Chapter 5 Is It Ugly

Kallie didn't waste any time-she seized Irene's hand and hustled her straight into the fitting room.

In a hushed voice, Irene said, "I really appreciate you backing me up like that, but we should just drop the whole haute couture thing."

Kallie gestured for Irene to be quiet, clapped her hands together, and an attendant walked in carrying a fancy gift box.

Irene's jaw practically hit the floor. "You've got to be kidding me, Kallie."

Kallie's eyebrow shot up. "This wedding dress was always going to be yours. Try it on!"

Irene felt unsure about it at first. But once she had the dress on, it was like magic-every inch of it fit her like a glove, as though someone had tailored it specifically for her body.

Kallie's eyes went wide with amazement.

She gushed over Irene with one compliment after another and took what must have been a hundred photos. Every single one got sent straight to Henry.

Henry had just wrapped up a flight mission. He was making his way to the locker room alongside his crew.

The photos came through on his phone. He took a quick look at the screen, then stuffed his phone back in his pocket. His face didn't show a thing.

"Holy cow! That's your fiancée? She's drop-dead gorgeous, but you're acting like you couldn't care less. You don't even like her?" Callum Reed, the co-pilot, blurted this out after sneaking a peek at Irene decked out in her wedding dress. The woman's beauty had clearly made an impression. He was totally baffled by Henry's stone-cold reaction.

What happened next caught Callum off guard. Henry shoved his flight records at him and bolted out of the locker room. He never once looked back.

"Wait, hold on-" Callum tried to tell him he still had his uniform on, but Henry had already vanished down the hallway.

Callum let out a laugh. "I figured you were immune to a pretty face, but you took off like a bat out of hell!"

...

Back at the mall, Irene walked out of the fitting room. Everyone's breath caught in their throat, but Caiden's reaction was the strongest.

She looked like some kind of celestial being walking into a beam of light. Her beauty held everyone spellbound.

Paulina's attention, though, stayed locked on what Irene was wearing.

The dress was a one-of-a-kind creation by Vincent Gibson, the famous designer. Just putting down a deposit on something like that would set one back five million.

She refused to believe Irene had that kind of money.

Madalyn and Zoe shot each other looks of total disbelief. They were thinking the exact same thing.

"No way this is real!" Madalyn kept shaking her head over and over. She jabbed her finger at the dress. "That's a knockoff! It has to be!"

Zoe jumped right on the bandwagon. "Absolutely! It's definitely a fake!" She even went after Irene with righteous indignation in her voice. "Irene, wearing counterfeit goods is gonna make yourself look like a fool!"

They made such a racket that people started gathering around to see what all the fuss was about.

The store owner eventually showed up. "What seems to be the problem here?" he asked.

Paulina wore a smug expression as she spoke up. "Sir, somebody's lying about purchasing Vincent Gibson's luxury couture from your establishment."

The store owner took one look at the wedding dress Irene had on. His whole attitude shifted to one of deference. "Miss Burton is telling the truth."

He pulled out the order paperwork. The signature on it belonged to Vincent himself; no question about it.

He went on to explain. "Miss Burton's fiancé dealt with Vincent directly. He made sure every other order got pushed aside so Vincent could design this gown just for her. Her fiancé obviously adores her."

Irene felt completely blindsided. Had Henry really set all of this up?

Kallie shot her a meaningful glance but kept her mouth shut.

Madalyn and Zoe stood there like fish out of water, totally speechless. Even Paulina's eyes showed a flash of jealousy.

The moment Paulina caught sight of how Caiden was staring at Irene with complete fascination, her mood went sour in a heartbeat.

She gritted her teeth, grabbed Caiden and dragged him toward the exit without delay.

They were heading out just as Henry was coming in.

Caiden was good-looking, sure, but the second he passed by Henry, it was like all his appeal just evaporated into thin air.

Henry didn't give Caiden so much as a passing glance. Caiden might as well have been invisible. Henry just kept walking straight ahead.

Caiden felt confused seeing Henry in that location-a guy by himself in a shopping center that sold nothing but women's clothing and accessories.

His thoughts drifted back to the vision of Irene looking absolutely stunning in that wedding dress.

A theory popped into his head, but he pushed it away immediately. There was no way Henry, a famous airline captain, would have any interest in a kept woman.

Paulina rushed Caiden into their vehicle.

Because of this, neither one of them saw how eagerly Henry headed straight for Irene-the same woman Caiden viewed as nothing more than a stand-in for Paulina.

Henry moved forward with purpose, but the closer he got to Irene, the more his steps slowed down.

He kept quiet. He just positioned himself behind her without a word, taking in her reflection through the mirror.

The wedding dress had no straps. It clung to Irene's slim frame like it was made for nobody else. The skirt spread out like lily petals, matching her graceful vibe to perfection.

Henry stared at her with open admiration. The intensity of it was almost too much to handle.

Irene caught his eyes in the mirror. Her cheeks turned red from the heat of his stare.

"Mr. Shaw, what brings you here?" The words came out raspy with embarrassment as she turned to face him.

Henry ignored her question completely. Instead, he just said, "Come here."

His focus dropped to a reddish mark on her chest. It was a birthmark.

Caiden had always thought it looked hideous. He would insist she hide it under makeup, even when they were being intimate.

Today, though, it had slipped her mind.

"Is it ugly?" Irene stepped toward him.

She tried to hide the birthmark with her hand in an awkward motion, but Henry grabbed hold of her wrist, his grip firm.

Then something happened that shocked her to her core. She felt something gentle and warm press against the birthmark.

Henry had actually kissed the birthmark she had always considered ugly! She wondered if she might be dreaming.