Secretly Mine

After glancing at the other options on the wall, I nodded. "I’ll take it. Could you help me choose an outfit around this, please? I don’t want to make a fool out of myself," I said cryptically.

The old man smiled, "First time, eh? No worries, I’ll ensure that you fit in perfectly. Just remember my shop for future events, okay?"

So he does know about the event. He might have ties with the auction house.

"Of course. If it’s satisfactory, I’ll only come here in the future," I replied with a fake smile.

My words clearly cheered the man up, "Thank you, thank you. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. I’ve been doing this for many years. I have a long list of clients just like you!"

He walked around the room and picked a few items off the shelves. The overall theme was black, but a few of the pieces had gold embroidery on them. By the time he was finished, there was an entire pile of items sitting in front of me.

Does this really require so many things?

"That should do it. What do you think?" he asked with smiling eyes.

"You don’t need to measure me or anything?" I asked skeptically. This was the first time I was in a tailor’s shop and wasn’t measured.

"Haha! Boy, I’ve been in this business longer than you’ve been alive. I know your size just by looking at you. If you don’t trust me, try the jacket on," he said, handing me the black and gold jacket.

I reached out and put it on, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. Sure enough, the jacket slipped on perfectly. It looked like it was tailored specifically for me.

"See? Trust this old man, I’ve got an eye for this kind of thing," he chuckled. "Did you want to try it on first, or would you like me to ring it up?"