The Designer

At that moment, she wished she had not insisted when he mentioned that she didn't need to pay. With the awareness that it was too late to turn back now, she determined in her heart to go ahead with the reason she was here. Who knows, It may not be as bad as she was thinking.

Letting out a silent sigh, she alighted the car after Axel opened the door. Asher remained in the car and didn't make any move to indicate that he will be climbing out at all. So she was stuck with this demon? She huffed internally. And why was he so quiet? He had not said even a single word since they left her house. Anyone who saw him now would believe he was a gentleman, but she knew better. He was the exact definition of trouble in her dictionary, one she must do everything in her power to stay away from.

Just as soon as they stepped into the store, all the attendants greeted him in unison. Even the ones who were seated stood to greet him. Axel turned to his left after nodding to acknowledge their greeting and continued walking towards an... Elevator? But the store is on this floor... Why was he going to the elevator? Was there another store on the upper floor? Despite her confusion, she followed him, almost running to catch up as he had walked quite a distance while she was nursing her confusion.

Still confused, Alita followed him into the elevator. The feeling that she would not be able to afford anything in this place washed over her again and this time, it was too strong to ignore. The way the people in the store greeted Axel was a contributing factor to the sense of inadequacy she was feeling. And to add to her anxiousness, the guy was still not saying anything. Why was he suddenly quiet? She turned her head to the side, tilting it slightly and lifting her eyes so that she could see his face. His face was serious as if he was going to a very important meeting.

"Did you suddenly become dumb? Why aren't you saying anything?" She snapped when she couldn't take it anymore. How can he have the ability to still frustrate her even when he wasn't doing anything? She watched as the side of his lips pulled up a little and his eyes moved to rest on hers. Why was he smiling? What was so funny about what she said that was making him smile? Her brows knitted together and as if her expression amused him, his smile only turned wider.

"Not long ago you called me a jerk. Now I'm being a gentleman and you are still complaining." He bent a little so his face came closer to hers. "Tell me, what exactly should I do to please you?" His voice came down to a whisper, forcing Alita to turn her head away from him.

"You're still a jerk." She muttered and she heard him chuckle. "Why are we going up? Is there another –" She couldn't complete her question as the elevator door opened that instant, stopping her from speaking further. Her brows knitted together in confusion again because there was no store on the floor where they had come to. Just what seems like a row of offices on both sides of the long hallway.

Before she could ask another question, Axel had exited the elevator. She followed immediately. When they got closer to the end of the hallway, Alita saw a woman sitting behind a desk opposite the last office on the floor. She looked up from her computer when she noticed them approaching and stood up immediately. She was a vampire, Alita noticed when they got even nearer to her table.

"Good evening, Your High—"

"Where's Eric?" Axel cut her off.

"He's in a meeting at the moment. I'll let him know you are here." She moved from behind the desk. "Please come with me." She said, gesturing for them to follow her. She led them into a room that Alita assumed to be a waiting room. However, when she entered the room, it looked more like a fancy sitting room, with exquisitely designed sofas scattered around the beautifully decorated room.

"Please make yourself comfortable." Alita heard the woman's voice. When she turned to look at Axel, he had already made himself comfortable even before the woman spoke. Hesitantly, Alita sat down on the sofa opposite the one Axel sat on. She watched as the woman went toward a refrigerator to pull out a wine bottle which she placed on the side stool beside Axel. She looked at Alita, then back at Axel with questions in her eyes.

"Water." Axel spoke when he understood her silent question. Alita is human so she didn't know what to offer her.

The lady bowed slightly and went to fetch the water. In a few seconds, she was back with it and she placed it beside Alita. After that, she bowed again before she walked out of the room.

"Why are we here?" Alita asked again. The unease she was feeling had become unbearable. They were supposed to come to a store where she could pay for his shirt, but they are in a room with no sign of clothes anywhere.

"To meet the designer of the shirt." He replied as though it meant nothing. Well, it may mean nothing to him, but it definitely meant a huge lot to her. Her lips parted in surprise as she stared at him. This was not good. Meeting a designer for just one shirt spoke volumes. If she wasn't sure before, now she knew she would not be able to pay for the shirt.

When she opened her mouth to speak, his phone rang out. After checking who the caller was, he stood up.

"Give me a minute." He said and walked out of the room. Alita let out a sigh as she leaned back on the chair. What had she gotten herself into?

Another door that she had not noticed inside the room flung open, startling her. She became alert as another vampire entered through the door. He was way shorter than Axel, chubby, and had a baby-looking face. But all these were not enough to put her at ease until she remembered they came looking for someone called Eric.

"Good evening, ma'am." He greeted. His gaze swept around the room, seemingly searching for Axel. When his eyes returned to her, Alita could see questions in them.

"Good evening, sir. I came with Axel. He just stepped out to answer a call." She quickly cleared the air to avoid any misunderstanding and the man's face relaxed. "Are you Eric? The designer?"

The man's chubby head bobbed up and down in acknowledgment. "Indeed I am. How may I help you today?" He asked and moved to take the seat beside her.

Alita thought of waiting for Axel, but what difference would it make? This was why she came here anyway so she should just get down to business. She opened her bag and pulled out the shirt.

"Do you have another one of this? And how much does it..." She was asking at the same time she was zipping her bag close and trailed off when she raised her head because of the look on the man's face. He looked like he saw a ghost. His mouth hung open as he fixed his gaze on the shirt she was holding out.

"My precious!" He exclaimed in shock as he stretched his hand to collect the shirt from her. After carefully examining the shirt, his expression changed from one of shock to... Pain? She wasn't sure, but it does look like he was going to start crying any moment.

"I just made this for His Highness last week. How did this happen?" Eric's pained voice sounded in her ear.

"His highness?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the side, not sure she heard him well. Which highness was he talking about?

"Yes." Eric affirmed, nodding his head. "It's not up to a week since I delivered it to him so I'm baffled at how it ended up like this. This is one of my best creations." He explained, looking sorrowfully at the shirt.

"Which highness are you talking about?" She asked with narrowed eyes.

"Prince Axel, of course," Eric answered, raising his head finally to look at her. Her eyes had stretched wide.

"Axel is a prince?" She asked in disbelief. A kind of pain suddenly hit her as she remembered something her uncle told her.

"You didn't know?" Eric asked, puzzled. How did she come with the prince if she didn't know who he was? He became even more confused when she abruptly stood up and walked out of the room. Did he say something wrong?