Chapter 11

Curiosity surged as colleagues scrambled to verify the claim online, and within moments, they found the listing-complete with a photo of the deliveryman himself.

A wave of gasps and excitement rippled through the office. "Holy crap, it's legit!"

"No way-let me see that!"

"It matches exactly! That's the same dress. SK Elite Boutique,for real!"

The buzz swelled, voices overlapping in a rush of disbelief and envy.

Meanwhile,color drained from Phyllis's face,leaving her exposed and speechless.

She'd never expected the dress to be genuine, let alone straight from SK Elite Boutique.

Gabriela-the person she'd belittled all her life, the one from whom she'd stolen a boyfriend-somehow owned a dress from SK Elite Boutique that even she couldn't afford. How was that even possible? Of course Gabriela could never afford a dress like that. Not in a million years.

Given her limited finances, there was no way Gabriela had the means to purchase it herself.

Phyllis, after a beat, forced an apologetic smile. "Oh,Gabriela, I must've jumped to conclusions. I had no idea. SK Elite Boutique dresses cost a fortune.Just getting the chance to buy one is practically impossible I really didn't think you could get your hands on something like that."

Aubrey, fed up with Phyllis's thinly veiled barbs, shot her a glare. "Maybe it was a gift."

Phyllis's eyes narrowed, but her lips curled into a sly smile. "A gift? Who on earth would give away something so extravagant? Unless, of course..." She covered her mouth with exaggerated surprise."Gabriela, don't tell me you've got yourself a boyfriend now?"

Gabriela, who'd been convinced the dress was a delivery mistake, only caught on when she heard someone Phyllis's words.

That was right-she'd promised Brenden, just this morning,she would be his date for the banquet.

Could this jaw-dropping dress actually be from him? All day she'd fretted about how to afford a breathtaking dress, but apparently, Brenden had already solved that problem without a word.

He did have a reputation for spoiling women, but Gabriela had never experienced it herself-until now,with this extravagant surprise landing squarely in her lap after a one-night stand. So this was what it felt like to be truly doted on.

Recalling how Brenden had agreed to play her boyfriend, Gabriela faced the crowd with steady poise and confirmed, "Yes. I have."

Phyllis's eyes flashed green. Unable to keep the bite from her voice, she sneered, "Wow,your boyfriend must be rolling in it if he's buying you designer dresses like that."

Gabriela flashed Phyllis a smug smile and shot back,"What can I say? He likes to spoil me-and at least he's not living off someone else's dime."

Phyllis's jaw clenched, the sting of Gabriela's jab unmistakable. She knew perfectly well Gabriela was talking about Dustin, but there wasn't a single retort she could throw back.

It was true-Dustin's family had always struggled; he worked for Haynes Group, depending on her family's wealth to get by But that was perfectly fine. Dustin was good-looking,carried himself with confidence, and had a prestigious degree under his belt. He'd graduated a year before Gabriela and already knocked out a master's degree.

Marie never missed a chance to praise Dustin's ambition and potential.

And most importantly, Dustin was the prize Phyllis had stolen from Gabriela. Victory always tasted that much sweeter when you'd ripped it right out of someone else's hands.

Gabriela,freshly dumped by Dustin, had somehow managed to land herself an even more extravagant boyfriend-how on earth? She seemed to have sunk her claws into some gaudy, deep-pocketed sugar daddy.

Imagining that Gabriela had become the lover of a wealthy but distasteful and lecherous older man,Phyllis felt secretly pleased, a poised smile returning to her face.

She turned to Gabriela, voice syrupy sweet. "I'm getting married next month, Gabriela. You have to bring your boyfriend. We've already set aside the bridesmaid and groomsman spots just for you two."

Her lips curled with a hint of malice as she went on,"The groomsman does have to be single, though Does your boyfriend meet the requirements?"

Gabriela didn't hesitate. "Absolutely." She caught the mischief gleaming in Phyllis's eyes, but she wasn't fazed.

Brenden might have a reputation as a player, but his looks and his background made Dustin look positively ordinary-a true standout, even if he wasn't quite in the same league as someone like Wesley.

Gabriela's lips curved into a confident smile. "Trust me,he'll fit right in. My only concern is that he might outshine your groom and steal all the attention."

Phyllis eyed her skeptically, refusing to buy into the act.

An unattractive, loaded sugar daddy crashing the groom's spotlight? There was no way that could happen.

Dustin, for all his flaws,had movie-star looks-there was no denying it. If anyone was going to turn heads,it would be him, not whoever Gabriela dragged along at the last minute.

In Phyllis's mind, Gabriela was just bluffing, putting on a front for the crowd. No way could she actually pull this off.

With her own wedding only weeks away, Phyllis felt no rush to expose Gabriela's lies-she was more than happy to let Gabriela keep up the charade. She'd see for herself soon enough what sort of man Gabriela could really find.