Chapter 81: Blaine Jackson—Man or Woman?

What was happening? Everyone was staring at Blaine Jackson, whose flawless face now bore a smile so radiant it could outshine the sun. Were they hallucinating? Or was this some kind of optical illusion? 

"Miss Grace, you're quite beautiful yourself." Blaine's lips curved into a warm smile, his expression entirely devoid of anger or annoyance. 

The crowd collectively gasped, their eyes widening in disbelief. 

Blaine Jackson—the legendary stylist who was rumored to loathe being called beautiful—was smiling? And not just smiling, but doing so warmly? 

"Are you all serious right now?" Lauren broke the stunned silence with an exaggerated eye roll, her reaction anything but ladylike. "What's wrong with you people? Are you trying to roast in this sun? Whether it's your first time meeting or not, can't you find a cooler spot to chat? This is an outdoor wedding, remember? The sun's blazing!" 

With that, she grabbed Claire's wrist and began leading her toward the bride's lounge. 

To everyone's surprise, Blaine trailed after them. 

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**The Bride's Lounge** 

"Lauren, shouldn't you be keeping Roy company?" Claire asked, sipping on an iced coffee as she sat beside her friend. 

"It's fine! The ceremony's over, and he's officially mine now. I trust him completely, so it's no big deal if I'm not by his side for a while." Lauren's voice carried a hint of mischief as she continued, "Before we got married, I was worried Lucas might drag him to some bar or club to pick up women. Thankfully, those two just enjoy the atmosphere and not the women there. Otherwise…" She gave a sly chuckle, her tone turning dangerous. "They'd find out my background in organized crime isn't just for show!" 

"What?! He's yours now?" Claire's face turned crimson, still not entirely accustomed to Lauren's candid, streetwise manner of speaking. 

The conversation caught Blaine's attention as he stepped into the room, just in time to hear Lauren's declaration. 

"What Lauren means," Blaine interjected smoothly, "is that now everyone knows Roy Lin is her husband. She's not worried about anyone trying to 'steal' him away." He smiled knowingly. "And honestly, who'd dare challenge the daughter of a mob boss for her man?" 

"See? Blaine gets me!" Lauren grinned, rising to her feet to introduce him. "Claire, this is Blaine Jackson. He was a year below me in college, and he's recently returned from France. He's one of the world's top stylists, and he's responsible for my entire wedding look today. Hair, makeup—everything. He's a genius." Turning to Blaine, she added, "And this is Claire Grace, a colleague of Roy's." 

Lauren conveniently left out Claire's connection to Lucas, perhaps sensing that Lucas had never intended to make it public. 

"I know Miss Grace works at Zeller Cosmetics, right?" Blaine's faint smile deepened, his expressive almond-shaped eyes curving with charm. 

Claire blinked, momentarily dazed by his words before shaking her head in confusion. 

"You mentioned earlier that this isn't our first meeting? I've been racking my brain, but I can't recall ever meeting you." How could she forget someone as striking as him? The men in her life were few and far between—aside from Lucas, of course… 

At the thought of Lucas, an image of him embracing another woman flashed unbidden in her mind. Her chest tightened painfully. 

"Did you two really meet before, Blaine?" Lauren asked curiously. 

"Of course." 

"But you've only been back in the country for a short while. How's that possible?" 

"It was the second day after I returned. I saw her at a department store. It wasn't that long ago." Blaine's voice carried a trace of amusement, as though the memory were fresh in his mind. 

"A department store?" Claire frowned, trying to recall. "You don't mean the Grand Summit Mall, do you? That's the only place I've worked recently." 

Blaine's smile widened. "So you do remember?" 

"I… I'm sorry, I don't," Claire admitted sheepishly. "I was only at that job for a single day, standing at the display window all day. I couldn't even glance around much, let alone remember faces." 

Blaine's gaze flickered, a playful glint in his eye. "I remember there were only two people at the Zeller Cosmetics counter that day. You and one other colleague." 

"Oh, you must mean Sarah," Claire said, surprised. "So you really did see me. Otherwise, you wouldn't know so much about that store." 

Blaine nodded. "I didn't catch her name, but I recall the counter layout clearly. And I remember you almost got crushed by that crescent-shaped display table. I was the one who saved you." 

Claire froze, her memory darting back to that incident. She remembered the display nearly falling—but she was sure it had been a woman who saved her that day. Or had it? 

"Wait, are you saying… that 'woman' was you?" 

Blaine paused for a moment, then laughed heartily. "Why don't you say I was a man dressed as a woman that day? Isn't that what you're implying with that look in your eyes?" 

Claire gawked at him, her brain scrambling to process the revelation. "So… you're the one who saved me?" 

Blaine nodded, his amusement barely concealed. 

"But that woman had long hair!" Claire protested. Blaine's short, stylish cut was sleek and undeniably masculine. 

"Well," Blaine teased, brushing a hand through his layered locks, "I guess I clean up nicely—either way."