Chapter 3 - The Transformation
By Saturday afternoon—less than twenty-four hours after the midnight ultimatum—the woman looking back at me from the three-way mirror in a private VIP suite at Bergdorf Goodman bore very little resemblance to the assistant who wore a faded hoodie to a midnight meeting.
The dress was a masterclass in understated elegance: an emerald-green silk-crepe gown that clung to my curves like liquid glass, cut with a modest sweetheart neckline and a high slit that hinted at skin without crossing into vulgarity. My dark brown hair, usually twisted into a hurried, practical bun, had been styled by a team of stylists into soft, cascading waves that brushed against my bare shoulders.
I turned slowly, watching the fabric shimmer under the warm recessed lighting.
"It’s breathtaking, Miss Evans," the senior stylist murmured, clasping her hands together in delight. "Mr. Moretti has impeccable taste."
"He didn't pick it out," I murmured, though I knew damn well he had probably approved every single thread via a digital catalog before I even woke up that morning.
The heavy oak door of the fitting room clicked open, and Adrian stepped into the suite.
He had changed out of his usual charcoal business suit into a tailored navy blazer, crisp white shirt, and dark trousers. When his green eyes landed on me, the conversation in the room abruptly died.
For several seconds, Adrian didn't say a word. He stood motionless near the doorway, his gaze sweeping slowly from the shoes up to my face, taking in every detail of the transformation. The raw, predatory intensity in his eyes made my breath hitch in my throat. It was the look of a general inspecting enemy lines and realizing the territory was far more dangerous than he anticipated.
"Well?" I asked, feeling suddenly self-conscious under the weight of his stare, smoothing my hands down the emerald silk. "Does it meet corporate standards, Mr. Moretti?"
Adrian exhaled slowly, a faint, dark shadow of a smile touching his lips as he closed the distance between us.
"Call me Adrian," he corrected, his voice dropping into that low, gravelly register that always sent a shiver down my spine. "And no, Emily. It doesn't meet corporate standards."
My stomach gave a sharp, nervous flutter. "Is it too much? We can change—"
"It exceeds them," he interrupted, stopping just inches away from me. The warmth radiating from his body filled the space between us. "If you wear that in the Hamptons next weekend, my mother won't just think I'm serious about you—she'll start planning the wedding for the following month."
I forced a tight, professional smile to my lips, though my pulse was racing like a sprinter at the starting blocks. "Good. That's the objective, isn't it? Convincing acting, delivered on schedule."
"Acting," Adrian repeated, the word tasting strange on his tongue as his green eyes searched my face with unsettling depth. He reached out, his warm knuckles brushing lightly against my bare collarbone to adjust the strap of the gown.
The casual intimacy of the gesture made my breath catch.
"Just remember," Adrian whispered, his face inches from mine, his voice meant only for my ears. "From this moment on, there are no bosses, no assistants, and no contracts. If we slip up for even one second in front of my family, the whole illusion collapses."
I swallowed hard, nodding mutely as his hand lingered for a fraction of a second longer than necessary against my skin before dropping back to his side.
"Understood," I managed to whisper.
"Good," Adrian said, turning back to the stylist with his professional mask firmly back in place. "We'll take the green dress. Package it, along with the evening wear and shoes."
As the stylist scurried off to box our purchases, Adrian turned back to me, offering his arm with formal, old-world politeness.
May you like
"Shall we go rehearse our first dinner date, Miss Evans?"
I looked at his outstretched arm, took a steadying breath, and slid my hand into the crook of his elbow, stepping out into a world where the lines between pretense and reality were about to blur beyond recognition.
