She figured she needed to find a chance to warn Anantada not to rim her mouth in front of Mrs. Rhodes.
Just then, Anastasia stepped out of the fitting room.
The pale blue dress made her skin glow and gave her this effortless elegance,
Lanery’s face in up as she raced. “Oh my God, manning! Ans, that dress is absidutely perfect on your
Anastasia smiled and did a late twirl Im obsessed with it too. You have incredible taste.”
Lancey nodded enthusiastically and called to the sales associate, “We’re definitely taking this one. Can you wrap it up for us?”
Megan stood there watching Anastasia and Lancey’s easy chemistry, feeling seriously hotter about the whole thing
Valeria was also gawking. She didn’t know whn Lancey was, but seeing how deferential Megan was being, this proman obviously had major clot
Mrs. Rhodes!
Could this possibly be the Rhodes family–like, the wealthiest dynasty in New York?
That thought made Valeria stare at Anastasia with complete bewilderment.
Megan was pissed that Anastasia
sia was acting like she didn’t exist–not even a polite nod
She was still technically family, damn it!
The whole situation was making Megan’s blood pressure spike
Valeria, always good at reading a room, saw Magan getting worked up and quickly brought over some tea. “Mrs. Hale, we’ve been walking around for hours. You must be best–here, sit down and have some tea.”
These upscale boutiques always had fancy refreshments for their VIP customers.
Megan immediately perked up and said loudly. “Now that’s what I call thoughtful! Valeria’s not just gorgeous, she actually cares about people. Jasper hit the jackpot, unlike some people who clearly weren’t raised right.”
Watching how Megan kept shooting daggers at Anastasia, and remembering gossip about Anastasia’s ex being a Hale, Lancey started putting the pieces together.
Had this woman just taken a shot at her daughter–in–law?
Lancey wasn’t about to let anyone talk shit about Anastasia.
“Mrs. Hale, and this sweet girl is..? Lancey asked, nodding toward Valeria.
Megan practically glowed with pride. “This is my son’s girlfriend. Isn’t she just wonderful?”
“Oh, absolutely, Just like our An–she’s thoughtful, beautiful, incredibly talented, and spoils me rotten. She’s more considerate than my own son half the time. We’re both really lucky.” Lancey’s tong was warm but clearly making a point.
Megan’s smile faltered for a second before she forced out, “Ha, yeah, totally.”
Lancey had zero interest in continuing this Towersation–clearly they had nothing in common.
She turned back to Anastasin “Want to check out more stuff?”
“Definitely, Mom. I actually grabbed a few things for you too–you should try them on Anastasia handed over her selections.
After hanging out together for a while, Anastasia had totally figureil mi Läncey’s vibe and what worked for her.
When Anastasia shopped for other people, she always thought about their coloring, body type, lifestyle, and personal style
“Amazing. I’ll try them right now. I trust your judgment completely.” Lancey headed off to the fitting room looking excited.
The second lanery was out of earshot, Megan scoffed and said nastily, “Anastasia, Thave to give it to you You’ve really got Mrs Rhodes fooled Hops she doesn’t find out what you’re actually like.”
“Mrs. Hale, I don’t have anything to hide. You really don’t need to worry about, Anastasia replied smoothly.
“Please! Thank God Jasper dodged that bullet. Whoever gets stuck with you is going to be completely miserable”
By nowe Megan was basically putting curses on her.
Anastasia’s smile turned sharp. “We’ll see about that.”
Yeah, they’d definitely see who ended up miserable once they figured out Valeria’s true colors
A few minutes later, Lancey emerged from the fitting room looking absolutely radiant. She was clearly in love with Arustasia’s picks–they wer exactly her aesthetic.
The soft jade silk dress with delicate embroidered details was breathtaking–sophisticated and timeless
Lancey looked like royalty in it
Meanwhile, Megan n was still holding the two dresses Valeria had chosen–load, garish colors that screamed “trying too hard.” Zero elegance
The contrast was absolutely brutal. Megan had been completely shown up.
(6)
