Moon and Flowers

Chapter Eighteen

Later this day, I prepared for the birthday of his father's birthday to attend. Spade's bathroom is, in all respects, a blessing for me. After a wonderful bath, I wrapped up in a robe and sat prettily at the vanity to put on some makeup. Since the growing fringes, I gave my curtain bangs a good brush to the side and put on some elegant crystal hairpin. I just let the rest of my hair down and I'm good to go. 

When I got out to get my dress, I saw a large silver box with a champagne gold ribbon on the daybed. Beside it is a shopping bag with a prominent designer brand stamped onto it. Una kong binuksan ang box. There, I saw a white dress. I pulled it out and got a whole view of it. At that moment, it hit me. It's the dress I saw at the mall! It's so pretty! Did Spade get this? Oh, god. My heart never felt so alive like this for so long. 

I immediately went back to the bathroom to try it out. It fits perfectly. Happiness was overflowing in me that tears wanted to come out from the corner of my eyes. I went out of the bathroom in a hurry to get a full view of myself in Spade's full-length mirror. The hem of the dress reaches just above the ankle. It's so perfect. I love this dress so much. I looked like a bloomed flower rather than a withering leaf. 

When the door creaked open, I stopped. I don't want to embarrass myself. But I was still in awe to even look at Spade. 

"Did you get this?" I asked him while checking all angles of the dress in the mirror. I just couldn't hide my smile. 

"No. Mom sent it."

"Really?"

That painted a smile on my face. I made a mental note to thank Tita Vanessa later on. I couldn't stop looking at the dress. It's so lovely that I think I don't even give justice to the attire. I checked my heightened cheeks out of beaming like a ball of sun.

"Diana." Spade's already behind me. "Let me--Just a second." He gathered my hair by the side and zipped the dress up. "There."

I couldn't move. I didn't expect him to do that. And, I just saw him through the mirror, catching my attention. He's wearing a wine-red three-piece suit and a pair of dark brown dress shoes. He's now in front of his glass cabinet of watches, carefully picking what matches his outfit. His hair is already fixed and... he's seemingly stunning. I watched him in a simple view, pretending I'm not gazing at him in delight. He wore the watch first before putting on the cuff links. 

 "Wear your shoes. The floor is cold," he told me as he put on a helm brooch. It's a lapel pin with a ship's wheel connected to an anchor with a chain. "It's in the shopping bag."

Napatingin ako sa paanan ko. The floor is carpeted. What is he saying?

I peeked at the shopping bag and saw two items. A shoebox and a dust bag. I got the shoebox and put on the pair of silver block-heel ankle strap sandals. They fit perfectly! Tita Vanessa is so good at this. And in the dust bag, a stunning evening purse was shimmering. It has a gold floral pattern and studs of crystals. It's so pretty. I've never had an outfit thought of so well.

"Ah, these are so pretty..." I muttered to myself excitedly.

When I looked back at Spade, his brooch is already on. It made his entire look more unique. And prince-like. 

"Does that pin mean anything?" I asked in curiosity. But I immediately shook my head. I'm probably being too nosy. "Ah, nothing. Nevermind."

"It was my father's gift." He looked at the pin on his left chest. "He gave me this helm pin when I started leading the company. He said that as a helm, it is my duty to guide my group through a difficult time." 

I can't help but smile. "He must be proud of you."

"It's not a linear process. There's this underlying pressure to earn his trust day by day. But that's exactly what it takes to be a helm. At the end of the day, I will be the one to steer the wheel in the middle of the sea to face untamed waves."