Page 25 of Mismatched Mates

Victoria's laugh was light, but her eyes were knowing. "Only if you ask nicely."

I felt heat rush to my cheeks, grateful for the layers of makeup hiding my blush. As Victoria applied the final touches - a swipe of mascara here, a dab of lipstick there - I reflected on how surreal this felt.

"You know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, "I never imagined myself stepping into Grant's world, awolvesworld. I mean. It's so... different from everything I know."

Victoria's hands stilled for a moment. "Different doesn't always mean bad, Jane. Sometimes it's just... an adventure waiting to happen. Ask me how I know." She cocked her head sideways playfully; she hadn’t know about Luke being a shifter when they’d started dating.

I nodded, letting her words sink in. The soft click of the lipstick cap seemed impossibly loud in the quiet room.

I kept my eyes closed as Victoria finished supplanting my skin, and finally spritzed me. “There you go,” she said, unmistakable pride in her voice. “Open your eyes."

I hesitated, almost afraid of what I'd see. Would I even recognize myself? Slowly, I opened my eyes and gasped.

The woman in the mirror was... me. But also not me. Victoria hadn’t painted over my features, turned me into a delicate, unidentifiable version of myself. She’d just enhanced what was already there. My cheekbones looked sharper, my eyes more intense. My lips were fuller, painted a deep, rich color that made me think of ripe berries.

“I’m glad you’ve found someone, too, you know.”

I bit back the urge to tell her that Grant and Iweren’ta thing. The truth was, my stomach squirmed every time I thought about him—and it made no sense. We’d barely spent any time together. Kissed once, and even that was just for show.

Obviously I had a serious case of the nerves.

A sharp knock on the door made me jump. Victoria shot me a reassuring smile before slipping out to answer it.

When Victoria returned, she was holding a velvet garment bag with in one hand and a small, sleek envelope in the other. My stomach did a little flip.

"Looks like someone's been thinking about you," she said, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

The metallic rasp the zipper sliding down the bag punctured the heavy silence.

"Oh," I whispered, unable to form a more coherent thought.

The dress was... stunning. Deep emerald silk that shimmered in the light, with a demure neckline and a back that... well, let's just say it left little to the imagination. As Victoria held it up, I caught a whiff of lavender - subtle and luxurious.

Victoria handed over the envelope. "I think this is for you."

With trembling fingers, I opened it, pulling out a small card. The handwriting was bold and sure: "For tonight. Make them look twice."

I gripped the paper tighter, my mind racing. What was this? First, stepping in to help with Jason and now—this extravagant gift?

"Well?" Victoria prompted, grinning. "Are you going to try it on or what?"

I hesitated, torn between excitement and trepidation. "I don't know, Victoria. This isn't really me."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, live a little!"

Before I could protest further, she was helping me out of my clothes and into the dress. The silk felt cool against my skin at first, but quickly warmed, molding to my body like it was made for me. Which, I realized with a start, it probably was."How did he know my size?" I murmured, more to myself than Victoria.

She shrugged, fastening a delicate necklace around my throat.

"Does it matter? Now, take a look."

I turned to the mirror and felt my breath catch. The woman staring back at me was... a stranger. A gorgeous, confident stranger who looked like she could take on the world. Or at least a room full of billionaires.

A part of me felt like an imposter, playing dress-up in clothes I had no business wearing. But another part... another part felt a thrill of excitement. "Jason never did anything like this," I found myself saying. "In our entire marriage, he never once..."

I trailed off, suddenly unsure. Was this really Grant's doing? Or did the Elston family have an army of personal shoppers to handle these things?

"Jane," Victoria said gently, "stop overthinking it.”

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