Chapter 6 Cinderella's Fairy Godmother
1077 Words
Inside the box lay a stunning dress!
Iris lifted it out to inspect it.
As much as she wanted to appear indifferent to Ortega's wealth, a beautiful dress was always innocent!
This was a custom gown adorned with tiny crystals in a soft sky-blue color that wouldn't go wrong on anyone.
The feather-light skirt wouldn't seem overly flashy but would definitely make anyone who saw her take an appreciative look at this mermaid-like princess.
Was it her mom who picked this? Or the reliable butler, Doyle? Or...
Was it from the man sitting across from her, pretending not to care but watching her every move?
Maybe it didn't matter. Iris told herself this only proved the dress picker had impeccable taste.
Clearly, Charles brought the gown to avoid being embarrassed by her, but Iris couldn't help but feel good about it.
Noticing the instant sparkle in Iris' eyes, Charles softened. She was just a girl who had struggled hard to grow up. What fault did she have in all this?
Whatever their father did, she had no choice in the matter.
Originally, Charles had chosen this dress in a sulky mood. How dare she refuse to become an Ortega?
When she had a beautiful dress, shiny jewelry, and access to high society, would she keep clinging to that inexplicable pride?
Besides, she was his father's illegitimate daughter. He wondered how that hypocritical woman would face this truth!
But now, Iris seemed just like an ordinary college girl. She held that pretty dress, feeling overjoyed, but didn't want to show it. So, she pretended that she didn't care, which was rather cute.
"Ahem!" Charles cleared his throat, ready to speak, but Iris started reaching for the zipper of her dress.
"What are you doing?!" Charles was horrified, forgetting what he intended to say.
"Changing clothes, obviously." Iris saw nothing wrong with it. "Didn't you say there's no time?"
Thank God the car's space limited her action... She got the zipper about a third of the way down before it got stuck.
"Help me out!"
She turned her back to him, lifting her loose hair to reveal her pale neck and a glimpse of her back.
The zipper swung with her speech, looking more suggestive in the dim car, making him want to explore further...
Damn it, what was he thinking? She was his sister!
Exasperated, Charles yanked the zipper back up. "i***t! You're going to get your hair and makeup done. They'll have changing rooms there!"
Iris wasn't embarrassed. She even found his panic amusing and teased, "Okay. Thanks, brother! But... will we be late?"
Now she was all smiles, playing the gentle little sister!
"Which is why you have only 40 minutes!" Charles checked his watch. Thankfully, they had already arrived at their destination. He told the driver, "Killian, take her in!"
Iris wanted to say something more, but Killian had already jumped out and opened the door beside her.
The waiting crowd outside swarmed around.
Iris felt like she was being dragged out of the car and stuffed into an elevator, soon finding herself in front of a huge vanity mirror.
God, the real world had no fairytales. Cinderella's fairy godmother only needed a magic wand!
Countless hands reached for her face and hair, and her glasses were removed immediately. She wanted to protest, but Killian quickly reassured her, holding a tiny box, "Ms. Evans, don't worry. I'll keep them safe for you."
Before she could thank him, a pair of tweezers holding a contact lens was aimed at her eyes!
No one asked her opinion as numerous makeup brushes worked on her face. Iris barely had time to see her transformed reflection before being pushed into the changing room.
"Your figure is perfect! This dress looks custom-made for you!"
Iris heard the girls' compliments but felt breathless from the corset, unable to ponder how much of this was for Ortega's sake.
Finally, a pair of 4-inch crystal high heels was brought over, and the girls tried to fit them on her feet.
"Stop!"
Iris clung to her last bit of resistance. "Get me something else if you don't want me to break my legs!"
Seeing no one reacting and the girls looking confused, Iris changed her approach. "If you don't want Charles to have a limping date!"
In the end, she got a pair of modest leather heels.
Holding up her skirt, clutching an impossibly tiny purse, and gently brushing aside her hair that blocked her vision, Iris walked out of the styling room's door and into Charles' view.
The sky-blue satin dress hugged her curves, revealing her long and graceful arms. At this moment, she seemed like a captivating Renaissance sculpture.
Her hair was fully up, and her elegant neck was exposed, making the high-end jewelry merely accessories. Without her nerdy glasses, her sapphire-like eyes and slightly reddened eyelids were stunning.
Her eyes were so beautiful.
That was Charles' first thought, nearly consuming his mind until he felt he had to say it out loud before doing anything else.
"What a beautiful blue..."
"What?" Iris' confusion snapped him out of it.
Charles realized he was entranced by his sister's eyes and quickly covered his slip. "I mean... the dress, the blue dress is beautiful!"
Iris couldn't worry about Charles' odd behavior.
Wrapped in an unfamiliar dress, with hair down instead of her usual ponytail, and in high heels, she felt defenseless and needed time to adjust.
"Ugh... They took my glasses." Iris complained, not fully comfortable with contact lenses, feeling something foreign in her eyes.
She rubbed her eyes and tried to walk forward.
This was when refusing the high heels showed another drawback.
Her dress was too long.
As Iris took a step, she stomped on the edge of her dress and toppled forward.
"Iris!"
"Ah!"
Iris screamed and closed her eyes.
She didn't even dare to think. Would the dress get torn by her heels? Would her freshly done hair get messed up? Would her makeup smudge?
Oh God! Did her fake princess charm have an expiration date of less than ten minutes?
Then, she fell into a firm embrace, followed by a loud pounding noise.
It took Iris two seconds to realize that it was her own heartbeats. Her body was pressed tightly against Charles, the tiny crystals on her dress pressed into her skin, sending a shiver through her.
Once more, her body reacted to the touch of this man!
- Writer
