Inside the VIP clients room of the Dior store, Liam was seated in the comfortable plush seating, waiting for Lana.
While he waited, he looked around the room, admiring it. The room looked more like the private lounge of an art gallery, instead of that of a clothing store, with how serene and beautiful it is.
Its cream-toned walls framed a space of elegant minimalism, with a the company branded scented diffuser humming gently on a glass coffee table, and soft music melting into the background.
"Sir, would you like champagne or espresso?" The female sales associate standing beside him, asked.
She was the same sales associate Lana had asked to escort him to the room, and now, she moved with elegance, doing everything she could to ensure Liam felt completely at ease. After all, he wasn't just a guest anymore. He was a high-value client.
"None. I'm fine," Liam replied, shaking his head.
He wasn't a fan of coffee and he can't risk taking alcohol as he has to drive himself home.
The sales associate nodded slightly and subtly observed Liam from the corner of her eyes.
When he walked in with Lana, the Store Director's mother, she had thought that he was just someone trying to impress the girl. But when she heard how much he said his budget was and from his attitude since he walked into the VIP clients room, she felt that she might have evaluated him wrongly.
***
A few minutes later, the door to the room opened and Lana walked in, wheeling in a rack of clothes.
She stopped close to where Liam was seated and smiled.
"Liam, I'm done curating them. You can come check them out," she said, with a proud smile on her face.
Liam nodded and stood up from his seat. He walked to the rack and started looking through the clothes Lana picked for him.
"Let me know whichever of them that isn't to your liking and needs to be changed," Lana said, standing a couple distance behind him.
Liam nodded, as he continued to look through the rack. He tested some of the clothes and sneakers he felt might be too small for him, but the actual fitted just right.
He was actually surprised that Lana was able to discern his size correctly by just looking at him.
I guess as the daughter of a Store Director of a luxury brand store in Rodeo Drive, she needs be to be able to do this much.
It took Liam a few minutes and he was done with confirming Lana's selection. She did a pretty good job curating them, as he didn't return anything.
Everything was perfect as he wanted them. They weren't flashy and neither of them would make him stand out too much.
"I will take all of them," Liam said and turned to look at Lana.
Lana nodded and turned to the sales associate in the room. She immediately understood what Lana wanted and she left the VIP clients room, to call for assistance for packaging the items.
"Lana, can I have someone deliver them to my place?" Liam asked.
It was already getting late and he has no idea how long it will take them to package everything, and he wasn't really ready to wait. Also, he wasn't sure if there was enough space in his car for everything.
He intends to just take a couple of clothes and a pair of sneakers, then Lana's store will deliver the rest to him.
"Yeah, we do home delivery. I will tell them to package it for home delivery instead," she said, and walked to the entrance of the VIP room.
She called for the sales associate and informed her, before walking back into the VIP client room.
"I would love to make the payment now. How much is everything?" Liam asked.
"$103,000," Lana replied and gave him the store's account detail.
Liam immediately made the payment and asked Lana to confirm. She nodded and walked to the entrance of the room, where she signalled for a sales associate to get her mother.
Since the amount Liam did was in six figures, her mom, the Store Director has to be notified. It's normal procedure.
"We'll have your items delivered first thing tomorrow morning, unless you'd prefer a priority dispatch tonight—we can arrange that," Lana said.
"No. Tomorrow morning will be fine. Just package this and this for me," Liam said, as he pointed to the clothes and sneaker he wants to take him.
"You can deliver the rest tomorrow morning."
"Ok. First thing tomorrow morning, they will be delivered to your place at Blue Valley Complex."
"No. Not Blue Valley Complex. I move."
"Ohhh... Please give me your new address," Lana said, and brought out a notepad from her dress' pocket.
"Bellemere Mansion, Holmby Hills," Liam replied.
"Ohh, ok..." Lana nodded.
She was about to write two address in her notepad, when she sharply raised her head and looked at Liam.
"I'm sorry. Come again," she asked in disbelief.
"Bellemere Mansion, Holmby Hills."
Lana's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't having auditory hallucination.
