The Faustian Love Bargain (COMPLETED)

Chapter 16

Stella said goodbye to her father. It was five in the afternoon and Nick brought her to Curzon Street. She seldom came to this stretch of shops because there were only high end designer brands. There were a few well-dressed women walking along the street with high-heels and luxury handbags in their arms. Stella stared at them while the car drove past and they stopped in front of the Deslungers store front. She felt underdressed as she came out of the car with her backpack and sneakers. Two men in a black and white suit with a Deslungers hankerchief in their pockets greeted them and bowed, and opened the two large heavy glass door with gold handles for them.

She entered and was amazed by the display of bags, shoes and accessories. The floor was carpeted and at the shoe area, there were princess like cushioned seats atop a large woolen mat. Everything looked so expensive. A woman, with a patterned scarf on her neck and the characteristic Deslungers badge on her blazer, came forward to greet them. Her name was Anna Joles and she was the manager of the store. 

“Good evening Mr Smith,” she smiled, revealing a set of white and perfectly lined teeth. She had a very good complexion, Stella supposed it was also the effect of makeup, and perfectly lined eyes with mascara. She wished she could be as elegant and attractive as Anna Joles. “Good morning, Miss. My name is Miss Anna Joles. May I know how to address you?” she asked and Stella replied, in surprise, “Stella. Stella Robbs, I mean.” 

Nick looked around and walked over to a mannequin in the middle of the store. “Miss Joles, could you get for her this set of clothes. Size is UK 6. As for the shoes, her size is Euro 37.”

“Yes, Sir,” she smiled and she instructed a lady who had been standing by, presumably waiting for her directions.

“How about a clutch? Or any accessories to match?” she asked. 

He seemed to know every item in the store and had walked off by himself to look at a clutch at the other corner. It had the same white hue as the dress he had chosen but had the special Deslungers print detail on it. She did not know how to describe the print but it was in a special gold colour and she found it very pretty. She wanted to touch the other items in the store and carry some of the bags for fun but she felt awkward or even disallowed from doing so. The bags looked sparkling new and as if no one had touched them before. Each staff situated at each counter wore matching white gloves and the glass that contained the bags were so clear that she could see every detail on each bag clearly from afar.

“I’ll take that clutch, merchandise number 43204,” he said, as if he had even memorised the numbers of the items. 

“Is it true you have a photographic memory?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” he answered and taking the clutch from the service staff, he gave it to her and asked, “Do you like this?”

The clutch had a strong leather smell and it was very soft. She was amazed that  a bag could be as soft as this. “It’s really nice,” she gasped. Then, Miss Joles appeared and asked her to kindly make her way to the dressing room as her items were ready.

It was a large dressing room, with mirrors on every side. She wondered why one person needed such a large dressing room to try on the clothes. The room was brightly lit and the hanger on the door was gold plated as well. Carefully putting on the diaphanous dress of pale white, she felt the dress flow perfectly to fit her body and she was shocked to see that when placed on her, the dress was no longer translucent and it glistened under the light. The dress was bare back and dropped to a few inches above her butt. The front was not too low but it lingered dangerously above her cleavage. She felt rather uncomfortable and she called nervously for help. She opened the door and the lady assisting her, smiled and said she looked beautiful. 

“I think it’s too revealing for me,” Stella said, feeling embarrassed. 

The lady scanned her front and back for a while and said it was difficult to alter this dress as it was of a very fine material. She gave her a matching white jacket instead and helped Stella put on the matching heels. Another lady brought her to a makeup room and there were complete sets of makeup brushes, a plethora selection of eyeshadow colours and the entire range of makeup, from highlighters, bronzers, foundation, concealers, loose powders, BB and CC creams and pore minimisers. The lady put a covering on her shoulders and asked her if she wanted a smoky eye look or a clear look, or what particular look did she have in mind. She did not know what to say so she just said something nice will do. The lady looked slightly amused at her response but proceeded to do up her makeup. 

“I’m giving you a very light and clear look because it matches the design of the dress,” she explained. Stella looked into the mirror and was surprised to see that she looked like she had barely any makeup on but she looked brighter than usual and prettier. Then, the lady, who had helped her dress up before, entered the room  with a box. Inside the box was a simple diamond bracelet, earrings and a necklace. They had a very simple yet intricate design that matched the dress as well. When all these had been put on Stella, she smiled at the mirror in confidence.

“Thank you. Thank you for giving me this makeover, I can’t express how happy I am,” she thanked the two ladies, who looked rather surprised. They wondered who this ordinary girl was. She did not look like a rich girl. In fact, when Nick Smith had asked them in the morning to prepare everything and give his guest everything she wanted, they had speculated wildly who that person could be. Could she be some minister’s daughter? Could she be some rich heiress or client from overseas? They had put on their best behaviour and waited in bated breath for the guest. When it turned out to be this awkward looking girl, they could not understand or fathom why Nick Smith would have any relations with her. 

Nick Smith looked at his watch and thought why Stella was taking so long. It was six and the party had already started. Miss Joles sometimes took a few glances at Nick Smith and marveled at his handsome appearance. Just like his mother, he was exceptionally good looking, stylish and refined. But she pondered over why he had suddenly brought a young girl to the store and she felt he had looked upon her fondly.

When the young girl appeared, transformed into a princess, Miss Joles saw the gentleman look up and smile.