Chapter 239

239 Gift Exchange

It was quite late when I made it back to my apartment. Although all we had to do was find something that would match with the pendant that Ace gave me, it took us a long time to find something that would work. I didn’t think that there would be so many options for a pendant in the shape of a sun, but there was. The bigger problem was to choose a design that would fit Ace’s character. The worse outcome that I wanted to avoid at all costs was the one where he wouldn’t wear the gift that I got for him.

In the end, the saleswoman helped me settle on something. Although it was pricey, I willingly paid for it and asked it to be gift wrapped. I had to say that the staff did an over-the-top job of gift wrapping the pendant in its small box and the package looked so flashy that it made it look like a Christmas present for a kid instead.

Now that I was back in my apartment, I took out the small, gift-wrapped box and stared at it. My heart fluttered in my chest when I thought of Ace’s reaction when he would receive this.

Would he be happy about it? Would he smile and maybe laugh?

I had no doubt that Ace must have gone through a similar experience when he picked out that pendant for me. It must have been difficult for him too; however, it was a challenge that I was so willing to go through. I hoped that he felt the same way when he picked my present for me.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. I knew that it wasn’t Ace and that made me slightly worried. He agreed to pick me up tomorrow at my place so that we could go to the party together. Ace mentioned that he had some preparations to do for the party and that he couldn’t’ stay over with me.

“Yes? Who is it?” I called out to whoever was at my door.

“I’m here to deliver your dress for the event tomorrow,” a woman’s voice replied.

Oh, right. The dress.

.....

“Thank you...” I thanked her when I opened the door.

“Please be careful. It is quite heavy. Please put your arm under this part here to support it...” she advised as she carefully handed the dress over to me.

The silver-grey bag that contained the dress did feel very heavy in my arms as I took it from her. The woman smiled at me before she turned to leave. Somehow, I managed to close the door while not losing my balance while holding the dress in my arms. I recalled the brief conversation that I had with Ace before about this dress.

“Someone will send you a dress for tomorrow’s party. I got it tailored especially for you. I’m sure that you’ll look great in it,” Ace said with confidence.

“You didn’t have to do that...” I murmured.

“Don’t overthink things and just wear it, ok?” he replied before staring right into my eyes.

“Ok...” I agreed hesitantly.

I had no idea what the dress even looked like, but I was about to find out. Somehow this dress just made it feel like the party was something important. Ace had not disclosed to me any details about the party and what I was expected to do there beyond telling me to enjoy myself and stay at his side. It sounded easy enough, but I had no idea what kind of business this party was for.

“Oh...so over the top...” I gasped when I unzipped the grey bag and carefully pulled the dress out.

The lilac color dress was decorated with lace and embellished with crystals. The mermaid tail of the dress looked amazing and so did the V-neck of the dress and its long sleeves that were also decorated with crystals. No wonder the dress weighed so much, it was because of all these sewn-on crystals. I didn’t think that Ace would get something so fancy as this tailored for me. It might be hard to walk in and definitely difficult to sit in. The waist and hip looked so tight and it was probably designed that way to make my waist look smaller.

“Time to try this on. Let’s hope it fits and that I’ll be able to breathe...” I mumbled to myself.

The party was already tomorrow so if this dress didn’t fit, we only had the daytime to either find a new dress or get this dress resized. It took a while for me to put the dress on. I found out that my worries were completely wasted because the dress fit me so perfectly. I stared at myself in the mirror and had to admit that the dress looked very beautiful.

My phone vibrated quite loudly on the table where I had placed it. My instincts told me that it was Ace, and I wasn’t surprised to hear his voice calling my name in a seductive drawl when I connected the line.

“Rina...did you get the dress that I sent?” he asked.

“Yes, I did...” I replied.

“Have you tried it on? Do you like it?” he asked with a small laugh.

'

I could tell that he was enjoying himself immensely and that he was always pleased whenever he gifted me with something. Ace was not all worried about the fit of the dress and that just told me how confident he was in his tailor.

“It fits...” I replied.

“That’s not what I asked...” Ace pointed out.

I could hear his laughter from the other end of the line and found myself smiling along with him. I wished that the night would pass by quickly so that I could see Ace tomorrow. My eyes glanced over to the present that I had bought for him. Tomorrow was Ace’s birthday, and so far, he had not mentioned it to me at all. If I had to guess, he probably knew that I knew already.

I wonder if he’s expecting to get a present from me?

–To be continued...