Chapter 256,Coolest Girl in Town
Now that you’re back though, are you maybe interested in talking with the client?” Elise was taken aback. “From Tissote? Asking for me?” Brendan grinned as he nodded. “Looks like your name is getting out there. That’s a good thing.” Elise let out a hum. “When’s the client coming?” “I’ll give them a call first. We’ll talk about the timeframe later.” Elise contemplated for a moment before answering, “Okay, let me know once you’ve arranged the appointment.”
After Brendan left, he called the client. The client seemed to be in a rush, for an appointment was immediately made for the client to meet Elise at the atelier later that afternoon. The person who showed up was a graceful woman in her forties, who oozed elegance and femininity. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Sinclair,” the woman promptly greeted Elise upon seeing her. “Nice meeting you too.” Elise reached out and shook the woman’s hand. The woman smiled as she sat down. “I am Rowena Johnson. You may call me Ms. Johnson.” “Ms. Johnson. I heard that you came from Tissote, right?”
“That is right. I am here today on behalf of my mistress to look for you specifically. My mistress has seen your designs and she was fascinated by them. Therefore, she would like your help in designing a wedding gown.” “And who could your mistress be?” Rowena took out her phone and handed it over to Elise. A picture was displayed on the screen. “This is Faye Anderson, the lady I serve.” Elise glanced at the woman in the picture.
She looked to be in her early twenties, and her features were dainty and delicate. The woman very much resembled a Barbie doll. “She’s so beautiful!” “Thank you! My mistress will have her wedding at the end of the year, so I would like for you to spare no effort in her wedding gown’s design.” “I can see that Miss Anderson is a very elegant lady. But, I wonder if she has any idea for the kind of gown she would like? After all, as designers, we need to know our clients’ wishes,” Elise quickly inquired. “You have a point, Miss Sinclair. Miss Anderson has already written down her requests.” As she spoke, Rowena took out an A4-sized sheet of paper from her bag and handed it to Elise.
“She said that they were written down here. All you need to do is follow her ideas for the design.” Elise unfolded the paper, but after surveying every inch of it, she found absolutely nothing. “But Ms. Johnson, there’s nothing written on the paper.” Rowena smiled. “I am not sure about that either, but Miss Anderson did say that she wrote her requests on this sheet of paper.” Elise was surprised, but after a second check, she still found nothing. Just as she was about to voice her question, Rowena spoke up again. “She said that if you can figure out the mystery of this paper, then you will certainly be able to design the wedding gown of her dreams. If you have any questions, you may ask me now.”
Elise pressed her lips together, thinking that Faye’s actions were unfathomable. What was Faye planning to convey by giving Elise a blank paper? “I’d like to ask you—do you really want me to design a wedding gown with the requests on this blank paper?” Rowena nodded in surety. “Yes, Miss Sinclair. It is as you said. Rumor has it that you’ll be attending Tissote University next month. Why don’t you hand Miss Anderson your first draft when you arrive at Tissote? How does that sound to you?” Designing a wedding dress in a month was no problem.
However, there was a bigger problem at bay. Just what kind of profound mysteries does this blank sheet of paper hold? Elise wondered. “Ms. Johnson, all I can promise you is that I’ll give it a try. If you are not pleased with the draft, I can do a full refund.” “That is fine. I ask you to give it your all.” Having said that, Rowena then went to look for Brendan. “Mr. Griffith, here is the deposit.” She handed Brendan a check as she said so.
Brendan took a glance at it before speaking up in shock. “Isn’t this a little too much? This amount far exceeds the prices of our custom designs.” “My mistress has said that Miss Sinclair’s work is worth this money. And of course, we hope that Miss Sinclair will be able to give us a design worthy of this sum.” Brendan was conflicted. He looked at Elise, and in the end, he asked for her opinion. “Elise, are you confident in making this wedding dress?” Elise eyed the paper in her hands. All she did was say, “I’ll give it my best shot!” Having heard Elise’s answer, Brendan felt relieved. It was only then that he accepted Rowena’s check. Right before she left, Rowena looked at Elise and said, “I look forward to seeing you in Tissote.
May the day come soon!” “Thank you! I’ll do my best for the design.” “I apologize for the trouble. Here is the address for the Anderson estate. You can call us any time if you are in Tissote.” Rowena handed a name card to Elise. Elise accepted it and put it away. Once they saw Rowena off, Elise kept studying the sheet of paper. What kind of message could this blank paper be hiding? Elise thought about it for ages, but she couldn’t think of any solution. When it was almost closing time, Brendan came knocking on her door. “Still studying that thing?”
Elise raised her head to look at him. “Say, what kind of mysteries can a blank sheet of A4 paper hold?” she asked. Brendan shrugged. “No idea. Could there actually be no requests at all, and they just want you to make the design based on your own ideas?” “Is that the case?” Elise was perplexed, but she also couldn’t come up with any better answers. “That’s a possible angle! But I’m just spouting stuff off the top of my head. I really don’t know if my guess is right.” Elise was once again conflicted. “But I need to finish the draft within a month. It’s actually making me a little worried. What if I have nothing to show by the deadline?” “It’s okay! Go take a break first! It’s almost closing time anyway.
Let me send you home today,” Brendan consoled her. “You don’t have to; I can get home myself.” “No can do. That last incident has me all jumpy now. If that happens again, Alexander is going to at least take a layer of skin off me, if he doesn’t pummel me into next week.” Since Elise couldn’t convince him otherwise, she had no choice but to pack up her things and clock out. Brendan had just reached the entrance to Elise’s residential area with her when—maybe by coincidence, or maybe not—Alexander showed up as well in his car. Brendan quickly rolled down his car window.
“Hey! Are you here to see Elise?” Alexander lifted an eyebrow slightly before jingling the keys in his hand. “No, I live here.” It was Brendan’s turn to go slack-jawed. “What? Did you move? You guys are living together now?” Elise quickly cut him off. “That’s not it; he just moved in next door. He’s now my neighbor.” That answer made Brendan heave a sigh of relief. “That’s good. That’s great!”