"Wait, you mean your new address is Bellemere Mansion in Holmby Hills? Like the same Bellemere Mansion and Holmby Hills we all know?" She asked.
She knew that she was being rude with her questions. It was completely against the ethics and conduct of an aspiring Store Director and Regional Supervisor, but she can't help herself.
"Yes. The same and same," Liam replied.
He completed understood her shock and disbelief at his words. Even he still finds the whole thing to be very surreal.
Lana involuntarily took a step back when she heard Liam's response. She couldn't believe it. She wanted to believe that he was lying to her but she knew better than anyone else that there was absolutely no need for him to do that.
That means he's the mysterious buyer if the property. Then he's definitely the same Liam that Alex was talking about.
Realising this, Lana felt that she and her friends might have come into contact with someone with a monster level background.
She was immediately lost and confused on what to do. She suddenly couldn't treat Liam the same as before, even though she had actually being treating him as a sales associate would a VIP client.
Lana realised that she was losing control of herself and the situation, and she closed her briefly, and exhaled deeply.
"I've taken down your address. Please expect the delivery tomorrow morning," she said, and walked to the entrance of the VIP clients room.
She saw her mother standing there with a smile on her face and she smiled ruefully.
"You handled it properly. Let mana take care of the rest," her mom said.
Lana nodded weakly and made way for her mom.
Liam watched a beautiful middle aged woman who bore a near uncanny resemblance to Lana, walk into the room, with a polite smile on her face.
Even without being told, it was already obvious to him that the woman is Lana's mother, the Store Director in charge of the store.
"Good afternoon, Mr Liam. We have already confirmed the transaction," she said and clapped her hands.
Immediately, two female sales associate walked in with shopping bags and packaged the clothes, sneaker Liam would be taking with him.
After they were done, they gave a small bow and left the room, leaving only Liam and Lana's mother.
"Mr Liam, would you like anything else?" She asked.
"No. That would be all," Liam said.
The woman gave a graceful nod.
"Thank you very much for your patronage, Mr. Liam," she said, voice calm and composed. "It has been an honor having you here today. We truly appreciate your visit to our store."
Liam gave a polite nod in return. "I should be the one thanking you—for the service, and the experience. It was excellent."
The Store Director smiled warmly. "We're always at your service, Mr. Liam. Should you need anything further, even outside regular hours, please don't hesitate to contact us. I'll personally see to your delivery in the morning."
"Much appreciated," Liam said with a small smile.
With that, the Store Director stepped aside and gestured politely toward the exit. Liam gave a final nod and turned toward the door.
As he walked out, he saw Lana lingering by the corridor, watching from a distance. Their eyes met briefly, and she gave him a slightly embarrassed smile and a short wave.
Liam returned a nod and a faint smirk, acknowledging her silent goodbye before walking past the sleek black-framed glass doors of the Dior boutique.
Outside, the evening glow had softened into a warm orange hue as the sun hovered low in the sky, casting long shadows across the luxury strip of Rodeo Drive.
The crowd had thinned slightly, though a few tourists still lingered, some sneaking glances at the storefronts, others stealing photos of luxury cars parked like exotic animals at rest.
Liam walked to his Lamborghini Temerario, which had drawn a few admiring gazes even as it rested silently at the curb.
The doors open as he approached, responding to the proximity of the key in his pocket. He slid into the driver's seat, placed the two bags in the passenger side carefully, and took a moment to inhale the soft leather scent within the cabin.
With a smooth press of the ignition button, the car awakened. He reached for the gear, glanced once more down the avenue lined with high fashion, and then slowly steered the car away from the curb.
As he pulled into the street, the golden hour light reflected off the car's obsidian black surface, making it shimmer like oil on water.
He drove at a relaxed pace, ignoring the eyes following him—some curious, others envious—as he turned off Rodeo Drive and eased into the winding route back toward Holmby Hills.
The engine's rumble filled the cabin, as the Lamborghini picked up speed on the open road.
Rodeo Drive faded in the rearview mirror, as Liam adjusted his grip on the steering wheel, leaned back into his seat, and smiled faintly to himself.
A/N: Guys, have the book been too slow lately? What are your thoughts on it so far?