A Wife for the Billionaire
Chapter 50: SOFIA

Chapter 50: SOFIA

The extent of my reading wasn’t exactly novel, but shocking a man to silence for five minutes... now that’s a record.

We had exited the elevator, and after standing still for the passage of an array of carts, we were now making our way to the revolving doors that marked the exit.

And still, Harry was yet to utter a word. But hold on, why were we heading out? Did my reading get him so enraged that he had no option but to lead me out? And worse, with silent treatment?

Had it really gone that bad? What had I said? Without my consent, my mind started going through the words I had said in the trance of my reading, one by one. Reshuffling. Rearranging. Recycling. Separating. Rereading.

"Come on, what are you doing standing there?" Harry asked.

I hadn’t even realized that I stopped. That I stood halted - right in the middle of the lobby. His question had called me back to reality, and I realized the weight of stares directed towards me.

"Mummy, is that lady okay?" A girl asked, yanking at her mom’s hand and pointing at me.

They were a few paces from where I stood and of course the girl’s question made sense. In this hub, nobody just stands around. Everyone is always in motion, there are a lot of things to see, places to go and things to admire.

Like a spot of orange on black canvas, I stood out.

Everyone was busy, they admired the decor, the ads, the fountain of jewelries, every pair of us were captivated by one thing or the other. And now, some of them were hooked by the lady who stood not really looking at anything.

In case, you didn’t catch that. It’s actually myself that I was talking about. My gaze was fixed on something, but I wasn’t really seeing or looking at that thing. My sight was there, but my mind was absent from taking it in.

"Come along dear, I’m sure she’ll be alright" The mom said, pulling the child away.

"But she doesn’t look fine" the little girl protested, as they walked on.

I didn’t catch the mother’s response, but I saw the girl turn to look at me again, and she smiled at me. It was so genuine, so sweet, so surprising that I found myself smiling back.

Harry was at the door now and he was waving me over, a tad enthusiastically I might add. Perhaps he was eager to be ridden of me. To never set his eyes on me ever again. To never hear about my weird ass reading, anymore.

With dread, I forced myself to move.

One step at a time. A foot before the other.

That was my mantra as I approached Harry.

"Harry, I’m genuinely sorry for the things I said. It wasn’t in my place to do so and I’m really, really sorry. But I need this tour. I have been dreaming about this day for a very long time and I have to live that dream today. If not, I don’t know when I will next." I said when I was within earshot.

"Nonsense! I loved your reading. It was precise, and it revealed things about me that I had forgotten. Dreams that I had allowed to wither, so, I owe you for reminding me of who I am and what I could be. I’m rarely impressed and you, my dear, knocked me off my feet. You have something special, guard it jealously. Now, come along, let me give you Harry’s special, usually reserved for VIPs, and you... you just became number one on my list."

I really don’t know how to describe the relief I felt at that very moment. Perhaps it could be likened to that feeling of liss that washes over the body when it’s submerged in a bath. That feeling when tension from muscles relax, when the joints sigh and the body lightens.

In eagerness, I was by his side in seconds. He led me outside, and said,

"Now, I need you to pretend like you haven’t been here before. Not for you to gawk or anything, I need you to forget everything you saw before now, so we can create new and better memories."

At my incredulous look, he continued,

"See it this way, you are not walking through that door as an applicant, but as a VIP guest. A guest who wrote to us about a tour and was granted."

"O...kay" was all I was able to say.

"Great! So, I will go in. You are to follow shortly"

It still felt like a prank as I watched him disappear in a swirl of glasses. Perhaps, the plan was to go in and make sure I never come in again especially by using those security guards.

" Here’s to believing otherwise" I

muttered as I approached the door. Pushing my way in, I expected a pair of hands to grab me, but nothing happened.

"Welcome to Wellington Fashion New City, may I have your coat?

I wanted to refuse, but then I decided not to care. If people saw me as indecent, or looked at me like I was a minx, why does it matter? I must be proud of what I donned, that’s actually one of the first rules of dressing up. Being confident in what you are wearing. Loving your attire, no matter what.

After handing him my coat, he looked at me, like really looked at me and said,

"I wonder why you chose to hide your hotness, but that’s besides the point. Are you ready for the tour of your life?" Harry chipped.

I just bobbed my head in response and off we went.

Ascending the first stair to the first floor, we were ushered into opulence. Flagship stores for Wellington’s renowned clothing lined everywhere. Racks of clothes, mannequins flaunting different attires, rows and rows of clothes all stretched out in different colors like a rainbow of textiles.

