Chapter 12

I blinked my eyes several times as I could not believe what I had just heard from the lips of the boutique clerk, who returned to show me her business smile as she did to me before.

I didn't hear anything wrong just now, right?

I meant…

What did she say just now?

She said it wasn't a big deal?!

She must be being modest right now!

Yes, that's for sure!

Even though she had such good fashion analysis skills, she kept it low-key by saying it as if it was not a big thing she could be proud of.

But wait a minute.

Maybe she said it not as a way of being condescending but because she did not realize her talent as a personal stylist yet.

Or maybe she considered it part of her responsibilities and learned about it when she started her job at this boutique.

Now I understand why Richard put his full trust in this boutique clerk named Imelda to help me find suitable clothes for my date with Richard tonight.

"I don't know if you mean to be condescending or just don't realize it, but what is certain is that I really like your understanding of my fashion preference."

Unlike before, this time, the boutique clerk named Imelda smiled awkwardly when she heard my compliment and rubbed the back of her neck as if this was the first time she heard a compliment from one of the visitors where she worked all this time.

Or could this really be the first time hearing words of praise like I just said?

Because if so, that's really outrageous!

"Thank you, Miss. To be honest, it's my first time hearing such a good compliment from someone like you."

Again, I blinked my eyes when I found the honest answer that the boutique clerk gave me just now.

So it was true that she had never heard words of praise from anyone before?

But why?

Was I just one of the few people who come to this place who still has the senses and conscience to appreciate his skills?

Besides that, there was one thing that I found was even stranger, which was me.

Why did I act as if I really cared about one of the clothing boutique salespeople I even just met today?

This must be one of the effects I experienced after complying with Richard's wish to take me for a run in the city park for an hour with my shoes that managed to blister my feet and all my clothes full of sweat.

I shook my head to get rid of the unpleasant incident I had with him before we arrived at a place I wouldn't have been if it weren't for Richard forcing me to come here.

"Miss?"

The boutique clerk's hand then held my right shoulder and shook it several times, waking me up from all my daydreams about her, which disappeared instantly.

Even so, I didn't want to get caught up in my confusion any further, so I decided to quickly grab the boutique clerk's hands and bring them right in front of my chest.

Then I held her hand, who was confused about what I was doing right now while looking at her with a serious face that I made as best I could.

"Miss? Is there something wrong with what I told you just now?"

I shook my head quickly without taking my eyes off the figure of the boutique clerk, who was still looking at me with complete confusion over what I did to her.

"No… I just…"

"Yes? Is there anything I can help you with, Miss?"

"Nothing. I'm just wondering about what you told me earlier…" I said while tightening my grip so that she didn't intend to let go of me in the slightest. "About what you said just now. Is it true that this is your first time receiving words of praise like I told you just now?"

Somewhat confused, she replied to my question with a brief nod, and her eyes were still fixated on me as if she didn't understand the reason behind my question earlier.

"Ah, I see. It's a shame that there is no one who acknowledges this great talent as yours."

Hearing what I said earlier, the boutique employee shook her head again.

"It's okay, Miss. I don't mind that as long as people will get the best outfit they can buy after they come here and I get the payment I deserve."

I shook my head slowly, removed her hand from me while tucking a bit of my hair behind my ear, and looked straight at her.

"I don't think so. If that's what you think about them, then I can't agree with that statement of yours. And because you have such great eyes, I will leave everything to you."

"Of course you can leave everything to me." she answered in a firm tone. "After all, it is my duty to help you, so there's no need to hesitate to ask for my help."

Ah…

My pity for her, which had appeared in the depths of my heart earlier, instantly evaporated and disappeared like water vapor as soon as I heard the sentence she said just now.

What she said to me was right.

How could I forget the fact that it was part of her job after Richard had asked her to help me choose what to wear tonight?

I feel like I'm being an idiot, I muttered while busy cursing my stupidity for what I said to that boutique employee, who was now waiting for my response on what we would do next.

"Well… Do you have some recommendations on the right outfit for me to wear tonight? I'd like to see what you would recommend to me."

She responded to my earlier request by briefly circling our current surroundings before her gaze returned to mine.

"Yes, Miss. I think I have some recommendations that will suit you. Please follow me."

I nodded my head while trying to follow her footsteps, which were fast until we arrived at one of the rows of dresses that were there.

She deftly chose several dresses with different prints, sizes, and colors before she handed them over to me, complete with some high heels that she thought fit the type of dress she had chosen for me.

Leaving me, who is now gawking at all the options he showed me.

"Aren't all of these too much? I just need clothes that fit for my first date with Richard tonight, and I find these to be too difficult for me to choose."

"These are all that I can recommend to you that I believe will suit your preferences." she said, handing me one of the long-sleeved A-line dresses, which I awkwardly accepted "I know this may be too much for you to try, but I want you to try on everything I have selected for you.

"Do you think so, Miss?" she asked, which I answered with a nod of my head when I received one of the dresses she recommended to me with great awkwardness. "I understand if this is too much for you to try, but I still want you to keep trying so you can make the right choice for you."

I thought for a moment about what she said.

"Hmm… What you just said makes sense. So what if I don't find one that's to my liking?"

"It does not matter. I will still help you get what suits you, both in terms of taste and the models of clothes that are in our place."

"I see."

"Then, do you want to try this first?" she asked, to which I replied with a brief nod. "All right. If so, you can try it in one of the fitting rooms here and find out if the model I have provided is in accordance with your choice or is still not to your liking."

I only replied with a short nod before I stepped into one of the fitting rooms to try on clothes recommended by one of the boutique employees waiting for me outside the fitting room.

Then, after spending what I think is quite a long time, I finally found one of the boutique employee's recommended outfits that I thought would suit me.

"So what do you think? Have you made your choice yet?"

I nodded my head confidently.

"Then you can combine the dress of your choice with some of the accessories I have prepared for you."

She said it while handing me a pair of shoes, a necklace, and a bag, and I was sure that if all of the recommended items were added to the dress I was wearing right now, they would be able to destroy my entire savings for a few years.

So this was what it's like to be in an expensive clothing boutique, huh?

It was completely different from all the clothing boutiques I've been to so far, I muttered to myself as I looked at my new appearance in the mirror in awe.

"So, I think you've already made up your mind on what you want to wear on our date tonight."