Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 13

Chapter 13 An Invitation to the Jewelry Fair

At the thought of that, Hayley reached for her phone and dialed Elliot’s number.

“Hello, does it still hurt?”

“Elliot, I want to attend a jewelry fair. Can you take me there?” Hayley implored.

“What jewelry fair?”

“Let me show you a video.” Hayley hung up the call and forwarded the video to Elliot shortly before she received a text message that briefly read, ‘Alright, I’ll take you there.’

Hayley exclaimed in excitement but accidentally hurt her swollen cheek in the process. As she hissed in pain, she began to curse Anastasia once again. “You’re a b*tch, Anastasia! You’re a jewelry designer, yet you can’t even attend a high-class jewelry fair like this one.”

On the other hand, Anastasia stumbled across the same video about the jewelry fair in her office and learned from the others who were invited that there were formal dress codes required for the occasion; otherwise, access would be denied. Due to that, she became worried, not knowing what she should do because she couldn’t afford to rent a decent-looking banquet dress.

Just when Anastasia was worrying about her dress code for the jewelry fair, her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a phone call, which turned out to be an unidentified number. Nonetheless, she answered the phone and asked, “Hello.”

“Hello, may I speak to Miss Tillman? I’m calling from FH Clothing Store to inform you that our customer has just reserved a banquet dress for you. Would you be free to drop by and try it later in the afternoon?”

“A banquet dress for me?” Anastasia was stunned but quickly knew that it was Nigel who did it for her.

“Sure, I’ll drop by later.” How thoughtful of that guy! Anastasia reached for her phone and sent the man a text message with a grateful emoji. ‘Thank you so much, Nigel.”

‘Don’t mention it. I hope you love it!’ Nigel replied with a big smiley emoji.

Soon, Anastasia applied for a one-hour leave later that afternoon because she realized the clothing store was just a stone’s throw away from her office. Since FH Clothing Store was an international brand, its outlet often became the place where many socialites visited and shopped. As soon as Anastasia entered the shop, she was greeted by the shop owner herself. “Please come with me, Miss Tillman.”

After that, Anastasia was taken to the VIP room on the second floor, where she came face to face with the dress on the mannequin, as if it was silently waiting for her arrival. Oh my gosh! This is gorgeous! Anastasia complimented the dress just when the shop owner pointed at the dress on the mannequin. “This is the gown that Mr. Manson prepared for you, Miss Tillman. Do you like it?”

Anastasia widened her eyes a little, wondering how rich Nigel actually was. Is he a billionaire or something? I can’t believe he prepared such an expensive banquet dress for me. Soon, she heard the shop owner explaining more about the dress with a smile. “This banquet dress is a masterpiece from our top designers. The fabric was sewn with approximately eight thousand diamond beads, and the dress is sold for eight million in our store.”

Anastasia’s heart skipped a beat when she heard what the shop owner said. Is Nigel trying to give me a heart attack or something? This dress is certainly not cheap at all! A few diamond beads are more than enough to make me go bankrupt, so just imagine if I lose them by accident. “Is there any other dress that you could recommend, perhaps?” Anastasia reckoned the dress was too expensive for her.

“But Mr. Manson has already paid for the dress on your behalf, Miss Tillman. Furthermore, I think it suits you pretty well.” The shop owner showed her approval by praising Anastasia’s beauty despite her current ordinary outfit.

Meanwhile, Anastasia was deeply in love with the dress as she loved everything about it besides the price. “Alright then, I’ll try it on.” She decided to stop being coy, thinking she could repay Nigel by treating him to some fancy meals throughout the year. After all, she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to attend the upcoming jewelry fair.

Thus, Anastasia went ahead and tried on the banquet dress, realizing how fitting it was for her. Soon, she was told to come to the clothing store again the next day around 4 PM as the make-up artists and hairdressers would be there to help her dress up with the jewelry.

Later that night, she told Jared that she would be attending a jewelry fair and asked him whether he preferred Francis or Grace to look after him. While the boy wanted his grandfather to come over, she called Francis and arranged the plan with him. Needless to say, Francis agreed to take care of Jared while Anastasia was away, telling her that he would take the child with him for some fancy meal and spend the night together with him. It was only after the arrangement was made that Anastasia could finally put her mind to ease about her son.

When Saturday rolled around, Anastasia took her son to the shopping mall early in the morning to buy some vegetables and snacks for him. Then, she went back home to continue her design work while Jared played with his Lego. At the same time, they were accompanied by the windy breeze that wafted through the window as the white curtains billowed with it. The peaceful and tranquil vibe lasted until it was 3.30 PM when Francis swung by with some fruits and milk. Then, Anastasia left her son with her father and went out right away while Francis sat on the couch and looked at Jared lovingly. Oh gosh! I’m going to love this cute little boy so much!

Not long after that, Anastasia hurriedly arrived at the clothing store where the shop owner had prepared everything for her. Then, one of the make-up artists sized her up and commented on her appearance in a surprised manner. “Miss Tillman, you have perfect skin, like there are no pores on it at all. How do you maintain such good health for your skin? What kind of premium skincare products do you use?”

“Oh, it’s just the moisturizer that I usually apply on my son’s skin.” Anastasia pursed her lips and smiled while the two make-up artists instantly understood that she was born with such a perfect skin tone. Oh dear, how I wish I could have her skin.

Soon, Anastasia closed her eyes just as the make-up artists started to apply some foundation to her face. After that, they kept her naturally thick eyebrows and proceeded to draw her eyeliner. Then, they went on to put the lipstick on her lips just as her beauty instantly stunned them like a glaring diamond. Upon lifting Anastasia’s hair, the artists permed the hair that hung around her ears and helped her put on a pair of diamond earrings to match the necklace she was wearing.

“Let us help you change your banquet dress, Miss Tillman.”

Anastasia nodded in response, changing into the white luna dress as she saw how gorgeous the dress made her look in the mirror.

“Miss Tillman, we have also arranged a driver to take you to where you need to be. Your ride awaits at the exit.”

“Thank you.” Anastasia smiled gratefully.

“Enjoy your evening.” The shop owner saw Anastasia out of the clothing store while the latter looked at the Benz in front of her in a ponderous manner. I guess I didn’t really know Nigel as well as I thought I did. He told me his family was running a hotel business when we met each other abroad.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

On the other hand, Hayley was also working hard on making herself look as pretty as possible. For that, she hired a crew of professional make-up artists who had served some celebrities before, determined to cover her ordinary looks with the make-up so that she would look like a socialite. At that moment, a mysterious black Rolls-Royce pulled up outside the mansion, whereupon Elliot opened the car door and stepped out of the vehicle. As the setting sun shone on him, his manly aura made him seem especially charming and attractive.

In the meantime, Hayley stood in the parlor while fixing her eyes on the man who was walking closer to her, her heart pounding rapidly like a jackhammer. Oh my gosh! He is so handsome. “How do I look, Elliot?” Hayley bashfully blinked, wanting to hear his compliment.

“You look great!” Elliot nodded, although he reckoned his feelings for Hayley were more than just about her good looks. After all, he was under the impression that she sacrificed her own virginity for him five years ago and suffered from a trauma that would follow her forever. Therefore, he told himself that he would do his best to make it up to Hayley.

“Let’s go then!” Hayley seized Elliot’s arm, looking forward to the jewelry fair later that night. At the same time, she was glad to have Elliot by her side, thinking she would be the lady whom every other woman envied wherever they went.