Chapter 190

,Coolest Girl in Town

Molly thought, No one in the atelier could be so daring as to lay a finger on Mr. Griffith’s designs. This
woman must be either crazy or fearless to actually cut a dress that he has made! As she was oblivious
to a stunned Molly’s thoughts, Elise explained breezily, “The inseam isn’t going to work, at least not
with this fabric. I’ll have to change it, so could you bring over something thin like gambiered silk gauze
from the storage later? Just three feet of it will do.” Molly had yet to recover from her initial shock of
seeing someone boldly mutilate Brendan’s creation and she was presently staring at Elise in disbelief.
“Is something the matter?” Elise pressed indifferently when she heard no response from the assistant.



With that, Molly instantly snapped out of her daze and she was abruptly reminded of what Brendan had
told her earlier. As she nodded profusely, she answered, “No, nothing at all! I’ll get the fabric right
away!” With that, she scurried out of the design studio. Now that the dress no longer had its former
silhouette, Elise moved to the frontal section of its bodice and began to tweak it with needles and
threads. By the time Molly returned with the roll of fabric, Elise was already done with the neckline of
the dress. She took in the aftermath and was surprised to see that the dress looked better than it
originally had.

“Miss Sinclair, I have the gambiered silk gauze you asked for,” she announced tentatively. “Leave it
aside for now,” Elise responded as she kept the needles and threads before she reached for the
scissors once more. After grabbing one section of the skirt in one hand, she swiftly cut it off. There was
a finesse in her movements that Molly found mesmerizing and she did not dare to blink for fear that she
would miss out on the slightest of details. “Can I have the ivory thread no.2 please?” Elise asked,
breaking the silence that was otherwise filled by the sound of scissors on fabric. Molly quickly shook



herself out of her reverie and passed the thread to Elise, who took it. Then, after she mapped out the
lines, Elise started to sew.

Throughout the whole process, she hardly spoke a word, but she moved with a fluidity that seemed
second nature to her. Molly had to take a break in between, but while she was in the lounge to get a
glass of water, Brendan abruptly materialized next to her and asked, “How’s it going in there?” His
voice caused her to jump and she nearly choked on her water as she hurried to answer, “Everything’s
going pretty well. There’s been no mishap whatsoever.” However, he probed, “Do you think I’d ask you
about the process? I’m asking about the dress! How is it?

Has it been destroyed beyond repair?” Molly couldn’t understand why he would ask something as
pointed as that. If she had to be honest, she had a distinct feeling that the dress would turn out better
than it had been once Elise was done with the adjustments. Moreover, Elise had a unique way of
sewing that belied the attention-to-detail she had for every stitch she made. Although Molly had been in
this industry for a long time, she hadn’t even encountered someone whose stitchwork could be
compared to Elise. In fact, she was under the impression that Elise was a top fashion designer whom
Brendan had hired, which was why she asked earnestly, “Where did you find Miss Sinclair, Mr. Griffith?”

Molly was only curious, but Brendan thought she was intimidated by Elise. As a result, he withheld the
truth as he dismissed, “Oh, she’s… just a friend. It doesn’t matter; she’s not a professional, so it won’t
be surprising if she ruined the dress.” Affrontation registered on Molly’s expression. If Elise is doing so
well without being a professional fashion designer, then where do I stand in this industry? “Mr. Griffith,
you might as well just stab me through the heart!” she exclaimed, looking wounded. He blinked at her
in confusion. “Stab you through the heart? What are you talking about?”



She thought he was feigning innocence and drawled sourly, “Wow, Mr. Griffith, despite all my years of
working as a fashion designer, I just realized that I can’t even compete with a non-professional. I need



a moment to calm down; excuse me while I nurse my injured pride to health.” With that, she turned on
her heels and marched out of the lounge, leaving Brendan shouting after her in bewilderment, “Hey,
don’t just walk off without explaining yourself!”

