The Curiosities Concerning Fate

∷ Chapter 8 ∷

THE SURPRISE THAT first enveloped her upon seeing the man soon turned into indignation the longer Adine stood in his presence. She grabbed the folder Lisa had left her and flipped through its contents, appalled at the confirmation of his identity as the mysterious client.

Sebastian, on the other hand, was having a hard time trying to stifle his laughter. To think the girl from the confectionery would be working at the boutique he hired to plan his wedding was a coincidence he had a difficult time believing in. But fate had ways with things and he wasn't one to question such occurrences.

He watched with interest as she slammed the folder shut, turning to stare daggers at him. Her dissatisfaction concerning their current situation was evident. However, a new thought followed her agitation, leading to the accusatory statement:

"You told me your fiancée died."

"So?" Sebastian asked, unbothered.

"What do you mean—so?" Adine repeated. "Why are you even here? What about the . . . The funeral?"

A moment of silence transcended until Sebastian sighed, "It was a joke. April isn't dead."

His brief explanation cued another wave of silence. The stunned look on Adine's face shifted from disgust to outright revulsion.

"You joke about people dying? About your fiancée dying?"

He shrugged as though it wasn't as big a deal as she made it out to be.

"You're horrible," she said, unable to comprehend his ideals.

"Isn't that just lovely?" Sebastian said with sarcasm, entirely unaffected by her dismay. If anything, he found the whole ordeal amusing, though he would not dream of giving her the benefit of a reaction.

"Are we done here?" he asked when she had nothing to add to his comment. "Because I don't have all day and I would like to get on with the viewing."

Adine's respect for the man had dwindled significantly from the moment they met. How could she harbour any respect for someone who would openly joke about the supposed death of his fiancée? Still, she could not disregard the fact that he was their client and she should get on with the viewing.

Though she could not stop her disdain from getting in the way of her professionalism as she spoke with poison-tinged words. With a gesture towards the mannequins, she said, "Feel free to view your garments."

Sebastian stared at the female mannequin, his eyes scrutinising every detail on the dress until he shifted his steely gaze to meet Adine's.

"Put it on," he ordered.

"Excuse me?" she said, daring him to repeat himself.

"Put it on."

"Put what on?"

"The dress," he said, tilting his head in the mannequin's direction. "Put it on."

Adine scowled, the fury progressively building within her.

"Excuse me, sir," she said, trying her best to keep her voice calm. "Let me kindly remind you that this is a garment viewing session. There will be no trying of the garments until the client, that is you and your fiancée, have absolutely no qualms with them. After which they will be altered to a comfortable fit."

She gave him a sickly sweet smile despite the overbearing anger she felt.

Mirroring her words, Sebastian said, "The client, that is me, is perfectly content with the outcome of the garments. So—put it on."