Page 62 of The Counterfeit Lover

His eyes quickly scanned the crowed, his shrewd mind at work calculating all possibilities. Choosing the perfect vessel in the form of a young woman who seemed much too concerned about the price of items, he strode over to her.

"Excuse me," he smiled, removing his glasses.

He saw the way her eyes immediately widened, want dripping from them and making him wince in return, disgust already rolling in his stomach. But he kept his expression on.

“Would you like one hundred dollars in exchange for a small favor?” He asked in a pleasant voice.

The woman batted her lashes, clearly intuiting the worst—or in her case the best as she definitely did not seem opposed to exchangethosetypes of favors.

"What did you have in mind?" She drawled at him.

"In the changing rooms, there is a woman in a pink dress. Say whatever you need to make hernotbuy the dress. Here's fifty," he removed a note, handing it to her. "I'll give you the other fifty after it's done."

The woman seemed to think on it for a few seconds before shrugging and accepting.

"Anything?"

"As long as she doesn't buy the dress," he nodded, grateful she didn't ask more.

Heading back to the changing rooms, he resumed his place in one of the changing rooms at the end of the hallway, peeking at the spectacle.

His pet was still in front of the mirror, a smile on her face that seemed to grow wider by the second.

"They had this in a few other colors too. The neutral ones would be great, too, don't you think?" Assisi suddenly suggested.

His pet nodded.

"I'll go get them for you and you can try those on, too. It's rare to find something you truly like so why not get it in more colors?" she chuckled and winked at her sister, retreating to the store.

Michele smiled. Wasn't that to his advantage? Especially as right at that moment the woman he'd employed made her way to the back of the changing rooms, pretending to try something in.

"Oh, that's such a pretty dress," she intoned, stopping as she perused his pet.

"Thank you," his pet murmured bashfully, her cheeks heating up.

"Just not on you."

His pet blinked, taken aback.

"Excuse me?" she whispered in a low, barely audible voice. A look of pure hurt crossed her face, and Michele swallowed a wave of discomfort.

"It would suit someone skinnier. Your belly is showing," the woman pointed to his pet's abdomen. He couldn't really see anything other than a perfect fit, but as long as she got his pet to give up on the dress, he supposed anything went.

"My belly?" His pet stammered, her hands going to her stomach.

"No offense, but you should probably lose some weight before you wear that," the woman shrugged before she went inside her own changing room.

His pet turned to the mirror, her eyes flickering with pure hurt as she took another good look at herself, her hands still on her belly.

Michele tried his best to remain unmoved as he watched disappointment flood her features. This was for the best. This way she would never wear that out.

But if she liked it so much, then he wagered he could buy it for her to wear around his home.

His face lit up at the idea, and he nodded to himself. He was too good to his pet and he couldn't wait to see her happiness once he revealed the dress to her later on.

As the woman left the changing rooms a while later, he held out his hand to give her the remaining fifty dollars. She'd more than earned it.

When Assisi returned a bit later with the other dresses, his pet shook her head.

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