Page 29 of Seeds of Sorrow

“You’re going to look like royalty in that,” Peyton said with a fond smile. It was true; the dress was made to be worn by someone like Piper.

Kaira chuckled and slung an arm over Peyton’s shoulders again, pulling her close. “That’s because she’s going to be the queen of her own event. Now,you,on the other hand, are going to look like Satan himself sent you to tempt everyone in the room. You’ll look positively sinful by the time I’m done with you.”

“I can’t. I won’t even know anyone there.”

Patting Peyton’s shoulder, Kaira placed a soft kiss on the girl’s cheek. “Darling, you’ll know me. And besides, it’s terribly rude to refuse to let a designer dress you when she offers.”

“That’s not true,” Piper sing-songed.

“Maybe not, but it should be,” Kaira replied, sticking out her tongue in response. “Now, Peyton dear, go get undressed in that room over there”—she pointed—“while I fetch the dress for you. We need to see how it fits in case alterations are needed.”

Placing her hands on Peyton’s back, Kaira gently pushed her forward until they reached the dressing room. Peyton turned to protest some more but Kaira grinned from ear to ear, mischief lighting up her entire face. Peyton couldn’t force herself to say anything and instead did as instructed, waiting patiently for Kaira to bring her the dress in question.

“I’m coming in!” Kaira announced as she opened the door and entered the dressing room. Peyton squealed and grabbed her clothes on the floor to cover herself. Kaira laughed, patting Peyton’s cheek. “Relax, gorgeous, this is my job. I see tits, ass, and everything else all day long.”

Peyton could feel her cheeks burn anyway, but Kaira’s attitude was bright and infectious, making her relax slightly. Though she still didn’t uncover herself until Kaira’s back was turned.

“Take the gown out of the bag carefully and slip into it. I’ll help you do up the zips once you’re dressed.”

Peyton’s breath caught as the sleek gown glided from the bag, the black jersey fabric soft against her hands. Undoing the zip at the back and left side, Peyton stepped into the gown and pulled the material up, slipping her right arm into the long sleeve.

“Okay, ready for your assistance.”

Kaira’s eyes widened when she turned around, her gaze roaming over Peyton’s figure. “Fucking hell, you look even better than I thought you would.”

Peyton blushed and dipped her head. “Thank you.”

Once Kaira had finished zipping her up and making sure that the dress was sitting correctly, the designer moved out of the way and let Peyton examine herself in the mirrored wall.

“Oh,” she whispered as she took in the sight of her dress in all of its divine glory. The A-line shape wasn’t something Peyton ever thought would look good on her, but the gown clung to her curves in all the right places, before trailing down into a long sweep train. She was surprised by how well the ruched one-shoulder suited her too, drawing attention to the small pieces of skin on display, like her exposed shoulder.

Taking a step forward, she let out a happy sigh at the slit in the skirt—which ran from her left thigh to the floor between her feet. It was simple, beautiful, and utterly extraordinary. Peyton didn’t feel deserving enough to wear such an extravagant gown.

“This is…beautifulisn’t even the word, Kai. This is a masterpiece.”

The awe in her voice was clear, which earned her a delighted clap. “Let’s go show Piper!”

Throwing the door wide open, Kaira grabbed Peyton’s hand and pulled her out into the center of the room. Piper let out a dramatic gasp before jumping excitedly with Kai. “Look at her! Oh my fucking hell, Kai, you did it. You literally created the perfect dress for her before you even met her!”

“Wait, what?”

Kaira looked nervous for a second before shrugging. “Listen, the Adis family always has events to attend. When the girls started talking about you, I guess I found myself a little inspired. So, I’ve been making this dress for you for the last couple of weeks, in case you ever needed it.”

Peyton didn’t know how to feel about that. It was as if she had been pulled into this whole new life without any warning, and the more she tried to pull away, the deeper she sank into it. But the gown was beautiful and Piper and Kai were beaming, and for the first time in a while, Peytonfeltgood.

Staring at herself in the bronze free-standing mirror, Peyton tried to picture her reflection with her hair and makeup done, a pair of heels to match and jewelry too. As if her subconscious was trying to make her suffer, an image of Hadina appeared next to her, the queen and her consort ready to take on the world. Even in her daydreams, Hadina was the most breathtaking person Peyton had ever seen, and it was a cruel cosmic joke that she would never know what it was like to behers.

Shaking her head of all thoughts of Hadina, Peyton turned back to her new friends, forcing a smile onto her face. “Well, Piper, I guess I’ll be coming to the event after all.”

Piper and Kaira whooped, enveloping her in a crowded embrace, and Peyton didn’t pull away this time. Maybe the most meaningful friendships were the ones you didn’t see coming.

Chapter21

HADINA

She wouldn’t lieand say that her head wasn’t completely fucked after her last encounter with Peyton, but it didn’t mean she was happy about it.

I see you.

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