There were people everywhere, men and women, even children. They were making selections, testing and adding to their already bulging carts.

For a moment, I felt a pang of sadness as I watched people do that which I’ve always wanted to do. Shop at the famous Wellington Fashion Empire.

A couple were at a corner, the man was trying to convince his partner that the pale blue dress looked better with her silver blond hair. A Wellington staff in their usual black tee with the Wellington logo in silver and dark jeans stood by their side ready to offer her suggestions if required.

"Oh my gosh, Harry. Fuck me, seeing you two times in a day, am I to take that as a coincidence?" A beautiful lady with dark skin and cropped wavy hair dyed blond, quipped from behind us.

"Ah, Millie_"

She saw me then, I felt her eyes travel the length of me then she asked, cutting Harry off.

"Who’s she?"

"Oh yes, this Sofia." Harry introduced. Then to me, "Sofia, this is Millie, one of the head stylists. A badass at her job"

" Oh, stop with the flattery. I know I’m good, but you don’t have to tell everyone."

At Harry’s raised brow, she quickly added,

" Yeah, you are right. I love hearing what a badass I am. But pleasure to meet you, Sofia"

We shook and I was amazed by the calluses on her manicured fingers. Of course, she had calluses, what stylist wouldn’t?

"So, what are you doing here?" Millie asked.

"We are here for another tour, but Sofia here is like a VIP guest, so we have to give her one hell of a tour." Harry answered.

Surprise freckled my features and I

hoped I hid them fast enough that Mille didn’t see.

"Ah!" She exclaimed. "Of course, you know I suspected she was. Only a famous person would look the way she does and flaunt such style. It’s iconic"

"Well, thank you, Millie. Shall we get to it?" I offered, trying to act and look the role she just assumed.

It was bliss acting like someone I wasn’t. I got to flaunt a privilege that wasn’t mine and Harry played along.

We tried out outfits, they had been reluctant at first, but when I threatened to report them if my time spent was bland. Even Harry, despite knowing it was all a lie, went along with it.

From floor to floor we went, trying out clothes, playing dress ups and taking pictures. Selfies, profesh, silly videos, we

did it all.

I hadn’t had such fun since my internship days. Such a shame though, it had to end as we continued the tour. We said goodbye to Millie who I had taken a liking to. But who wouldn’t, Millie was funny, kind, a bit aggressive when it came to fashion arguments, especially if your opinion and hers doesn’t correspond. She was very talented and like Harry said, ’a badass at her job’.

As we ascended more stairs, the middle floors (11-25) housed the Wellington Fashion Empire’s corporate offices, including:

- Design studios where the latest trends were born. A place I would have loved to work one day. We were only allowed a few seconds before they showed us away.

- Cutting-edge research and development facilities

- Marketing and sales departments

The upper floors (26-40) were reserved for the Wellington Institute of Fashion, featuring:

- Lecture halls and classrooms for fashion students

- Advanced workshops for prototyping and innovation.

Then lastly, Harry took me to the rooftop garden and outdoor space for events and showcases. It was located at the very roof of the building, past the 50th floor.

It was already late by the time we got there. The scent of flowers drifted with the evening breeze. The setting sun made it almost hard to distinguish the colors of the array of flowers displayed on both sides.

It was spacious and I could see how beautiful it would be to have an event here. Especially if it’s a night event, with the blanket of the stars above, soft golden lights toning the decor and accentuating the flowers. The city stretched on all sides, twinkling like the night sky above.

"Come" Harry said, pulling me away from my thoughts.

He sat by a wooden bench close to the vined railing at the edge of the space.

"I haven’t had as much fun as I did today, thank you Sofia for waking me" he said as I sat beside him.

I felt really embarrassed, one, I should be the one thanking him and two, what did he mean by ’waking him’?

Please, let it not be that he has somehow managed to fall for me or anything of that sort. God, isn’t he married or something, as the gold band in his finger depicts?

My mind reeled at his words.

"I had a wonderful time too, far more than I’ve had in a really long time and I have you to thank for that" I managed.

"I know it’s wild, but when you read me or whatever you called it. I was reminded of who I am and that woke up something in me... something that has been dead for a long time. You know I began working at this place as a clerk, with hopes of becoming a stylist one day. But over the years, I’ve gotten accustomed to the position that I forgot my aspirations. The senior promotion helped too." He finished.

My eyes were clouded with tears. It felt more than good hearing him talk about my reading like that. I was about to offer a response when someone called from behind us,

" Harry! What the fuck are you doing here?"