Alas, silence was all he received in return. He had a sudden realization that something was off and
wondered whether Elise really had a skill or two up her sleeve. So what if she does? Fashion
design isn’t like other fields; it takes time before one can fully perfect his or her techniques. What does
Elise have that sets her apart? At the thought of this, Brendan visibly brightened up. He didn’t need to
dwell on whether she had the skills or raw talent—at least not until she was done tweaking his original
design for the dress. Meanwhile, Molly had returned to the design studio just as the silhouette of the
dress was coming together under Elise’s delicate handiwork.



When the dress was finally done, Molly gaped at ot. Elise’s design seemed to breathe new life into the
dress; its refinement was as good as, if not, better than Brendan’s craftsmanship. “Are you sure you’re
not a professional, Miss Sinclair?” Molly asked as her eyes widened. Elise pursed her lips thoughtfully
before replying, “I guess you could say I’m an outsider to this industry.” Molly was torn between
laughing hysterically and breaking down in tears. If an outsider like Elise could have such a Midas
touch, what hope is there left for those in the industry like me?

“Miss Sinclair, your talent in this is incredible,” she praised with genuine awe. After another glance at
the dress, Elise added, “I’m almost done with the silhouette of the dress, but there’s one last detail I
need to add. Will you help me?” Upon hearing this, Molly nodded keenly and the both of them started
on the last bit of sewing and tweaking on the dress. Where Elise was working on the stitches, Molly
helped her to press the fabric on the mannequin and their team spirit was evident.

It wasn’t until after the last stitch had been sewn into the dress that Elise rubbed her aching arm and
announced, “We’re finally done.” Molly stretched luxuriously as well and quipped, “You really know your



stuff, Miss Sinclair. I can’t believe you managed to do all the adjustments in a day!” Elise straightened
her posture and massaged her numb legs before she looked at the wall clock to see that it was close to
10:00PM. “Have we been here this long?

I didn’t know it was already so late at night.” She had only just said this when her stomach grumbled in
protest, as though reminding her pointedly that she had skipped dinner. “It is getting rather late, Miss
Sinclair. We can skedaddle now that we’re done with the dress.” Elise hummed in response. “Well then,
should we grab a bite before we each head home?” Molly wanted to turn her down at first, but she
didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to hang out with a top-notch designer. As such, she accepted
the invitation with haste and said, “That’s a great idea. I happen to know a nearby place that has
recently opened and the food is decent. Let’s go.” With plans for supper in mind, both women draped a
tarp over the finished dress and locked up the studio before they left.

They arrived at a nearby barbecue joint and as soon as they staked out a table, Molly ordered a few of
her favorite dishes. “You can get whatever you like, Miss Sinclair. Dinner’s on me tonight,” she declared
proudly, not wanting to come off as a Scrooge in front of Elise. Elise beamed at her. “In that case, I’ll
take you up on your offer.” She took the menu and proceeded to order a couple of her own favorite
dishes. Then, she handed the order chit to the owner of the barbecue joint.

“Do you drink, Miss Sinclair? Can’t spell barbecue without beer, you know.” She did miss the refreshing
taste of beer and the enthusiasm that came with the idea of drinking a pint or two immediately seized
her. “Sure, I’ll have a bottle.” Molly grinned and turned to inform the owner, “Hey, can we get two bottles
of snow beer over here?” Upon seeing how at home Molly felt at the establishment, Elise couldn’t help
asking, “Are you a regular here?”

“Not really,” Molly began. “I’ve been here a couple times with my colleagues, though. The owner here
cooks up a tasty barbecue. You’ll know what I mean after you take a bite later.” “Well, I guess I’ll find
out for sure when the food comes.” As soon as Elise said this, her phone rang in her pocket. She fished



it out to see Alexander’s name flashing on her screen and she quickly answered the call. “Where are
you? You should be home by now.” His distinct and pleasant voice spoke on the other line, and upon
hearing it, she replied, “I’m at a barbecue joint. Would you like to come over?”






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