Rebirth Into My Second Chance

I glanced around the boutique, my eyes landing on a sleek A-line dress ensemble that caught my fancy.

Just as I was about to express my preference, Kate came over with a slinky satin slip dress in hand. "This one's pretty fabulous, Claire. It's in your favorite shade of sky blue, and honestly, this style will really show off your figure. There's going to be a bunch of high-society bachelors at the auction tonight. Perfect opportunity for me to scout some top-notch prospects for you, don't you think?"

If I had shown up wearing something like that in my past life, Claude would have had a fit.

But since Kate was playing a game, I figured I might as well play along.

The moment I slipped into the dress, the stylists swarmed around me, gushing, "Ms. Floyd, you look stunning! Your skin is absolutely glowing. You're gorgeous even without a speck of makeup."

Kate, admiring her manicure, gave a sly smile and said with a hint of envy, "Well, Claire is at that perfect age where she's most beautiful, and her skin is just flawless."

Immediately, the stylists flocked back to her, showering her with compliments. "And Ms. Goodwin, you look absolutely stunning too."

Their back-and-forth flattery was exhausting.

Looking at my reflection, the slip dress subtly hinted at my silhouette due to its satin material, perfectly enhancing my figure.

chosen was bound to cause a

was actually curious to see how Kate would play

me to the event?"

how much she wanted to

saying, "Since you like this, wear it. The dress looks great on you, but adding a shawl would be even better." When she draped it over my shoulders,

was her subtle manipulation, implying the dress was my choice, not

was holding my hand, introducing me as Claude's

everyone knew Claude didn't have

the daughter of someone who owed their life to the Hart family, so when she

glances.

en

had already arrived, seemingly deep in conversation with someone, even toasting with champagne in a manner

the man's back, unable

in Crestview Metropolis, there weren't many who could command such respect

he was so eager to attend

life, Kate and Claude had