172: Take Off Your Clothes Then

Take Off Your Clothes Then

Lina should've known what kind of man Kaden was. She thought he'd just sit back, play with his phone, and say every outfit looked great on her. But he didn't. He was engaged throughout the entire ordeal. He gave insightful comments on the color and the cut of the dress. He told her which material would feel most comfortable.1

"Give me a little twirl, dove," Kaden said.

Lina glanced at the sales associate and designer in the private VIP dressing room. Even though the associate was supposed to be handling her, the woman couldn't look away from Kaden. She couldn't blame the associate.

Kaden had sprawled out his arms on the couch. He leaned back, like an expensive client in a nightclub. He watched her like she was the greatest show of his life.

Lina swallowed and took a small spin. When she turned back to Kaden, he looked so in love. She was out of breath from his expression alone. His eyes were tender, his smile gentle, and his features loving.

"Perfect," Kaden breathed out. "This dress is made for you to be worn."

Lina eyed the material of the dress. It was also the most expensive dress in this entire department store. 

"How many of these dresses are out there?" Kaden demanded of the designer. Immediately, his soft expression morphed into a threatening stare.

"Y-you literally yanked it off my mannequin, so it's one of a kind," the designer begrudgingly mumbled. The rare time that he had ventured to the store to design a piece, it was stolen by a wealthy client.

The sales associate groaned inside of her head. This was one of their highest spending customers! Couldn't the designer be more polite with his wording? She held back her irritation and planted a large smile on her face.

"Esteemed clients, what our designer meant to say was—"

"I'll take it," Lina said.

Kaden shifted his attention to her. He raised a slow brow. Then, he gave a curt nod to the designer.

"It's one of a kind?"

"Yes, sir."

"Keep it that way."

Kaden stood up. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a blank cheque, and handed it to the man.

"Name your price," Kaden said.

The designer's nostrils flared. He felt disrespected by this arrogant buyer. Dresses like that were meant to be admired greatly. He didn't want it to be sold like this! When he opened his mouth to protest, he was given a warning stare.

The designer froze in fear. He felt like a mouse caught in the lion's mouth. The predator had no intentions of eating him. The lion only wanted to torture him. He bit down on his bottom lip.

"The dress isn't finished yet," he finally admitted. "I was mid-design."

"It's already so perfect," Lina complimented. "Like a dove taking its first flight… You can make it even better? That's amazing."

The designer jolted at her words. She was the only one to not compare the dress to some stupid saying of an angel in white. That was so old. He raised his head at her comparison.

"You think so too?" the man eagerly said. "I was heavily inspired by this painting in Ritan's museum depicting a fallen messenger dove, with one wing to the sky, and the other to the ground. There was so much sorrow in the drawing, yet so much relief from the bird."

That painting. Kaden knew it. Of course, he would. He drew the damn piece.

"Oh, the piece was drawn by the Second King of Ritan," Lina blurted out.

"Yes! You know it as well?" the designer eagerly said, his eyes growing wide with excitement.

"Of course, I'm a big fan of his hand—I-I mean his fingers… N-no, his painting," Lina stammered out.

"Yes, his strokes are phenomenal, they're bold and precise, it makes his work so intense!" the designer agreed.

Kaden narrowed his eyes. He wondered if Lina was naive enough to not read between the lines. She simply perked up in agreement.

Hah. His wife was even more naive than he expected.

"Tell me more about how great he is," Kaden mused, stepping up to his wife.

Lina's face flushed red. She didn't mean to give him a higher horse to sit on. She truly enjoyed Kaden's painting. All, except the one of her. Because it was not drawn from when she was alive. 

"Anyway, let me make the dress even more perfect for you! You're such a doll, I've decided to make you my muse!" the designer proudly declared. "Beauty, brains, you just need brawn now."

Lina nervously laughed. She flattened out the dress, even though there were no wrinkles.

"Please, you flatter me too much," Lina stated.

"Truly!" the designer exasperated. "Let me design all of your required gowns. I've never met a young woman who praised the King for his great artistic eye instead of how handsome he is."

This man seemed like such a large fan of Kaden, she was stunned he didn't see the similarities. 

Lina wanted to deny this man, but paused. If she was going to be making waves in the business world, she'd need to build a social circle. Without networking, one could only get so far. And she'd need outfits unlike any other.

"What do I have to give in return…?" Lina cautiously asked.

Truly, beauty and brains. The designer was shocked she hadn't leaped at the first opportunity. He didn't want to toot his own horn, but he was one of the designers in the highest demand right now. It was why he was so shocked and petrified when the couple walked into the boutique. Usually, there was a waiting list of reservations to privately shop here but they skipped the entire line.

One name. That was all it took.

Kaden DeHaven.

"You have to advertise my piece, of course, whenever someone asks who made it," the designer proudly announced to her. "That, and actually paying for the gown."

Kaden scoffed. He contemplated slapping this man with a book of blank cheques where the sky was the limit.

"That's it?" Lina asked.

"That's it."

"Deal," Lina immediately stated before he could go back on his word.

The designer's lips curled upwards in appeasement. If this was the woman in the arms of such a powerful man, he couldn't wait to see what she could do. Rich men had a taste of every type of woman in the world. Just what was so intriguing about her to snag such a large fish from the ocean?

He couldn't wait to find out.

"The name's Jay," the designer said to her with a flick of his shoulder-length hair. His hair was multicolored and in layers as well, with the roots being a bright yellow and the ends black, as if he was a natural blond when in reality, it was just an illusion.

"Lina," she said.

"Just Lina?"

Lina presented him with a slight smile that never reached her eyes.

"Just Lina," Lina told him.

"Alright, Just Lina, take off your clothes then," Jay said.

Instantly, the room's temperature dipped. The atmosphere turned bloodthirsty. Kaden's expression grew aloof. A violent storm brewed in his eyes. No one told his woman to undress, no one but him. 

"Relax, I'm not even into women," Jay snorted with a roll of his eyes. Then, he shot Kaden a wink. "But you, Mister… I might be into it."

Kaden gawked in disbelief. Lina held back a laugh. How had he not realized it sooner? Truly, was his EQ that low? 

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