Chapter 33: Unless one of them was good at pretending
Clara let out a soft chuckle before placing her phone back into her handbag.
Just imagining the thoughts running through Dominic’s mind after her last sentence was enough to amuse her.
He must be overthinking by now.
The smile lingering on her lips gradually faded as she turned toward the mirror.
She took a deep breath.
"It’s time to get changed."
Carefully slipping into the gown, Clara adjusted the fabric before giving herself one last look in the mirror.
Not wanting to keep Grace waiting, she quickly unlocked the fitting room door and stepped outside.
The smile she had prepared instantly faltered.
Someone else was sitting beside Grace.
Julian.
"Oh, there she is," Julian said with a bright smile as she stood up.
The smile looked warm...
Yet to Clara, it felt painfully fake.
What is she doing here?
Clara had thought this would be a rare opportunity to slowly rebuild her relationship with Grace.
Now...
She wasn’t so sure.
Keeping her composure, Clara walked over, lightly holding the hem of her gown.
Julian’s eyes swept over her from head to toe before she smiled again.
"You look beautiful."
Without waiting for a response, she continued,
"This boutique belongs to one of my friends. The moment she told me Mrs. Sterling was here, I couldn’t resist stopping by to say hello."
Clara returned a polite smile.
"Is that so?"
Outwardly, she remained calm.
Inside...
She didn’t believe a single word.
In her previous life, whenever there was conflict involving Dominic or the Sterling family...
Julian somehow always appeared at the perfect moment.
At first, Clara had dismissed it as coincidence.
But after everything she had experienced, she no longer believed in coincidences.
There was one thing every incident had in common.
Julian.
Whether she was intentionally involved or simply happened to be present, Clara couldn’t tell.
But seeing her here today...
The timing was far too convenient.
Grace, who had been quietly observing the interaction, glanced between the two women.
Although neither of them had said anything inappropriate...
She could clearly sense the subtle tension hanging in the air.
After they had been step sister and there was no way they would get along, unless one of them was good at pretending.
"Wow, that gown looks beautiful on you," Julian said with a warm smile, successfully drawing Grace’s attention. "No wonder Mrs. Sterling picked it for you. She has such wonderful taste."
Julian was doing her best to leave a good impression on Grace.
Among all the members of the Sterling family, Grace was by far the easiest to approach.
Dominic barely acknowledged her existence, while Hannah had never hidden her dislike for Julian and always treated her with cold indifference.
Grace, on the other hand, had always been polite.
The moment Julian learned that Grace had brought Clara to choose a gown for Hannah’s engagement, she immediately decided to join them.
Meanwhile, Clara looked at Julian, and a knowing smile appeared in her eyes.
So... we’re playing the sweet, well-mannered girl today? Trying to earn points with my mother-in-law?
The corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly.
"Yes," Clara said with a smile, gently smoothing the fabric of her gown. "My mother-in-law certainly has excellent taste."
She then turned toward Grace.
"Isn’t that right... Mom?"
The word hung in the air.
Grace froze.
Julian’s smile nearly cracked.
Both women stared at Clara in stunned silence.
Mom?
What is she doing?
Julian almost lost control of her expression.
Since when did Clara start calling Grace ’Mom’?
Shouldn’t she be arguing with her instead?
Grace herself looked equally surprised.
She hadn’t expected those words to come out of Clara’s mouth.
Seeing both of them speechless, Clara blinked innocently.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Julian was the first to recover.
She forced another smile onto her face.
"Of course not."
Although she sounded cheerful, her eyes remained fixed on Clara, carefully observing every little reaction.
After what had happened at the Sterling Estate, Julian had been looking for an opportunity to get back at her.
That day had made one thing abundantly clear. Dominic trusted Clara unconditionally.
He hadn’t hesitated to defend her or clear her name in front of everyone and even went on warning their father for raising his hand on her.
Winning against Clara through Dominic was impossible.
Fortunately for Julian... she knew the rest of the Sterling family wasn’t as easy to convince.
After everything Clara had done in the past—especially the way she had openly disrespected them during the family gathering—her image within the Sterling family had been completely ruined.
Or at least... that was what Julian had believed until today.
Meanwhile, Grace was completely baffled.
The way Clara kept smiling at her made her feel oddly uncomfortable.
For a brief moment, she even wondered if the girl had hit her head.
Fortunately, she quickly regained her composure.
"I don’t like this one," Grace said to the boutique assistant. "Bring the next gown."
"Yes, Madam."
Once again, Clara returned to the fitting room.
One gown after another...
Grace carefully examined each design, making Clara try on more than a dozen dresses.
Some didn’t suit her complexion.
Others didn’t flatter her figure.
Grace never said it aloud, but there was one thing she couldn’t deny.
Clara was exceptionally beautiful.
Unlike Julian, who preferred elaborate gowns, expensive jewelry, and heavy makeup, Clara barely wore any accessories. Yet even dressed simply, she effortlessly drew people’s attention.
On the other side of the boutique, Julian watched as Grace barely acknowledged any of her attempts to start a conversation.
Her smile remained in place, but inwardly she was growing impatient.
This old hag... why does she have to be so difficult today?
She had expected Grace to be the easiest member of the Sterling family to win over.
Instead, the older woman answered with little more than a nod every time she spoke.
"I’ll go check on Clara," Julian said with a pleasant smile before walking toward the fitting rooms.
Halfway there, she accidentally bumped into a boutique employee carrying the gowns Grace had rejected earlier.
"Oh! I’m so sorry," Julian apologised immediately.
She crouched down and helped gather the dresses scattered across the floor.
"It’s alright, Miss," the employee said gratefully.
After handing the gowns back, Julian smiled politely and returned to where Grace was waiting with a wicked glint in her eyes.
’Let’s see how you manage to save yourself from this time Clara,’