Chapter 196 - Favorite Dress

Jackson took a deep breath and slowly processed what he had seen while Halia waited patiently for a response.

"Does it look bad?" she asked. She had never worn a dress like this before and wasn't sure if Jackson liked it.

Jackson shook his head. "You look beautiful," he said.

He still remembered the first time he saw Halia in her nurse's uniform at the hospital and when he saw her again in casual clothing at the bar. Every time he saw her, he never mentioned it or showed it on his face, but he felt his heart skip a beat. 

He had seen mermaid dresses in magazines and on television before, but it always looked a little strange and uncomfortable. Who knew that Halia would be able to make it look so good. 

Jackson tried to remain seated, even though he really wanted to wrap his arms around his fiancee's slender waist. The dress made her body look so s.e.xy that he wanted to carry her back to the hotel straight away and have his way with her. 

He gripped the sofa to contain the temptation and waited for Halia to try on her next dress.

The next dress was a short strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. A beautiful champagne bow wrapped around the waist and the bottom half of the dress had ruffles that resembled a bouquet of flowers. Unlike the first dress that looked elegant and s.e.xy, this dress was cute and sweet while highlighting Halia's long, toned legs.

Jackson felt his heart flutter when he saw Halia like this. She looked so beautiful and sweet that he wanted to shower her with kisses and hugs and protect her (even though Halia was more than capable of protecting herself).

Personally, he preferred this dress since it was less revealing than the first one.

Halia felt more comfortable in it too.

The third dress took inspiration from the traditional Chinese qipao. Like the first dress, it outlined the curves of Halia's body, but this dress ended just below her knee and the collar ran up her neck. Little delicate diamonds and floral embroidery decorated the body of the dress. The shop assistant picked this dress just in case Halia and Jackson were after something a little more traditional, but even though it looked great on Halia's body, it was not the look that she wanted. 

By the time that Halia walked out in her fourth dress, she realized she had developed a slight preference for what she wanted. The fourth dress had an off-shoulder sleeve, a lace-up back, and a beautiful long organza train. She liked the lace-up back, but didn't like the plain organza. She preferred the ruffles in the first two dresses, especially when it looked like a bouquet in the short dress.

Jackson smiled when he saw his fiancee growing more confident. Her uncertainty at the beginning had now disappeared and she was beginning to point out things that she liked and didn't like.

When Halia returned to the dressing room for the last time, she looked at the last dress and smiled. She already liked it before she even put it on her body and she felt excited to try it on.

This dress had a sweetheart neckline, an A-line body, and a soft swirling dr.a.p.ed skirt that looked romantic and elegant. As soon as Halia put it on her body, she felt like a princess, without feeling uncomfortable and heavy. Best of all, thanks to the lace-up back, the dress fit her body perfectly without any need for alteration. It was like this dress was made for her.

Jackson could tell by the expression on Halia's face that this was her favorite dress of the day. He walked over to her side and held her hand as they looked in the mirror. 

"You look amazing," he said. 

Halia nodded and smiled. She had never seen herself like this before.

"I really like this," she said.

Jackson smiled and snuck a glance outside the shop. "The timing's just right," he suddenly said.

He had been waiting for something to arrive and was glad that Halia found a dress just as he saw it pull up outside. 

Halia looked at her fiance with confusion as he tightened his grip on her hand. What timing was he referring to? At that moment, he suddenly started dragging her towards the doorway.

"Where are we going?" she squealed in surprise. She was still wearing the wedding dress and her belongings were still in the dressing room.

Outside the shop, a classic white Mercedes was waiting on the side of the road. Jackson immediately dragged Halia on board and helped her gather her dress inside. As soon as she was seated, Jackson walked around the car and sat next to her as the shop assistant chased them out and handed Halia her belongings. 

Halia looked at the woman in surprise. Why didn't the shop assistant look surprised and why wasn't she asking her to pay for the dress? 

But, before she got to ask any questions, the driver in the front tipped his hat politely and started the car.

The shop assistant waved her hand and bowed as the car drove off.

Halia was speechless as she looked at Jackson with confusion.

"What's happening?" she asked.

Jackson smiled at Halia cheekily, "You'll see when we get there."

"What about this dress?" Halia asked as she looked down at the dress on her body.

"I bought it already," Jackson replied.

Halia looked at her fiance in surprise. From the moment they first met, this man had been full of surprises. From being a gangster to the son of a casino tycoon to being an Interpol agent, he was completely unpredictable. But, he had never done anything to hurt her. In fact, he had protected her and saved her multiple times. 

Halia relaxed and breathed in the fresh spring air through the wound down window.

She didn't know what the man had planned, but she decided to trust Jackson, leave everything in his hands and go with the flow. With all the stress they had been experiencing lately, it was time to do something spontaneous. 

As the car turned onto the autobahn, the driver asked them to close the windows and smiled, "Hold on tight!"

The Mercedes engine growled and the car sped up. The autobahn was famous for having a high speed limit and it was definitely something that Halia had never experienced before. The high population and dense cities in China meant that cars couldn't really go very fast.

Jackson saw the anxious expression on Halia's face and wrapped his arm around her shoulder with a giggle, "Don't worry, Ernst drives this route every single day."

Halia took a deep breath and tried to remain calm, but the car changed lanes unexpectedly and she subconsciously let out a scream. Jackson looked at his adorable fiancee and quickly comforted her the only way he could think of.

He gently pulled Halia towards him and drowned out her screams by pressing his lip against her gaping mouth...