Chapter 136
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A flicker of surprise flashed in Marina’s eyes. She pulled her hand back from the ignition, got out of the driver’s seat, and walked toward the front door of the Finley residence.
As she approached the entrance, she spotted an Aston Martin parked out front, its sleek lines and minimalist design catching her eye.
When Daron saw her coming, he got out of the car and opened the door for her.
Marina took a deep breath to steady herself, put on a smile, and walked over, bending down to get in.
“Thanks,” she said.
Daron cast a glance down at her and said lightly, “No problem.”
Marina pursed her lips.
After Daron got back in and shut the door, she murmured,
“I need to get my hair and makeup done. It might take a bit,” she said.
Daron nodded, his expression calm. “I know.”
‘Don’t most guys hate going with women to get their hair and makeup done or go shopping?‘ she wondered.
‘So why does Daron seem genuinely interested?‘ she thought.
Marina pushed down her curiosity and gave him the address Elnora had given her.
Daron just gave a quiet “mm” and started driving.
When they arrived at the studio, Marina let the receptionist know who she was, and the receptionist called Hans. He quickly came out to greet her in person.
As soon as Hans saw Marina, he walked over with a big smile, took her hand, and spoke to her in a friendly
tone,
“You must be Elnora’s sister, Marina, right?”
“Yes,” Marina replied with a smile. Even though Hans‘ lack of boundaries made her a bit uncomfortable, she didn’t pull away or protest.
Just as Hans was about to lead Marina into the studio, he suddenly felt a chill at the back of his head, like someone was silently radiating murderous intent right behind him.
He stopped in his tracks and turned around, only to lock eyes with Daron’s icy, piercing gaze.
Daron was fixated on Hans‘ hand, his expression cold and arrogant, with a clear hint of annoyance in his eyes.
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Chapter 136
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Hans froze for a second, then slowly pulled his hand back.
“Mr. Zamora? You’re… here already?” Hans stammered, clearly caught off guard.
‘His slot isn’t even until later,‘ Hans thought, a little confused.
Daron’s eyes flicked away from Hans‘ hand, his face unreadable.
Only then did Hans realize Marina was here with Daron.
‘No wonder I felt that intense glare when I grabbed Marina’s hand earlier,‘ he thought.
“You came with Mr. Zamora?” Hans asked, sounding surprised.
Marina nodded lightly.
Hans caught on and led Marina into the makeup room.
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Daron strolled in behind them, and with a staff member showing him the way, he sat down on the sofa in the lounge area.
As Hans was explaining the makeup and styling plan to Marina, he leaned in and whispered,
“Ms. Finley, you’re really lucky. You’ve got your sister looking out for you, and now you’ve got a boyfriend who dotes on you too.”
A flash of surprise crossed Marina’s eyes. She glanced up and caught Daron’s gaze meeting hers in the reflection of the makeup mirror—he was watching her, and she could feel it.
She parted her lips, about to explain, but the words caught in her throat. Elnora’s words echoed in her mind: ‘Why not make the most of this special attention while it lasts?‘ she reminded herself.
In the end, she didn’t say anything. She just gave a faint smile and let it slide.
Once they’d settled on the makeup and styling, Hans led her straight upstairs to the women’s section to pick out some clothes.
Daron sat in silence on the sofa for a while before eventually standing up and making his way upstairs too.
During this time, Hans‘ phone started ringing, so he grabbed it and stepped out onto the second–floor balcony to answer the call.
Marina picked out a minimalist blush pink slip dress and stepped into the fitting room. Not long after, a loud clatter sounded from inside.
The sales assistant outside immediately called out in worry. “Ms. Finley, are you okay?”
“I’m… I’m fine,” Marina replied, her voice a bit muffled.
Daron’s face darkened. He walked over quickly and knocked on the door.
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Chapter 136
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“Marina, open up,” he demanded.
After a moment, Marina opened the door.
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Daron looked down and saw chaos on the floor–water everywhere, and a long streak showing exactly where someone had slipped.
Clearly, Marina had just walked in, hit the water, and taken a spill.
Daron’s eyes were stern as he swept over the chaos in the fitting room before landing on Marina.
Marina was mortified. She just knew Daron probably thought she was being so dumb for slipping and falling in there.
In those few seconds while she opened the door, she’d already rehearsed in her mind all the things Daron might say.
So when Daron pulled her out of the fitting room, she was already bracing herself for him to start laying into her.
When Marina kept her head down and didn’t say a word, Daron frowned and asked,
“Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself anywhere?”
That was way off from what Marina had braced herself for.
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she was stunned for a moment.
When Daron didn’t get a response, he frowned.
“What, did you bang your head and lose your voice too?” he teased.
‘That’s the Daron I know, Marina thought, quickly shaking her head.
“I’m… I’m fine,” she stammered.
When she fell, Marina managed to catch herself on the wall hook, so even though it made a racket, she was actually fine.
She accidentally pulled the hook right off the wall, and it clattered to the floor.
Daron’s eyes were cold and sharp as he glanced at the sales assistant nearby, then at the cleaner who was hurrying over with a cleaning cloth.
The sales assistant’s eyes flickered with panic.
She’d forgotten to mention that the previous customer had just used the fitting room and the cleaner was still in the middle of disinfecting.
She hurried to apologize.
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Chapter 136
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“I’m really sorry, Ms. Finley. It was our mistake–we forgot to put up a warning sign and didn’t finish cleaning the floor in time. If you got hurt, we’ll take care of any medical bills,” she said anxiously.
Just as the sales assistant finished speaking, Hans walked in after hanging up his call. He immediately noticed the tense atmosphere and Daron’s face, which looked like a thundercloud about to burst. He hurried over.
“What happened?” he asked.
The sales assistant lowered her voice and quietly filled him in on what had just happened.
Hans shot her a stern look and gave her a quick scolding, then turned to Marina.
“I’m really sorry, Marina. Are you hurt? Should I call a doctor right away?” he asked, sounding genuinely worried.
Marina quickly waved her hands. “No, I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”
‘I was just startled for a second when I slipped, that’s all. No need to make a big deal out of it, Marina thought.
Hans let out a quiet sigh of relief, but when he caught a glimpse of Daron’s stormy expression beside Marina, he quickly assured them he’d make sure the staff would be more careful in the future.
Daron’s eyes were icy as he shot Hans a cold look. “Seems you’re too busy, Hans. People in your position tend to forget the details.”
Hans glanced at the plain dress the staff member was about to hand to Marina, his face changing. He quickly told the staff to bring over the dress Daron had sent earlier, and personally escorted Marina to the VIP fitting
room.
The sales assistant quickly brought over the dress Daron had sent. It was a butter yellow sleeveless dress with wide straps–eye–catching yet classy, featuring an asymmetrical ruffled hem and a bow at the left waist, its ribbon cascading down naturally.
Marina recognized it right away—it was one of Chanel’s newest designs, just revealed on their website and not even released yet.
Getting your hands on a Chanel piece before it hit the shelves was pretty much impossible for ordinary people.
Even someone like Hans, who had some standing in the fashion world, didn’t have the connections or privilege to score something like this.
It was obvious–this was clearly Daron’s arrangement.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
