never worn anything costing more than a hundred, it was a staggering amount.
Panicking, she tugged at Kayden’s sleeve. “Kayden, let’s go. This stuff’s way too expensive. We can’t afford it.”
But Kayden didn’t flinch. Calm as ever, he said, “Why leave? If you like something, I’ll get it for you. Pick whatever catches your eye. This store’s collection is barely good enough for you.”
The saleswoman burst out laughing.
Barely good enough for her?
She glanced at Felicity, then at Kayden, her expression a mix of disbelief and amusement.
“Sir, I don’t think you quite understand,” she said, barely suppressing her chuckles. “Everything here costs tens of thousands-some even go up to the hundreds of thousands.”
“And what?” Kayden shot her a sharp look. “You think I can’t afford it?”