Chapter 5 Never Let Him Down

• The following afternoon, Madelyn pushed open the door to her walk-in closet, intending to pick out an appropriate outfit to wear to the class reunion dinner.
• The moment she opened it, she was stunned to see a wide variety of clothes of all shapes, colors, and styles.
• The walk-in closet was filled to the brim with haute couture, all imported from abroad. Sebastian had personally instructed designers to prepare these for her. Yet, in her previous life, she did not appreciate his efforts and didn’t even bother sparing these exquisite pieces a glance.
• Only then did she realize these clothes were all of her favorite styles and were incredibly flattering to her figure.
• Knocks sounded at the door, and Lydia arrived carrying a tray of snacks.
• She set down the tray, noticing Madelyn was picking out clothes. Despite her surprise, an amicable smile still spread across her face. She could sense that Madelyn had changed.
• Upon seeing Lydia, Madelyn seized the opportunity to ask her, “Lydia, did Sebastian have someone send these clothes?”
• Lydia chuckled. She had always been fond of Madelyn, and since the latter was behaving surprisingly amiable and cheerful today, she told her the truth. “Yes. Mr. Lockhart personally selected all these designs. He didn’t want me to tell you, probably worried that you might not like them and his efforts would go down the drain. But, I think you must already know Mr. Lockhart’s feelings,” she said, laughing softly.
• Madelyn cast her gaze downward, sighing inwardly. It’s just as I expected. I must have been out of my mind back then, mistaking sincerity for pretense and pushing away those who truly care about me. Such a wonderful man was right by my side. How could I have missed it? Luckily, I’ve come back to life. I won’t miss out again in this lifetime. I will never let him down.
• After spending a long time deciding, Madelyn settled on an elegant yet stunning dress. She held it up against herself, gauging how she might look in it. Turning to Lydia, she asked, “What do you think? Is it nice?”
• Lydia smiled. “With a face as stunning as yours, you’d look beautiful in anything.”
• Madelyn was embarrassed. “You flatter me, Lydia.”
• Lydia took a few steps inside and opened a wardrobe. “Mrs. Lockhart, there are high heels and designer handbags in here that match the dress. There’s also quite a bit of jewelry. Feel free to wear whatever you like.”
• As she spoke, she eagerly brought out several jewelry boxes, presenting them to Madelyn.
• Madelyn felt moved and said gratefully, “Thanks, Lydia.”
• With a bright smile, Lydia responded, “If Mr. Lockhart sees you wearing the clothes he has prepared, he will be delighted.”
• Madelyn pondered for a moment before swiftly slipping into the light purple dress she had selected, admiring her reflection in the full-length mirror. Handing her phone to Lydia, she flashed a charming smile and said, “Could you take a full-body picture of me, please?”
• Before the camera, Madelyn donned a graceful yet endearing smile, her clear, captivating eyes possessing the power to effortlessly captivate hearts.
• After the photo was taken, Madelyn immediately sent it to Sebastian and texted him, asking: How do I look?
• She waited for a while without receiving a response, but she didn’t mind, assuming he was busy.
• Madelyn was halfway through applying light makeup before the mirror when Janessa’s call came through again.
• “Madelyn, are you getting ready? It’s just a simple class reunion. You don’t need to dress up too much. Just wear your usual attire. I just wanted to remind you that the gathering is about to start soon. Remember to arrive on time.”
• Madelyn listened to her in silence, not responding to a single word she said, and then hung up the phone.
• She began sneering inwardly from the moment she answered that phone call, for Janessa had also said the same exact words in her previous life. However, when she reached the venue back then, she saw Janessa all dolled up, stealing the spotlight. As for Madelyn, standing next to Janessa, seemed dull and unremarkable in contrast.
• Today, I’m not going to listen to her.
• When Madelyn left the house, she made her way to Sebastian’s garage and selected a sleek, cool-looking Porsche sports car.
• She drove all the way to the exclusive club.
• Upstairs, within the private room, people were clinking their glasses clinked and exchanging toasts.
• When Madelyn walked in, she immediately sensed everyone’s gaze shifting toward her. They were all in awe.
• Her classmates didn’t recognize her and were all busy guessing who she was.
• With a faint smile gracing her lips, Madelyn spoke. “I apologize for being late.”
• “Is that you, Madelyn? You look absolutely stunning today!” someone exclaimed in surprise.
• Everyone was taken aback. Though they all knew Madelyn was pretty, she had never put much effort into her appearance before. In fact, she was often a bit unkempt, and her outfits could best be described as eccentric. However, no one expected her to be drop-dead gorgeous once she made an effort to dress up.
• She was draped in the softest lilac gown, its delicate hue accentuating her flawless figure. The elegant length of her neck, the low cut of her dress revealing a generous expanse of smooth, alabaster skin, the graceful curve of her chest, her slender waist, and the hint of her long legs—all combined to captivate the onlookers.
• Her features exuded natural elegance, enhanced by a touch of light makeup, rendering her even more charming and captivating. Whether it was her gentle smile or a subtle shift of her body, she epitomized grace, her light purple gown adding to her ethereal presence.
• Among the myriad of astonished gazes, one stood out—a stare brimming with jealousy.
• Janessa downed a gulp of wine. She had been basking in the glow of others’ compliments, having worn a costly designer dress specifically for this gathering. However, the moment Madelyn made her appearance, she outshone everyone else, and just like that, Janessa’s spotlight was stolen away.
• The room was abuzz with chatter; all singing praises for Madelyn. Even the women who were originally surrounding Janessa were drawn to Madelyn.
• “Madelyn, you looked stunning today. This dress looks perfect on you! It must have been quite expensive, right?”
• “Yeah! May I touch it?”
• “Wow, this fabric feels so comfortable! And it’s gorgeous, too!”
• “Madelyn, so many men would’ve fallen for you if you had dressed up before this!”
• Madelyn nodded at every one of them as a greeting. She then picked up a glass of champagne and delicately took a sip.
• Thinking back to how she used to dress herself, she found it amusing. I must have been crazy to have believed what Janessa had said.
• She remembered distinctly that Janessa had told her that Christopher preferred the unconventional, advising her to dress according to his tastes. Back then, she had been surprised by Christopher’s kinky preferences of favoring women in heavy metal attire.
• Only then did she realize that was all part of Janessa’s deceptive scheme.
• Madelyn looked up once again, only to replace Christopher was also present at the scene. He fixed his gaze on her, unable to conceal the admiration in his eyes.
• At that moment, Janessa approached with a frown and asked, “Why are you dressed like this? It’s a bit too formal, don’t you think?”
• Madelyn smiled. “Didn’t you ask me to dress simply? It’s such a hassle to wear those heavy metal clothes I usually wear.”
• Wearing a stiff expression, Janessa let out an awkward laugh. “No, that’s not what I meant. You look great in this outfit, Madelyn. I’ve been waiting for you for a while. Come on, I’ve saved a spot for you.”
• Madelyn glanced over, noting the still unoccupied seat right next to Christopher.