Chapter 59
She figured she needed to find a chance to warn Rachel not to run her mouth in front of Mrs. Rhodes.
Just then, Rachel stepped out of the fitting room.
The pale blue dress made her skin glow and gave her this effortless elegance.
Lancey’s face lit up as she raved, “Oh my God, stunning! Ana, that dress is absolutely perfect on you!”
Rachel smiled and did a little twirl. “I’m 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 Rachel and Lancey’s easy chemistry, feeling seriously bitter about the whole thing.
Valeria was also gawking. She didn’t know who Lancey was, but seeing how deferential Megan was being, this woman obviously had major clout.
Mrs. Rhodes!
Could this possibly be the Rhodes family–like, the wealthiest dynasty in New York?
That thought made Valeria stare at Rachel with complete bewilderment.
Megan was pissed that Rachel 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 Megan getting worked up and quickly brought over some tea. “Mrs. Hale, we’ve been walking around for hours. You must be beat–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 Rachel, and remembering gossip about Rachel’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 Rachel.
‘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 Ana–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 tone 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 conversation–clearly they had nothing in common.
She turned back to Rachel. “Want to check out more stuff?”
“Definitely, Mom. I actually grabbed a few things for you too–you should try them on.” Rachel handed over her selections.
After hanging out together for a while, Rachel had totally figured out Lancey’s vibe and what worked for her.
When Rachel 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 Lancey was out of earshot, Megan scoffed and said nastily, “Rachel, I have to give it to you. You’ve really got Mrs. Rhodes fooled. Hope 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 me,” Rachel replied smoothly.
“Please! Thank God Jasper dodged that bullet. Whoever gets stuck with you is going to be completely miserable.”
By now Megan was basically putting curses on her.
Rachel’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 Rachel’s picks–they were 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 was still holding the two dresses Valeria had chosen–loud, garish colors that screamed “trying too hard.” Zero elegance.
The contrast was absolutely brutal. Megan had been completely shown up.
Chapter 60
Chapter 60
