Gerry brought Alicia along at the last minute to help her choose a dress.

She wasn’t familiar with high-profile events and felt unsure of what to pick, so she relied entirely on the store clerk’s suggestions.

Eventually, they selected a snow-white mermaid gown decorated with silver thread, as pure as freshly fallen snow.

The store clerk smiled and said, “Miss Bennett, with your figure, anything would suit you perfectly. This dress is special, though. It’s a limited edition, and for the next three months, it’s the only one in Warrington. It would look incredible on someone like you.”

Alicia felt a little embarrassed by the compliment.

“Alright, I’ll try it on.”

Just as she reached for the gown, a hand grabbed it before she could.

“Is this really the only one in Warrington?” Lilliana asked with a smug expression. “I’ll be taking it, then.”

Alicia stared at Lilliana, clearly confused. She kept her tone composed.

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“Miss Green, I was here first.”

Lilliana’s smile barely changed. “I like it. I’ll pay more for it.”

The store clerk froze, unsure of how to handle the tension between them.

“Miss Green, we do have other dresses that could fit your tastes. I could even arrange a custom one for you.”

Even so, Lilliana insisted that she wanted the dress that Alicia had her eyes on.

In a harsh tone, she stated, “I told you that I’m willing to pay extra for it. Didn’t you hear me?”

The clerk paused to take a look at the men behind them. One of them was Joshua Yates, and the other was Gerry Hopkins.

These men were so powerful that nobody would dare try to cross them.

Meanwhile, Alicia fell silent.

Joshua observed her briefly before saying, “Mr. Hopkins, I’ve spoiled Lilliana. She always gets what she wants. Would it be possible for Miss Bennett to choose a different dress?”

Lilliana smiled at Alicia, clearly feeling victorious.

Alicia’s face remained unchanged.

He felt the urge to roll her eyes.

Gerry smirked and said, “Miss Bennett? That’s quite formal, isn’t it? It hasn’t been that long since you two got divorced, and you’ve already changed the way you address her.”

Joshua’s lips twitched, but he stuck to the topic at hand. “This really is an unfortunate coincidence. If it’s alright with you, I’ll buy Miss Bennett’s dress too, as an apology from Lilliana.”

Alicia’s lips curled slightly.

What a hypocrite.

She responded, “First come, first served. I want this dress, and I won’t settle for another.”

The two men standing behind them remained silent. One watched with an unreadable expression, while the other looked amused, eager to see how things would unfold between Alicia and Lilliana.

Not wanting to lose, Lilliana turned to the clerk. “What’s the price of this dress?”

The clerk responded, “Miss Green, it’s priced at 660,000 dollars.”

Lilliana scoffed. “I’ll offer a million.”

She cast a scornful glance at Alicia after speaking. Since marrying Joshua, Alicia hadn’t received a cent from him. There was no way she could pay that.

“I’ll give you two million for it,” Alicia countered.

Gerry’s eyes lit up with excitement at her response.

“Alicia, you’re covering the cost, right?” he asked.

Alicia nodded, smiling calmly.

Joshua’s face darkened, irritated by the needless competition with Lilliana.

Not willing to be outdone, Lilliana raised her offer. “Three million.”

Alicia spoke without hesitation. “Five million.”

Lilliana’s expression tightened. “Eight million!”

Alicia paused for a moment. Her gaze briefly landed on the dress again.

Confident she had won, Lilliana looked at the clerk and said, “Pack it up. It’s mine.”

Alicia stepped forward, stopping Lilliana in her tracks. After taking a deep breath, she spoke in a quiet but firm voice. “I’ll pay ten million for the dress.”

Lilliana sneered, unable to hide her disbelief.

“Can you really afford ten million?” she asked.

Alicia bit her lip slightly before replying, “But Miss Green, I really want this dress. I’ll even add another million if you’ll let me have it.”

Lilliana’s arrogance only grew when she heard Alicia’s plea, and her laughter filled the room.

With even more confidence, Lilliana rejected Alicia’s offer. “I’ll pay fifteen million. This dress will be mine.”

Alicia’s expression softened, her eyebrows relaxing as she smiled gently. “Alright,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “It’s yours.”

Lilliana froze in shock.

Gerry couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer.

He glanced at Joshua, whose expression had darkened, and added with a smirk, “Miss Green certainly knows how to spend.”

It was quite foolish.

Lilliana realized too late that she had walked right into Alicia’s trap.

Frustration surged inside her.

The dress originally cost just over six hundred thousand. It had a production cost of less than one hundred thousand, and now she was stuck paying fifteen million. She felt like an absolute fool.

However, her pride mattered more, and she couldn’t back down now.

Meanwhile, Alicia casually glanced around the store and selected a light blue gown decorated with tiny diamonds.

“I’ll take this one instead,” she announced.

Lilliana clenched her jaw in silent frustration.

With a grim expression, Joshua told Lilliana, “Don’t act so recklessly next time.”

Lilliana pouted in response. “That bitch set me up!”

Joshua’s frown deepened. “Mind your words. Remember who you are.”

Gerry cleared his throat and reminded Joshua, “Mr. Yates, didn’t you say you’d also cover Alicia’s dress?”

Joshua’s throat tightened. “I did say that.”

Alicia didn’t hesitate.

She took the dress and walked out.

Once they were in the car, Gerry couldn’t help but laugh at the looks on Lilliana’s and Joshua’s faces.

“It’s a shame Caden wasn’t here to witness this.” He added, “He needs to see what kind of person he’s been spending his money on.”

Determined to share the story, Gerry immediately dialed Caden’s number.

He enthusiastically described the scene in vivid detail. Just as he was getting into it, Caden cut him off. “Do you know any porn sites?”

Everyone in the car fell silent at the unexpected question. Gerry glanced at Alicia, quickly turned off the speaker, and whispered into the phone, “Yeah, why?”

Caden replied bluntly, “Go watch them and stop calling me, you idiot. You’re getting on my nerves.”