Through the streets of Imperial, Yue Ling's white BMW x5m arrives at the address Madam Lu had given her after dinner. She parks her car in the private parking lot and steps out from the driver's side.
The place in front of her was a small two-story building. It was white all around with huge windows that reflected sunlight. From where she stood, she could see mannequins put on displayed styled in different wedding dresses.
"Ah Ling!"
Just as she closed the door to the car, a familiar voice calls out to her. She paused in her steps and turned to look at the person.
Parked across from her car was a black Maybach. Engraved on the front hood of the car was the Lu family's crest logo.
When Yue Ling saw the person who had exited out of the car, she smiles and walks over.
"Aunt Lu."
Madam Lu wore a white coat with a black dress that had purple flowers. She had only arrived a few minutes before Yue Ling. When she saw that the car parking across from her own was her daughter-in-law, she didn't wait for the driver and opens the door herself.
She was thrilled to see Yue Ling as she couldn't wait to see Yue Ling try on the wedding dresses she had picked out.
However, when she heard the way Yue Ling had addressed her, a small frown flash across her face.
Last night, Yue Ling clearly called her 'mother'. How did it suddenly change after one night to 'aunt'?
She stops in front of Yue Ling and didn't hesitate to hold the young woman's hand. Her frown was quickly replaced with a soft smile.
"Aiya, why are you back to calling me 'aunt'? I would be happier if you continue to call me 'mother'."
She liked it better when Yue Ling called her mother. It made her feel like they have already become a family and were familiar with one another.
However, remembering something her husband had mentioned to her, she sighs inside.
"Alright, I'll be patient and wait until you and Tian are officially wedded."
Her husband had said to not force Yue Ling into calling her mother. They don't want to scare the girl and should wait until she is comfortable enough to call them mother and father.
Yue Ling could already guess what was going on in Madam Lu's mind. She smiles a faint chuckle and couldn't help but wonder if she was marrying Lu Tian or his mother.
"Alright, alright. Let us go inside, you must be cold standing out here. The wedding planner already informed me that all the dresses have arrived."
Madam Lu takes Yue Ling by the hand and leads the way towards the building. She doesn't want Yue Ling to catch a cold, if she did, she will never hear the end from Lu Tian.
"We can wait for Madam Zhao and Zhao Ya'Er inside."
As the two figures walked closer to the building, Yue Ling was able to see a better view of the dresses put on display. Noticing something above the entrance door, she looks up at it.
"Ages of Love."
She spoke the words aloud but didn't think Madam Lu would hear here. The middle-aged woman glance at her and smiles from ear to ear.
"Oh, you must have heard about this place before."
Her words fell and she quickly remembers something. Lightly smacking her head, she laughs.
"Aiya, how silly of me. Ah Ling is a well-known fashion designer. How can you not know about this place?"
She turns to the door and pulls it open as she enters.
"The owner here is the son of a close friend. Don't worry, he is friendly and easy to get along with."
Yue Ling nods her head in understanding and follows in after Madam Lu. However, she didn't forget to take another glance at the sign above the door.
She has only heard about Ages of Love twice. The first time was because it was a name that had been recommended by Hana for her and Shin's wedding.
However, due to the owner's busy schedule, she had to go with a different wedding planner.
As for the second time, Liu Shan had once mentioned it to her because De L'amour was partnering with a wedding planner to showcase and sell their wedding dresses.
They decided to go with Ages of Love and formed a contract. However, from that point on, it was Lian Ni Shang who overlooked all the deals with Ages of Love.
Upon entering the building, Yue Ling was taken aback by the interior design. It had white glossy walls and marbled floors. Against the walls were racks of different wedding dresses. Any part of the place that did not have a wedding dress was decorated with vases of baby's breaths.
In the center of the place were four mannequins standing back to back in the shape of a diamond. Each one wearing a famous designer's dress and one of them being her own.
When she saw the dress, her heart skipped a beat like she had been reunited with a friend she had not seen in a long time.
With each beat of her heart, she takes a step towards it and forgot that she was not alone.
Madam Lu didn't think much when she saw Yue Ling walk towards the dress. She looks away and wonders why there was no one there to greet them.
Could it be that they had arrived too early? If so, then why was the door unlocked?
"Did they forget to lock the door last night?"
She asks herself and walks away to look for any workers.
As her footsteps grew fainter into the distance, Yue Ling slowly comes to a stop in front of the dress.
She gazes at it with a soft expression like she was looking at her own child.
This bridal dress was the second she designed. It was a simple Opaline ballgown made with lustrous satin fabrics and had a chic but elegant appearance without any frills. The plunging V-neck on the front combined with the spaghetti straps made the dress look like a modern statement.
Without helping it, her thoughts returned to the past. To the time when she finally found the courage to pick up her pencil and sketched another wedding dress. It was hard at first, but she gave it her all as she didn't want her personal feelings to get in her way of designing a dress for a bride.
Like she had gone back to the time she first finished this dress, her left hand subconsciously raise and reach to touch the dress. The tips of her fingers ever so lightly caress the satin material but with no pressure.
She was afraid that if she touched it too much, she would ruin the beautiful piece in front of her.
"Ah, you truly have good eyes. I see that you have found one of Ages of Love's best seller."
A sudden cheerful voice sounds from the side and interrupts Yue Ling's line of thoughts. She thought it was Madam Lu but when she turned to look at the person, it wasn't.