Chapter 21
Chapter 21:
Curiosity surged as colleagues scrambled to verify the claim online, and within moments, they found the listing—complete with a photo of the deliveryman himself.
A wave of gasps and excitement rippled through the office. “Holy crap, it’s legit!” “No way—let me see that!” “It matches exactly! That’s the same dress. SK Elite Boutique, for real p>
The buzz swelled, voices overlapping in a rush of disbelief and envy. Meanwhile, color drained from Phyllis’s face, leaving her exposed and speechless. She’d never expected the dress to be genuine, let alone straight from SK Elite Boutique.
Gabriela—the person she’d belittled all her life, the one from whom she’d stolen a boyfriend—somehow owned a dress from SK Elite Boutique that even she couldn’t afford. How was that even possible?
Of course Gabriela could never afford a dress like that. Not in a million years. Given her limited finances, there was no way Gabriela had the means to purchase it herself.
Phyllis, after a beat, forced an apologetic smile. “Oh, Gabriela, I must’ve jumped to conclusions. I had no idea. SK Elite Boutique dresses cost a fortune. Just getting the chance to buy one is practically impossible. I really didn’t think you could get your hands on something like that p>
Aubrey, fed up with Phyllis’s thinly veiled barbs, shot her a glare. “Maybe it was a gift p>
Phyllis’s eyes narrowed, but her lips curled into a sly smile. “A gift? Who on earth would give away something so extravagant? Unless, of course…” She covered her mouth with exaggerated surprise. “Gabriela, don’t tell me you’ve got yourself a boyfriend now p>
Gabriela, who’d been convinced the dress was a delivery mistake, only caught on when she heard Phyllis’s words. That was right—she’d promised Brenden, just this morning, she would be his date for the banquet. Could this jaw-dropping dress actually be from him?
I𝗻𝗌t𝖺n𝘁 а𝖼𝖼𝘦𝘴𝗌 𝗈𝘯
All day she’d fretted about how to afford a breathtaking dress, but apparently, Brenden had already solved that problem without a word.
He did have a reputation for spoiling women, but Gabriela had never experienced it herself—until now, with this extravagant surprise landing squarely in her lap after a one-night stand. So this was what it felt like to be truly doted on.
Recalling how Brenden had agreed to play her boyfriend, Gabriela faced the crowd with steady poise and confirmed, “Yes. I have p>
Phyllis’s eyes flashed green. Unable to keep the bite from her voice, she sneered, “Wow, your boyfriend must be rolling in it if he’s buying you designer dresses like that p>
Gabriela flashed Phyllis a smug smile and shot back, “What can I say? He likes to spoil me—and at least he’s not living off someone else’s dime p>