Chapter 25 Paige's Beautiful Present

"Once upon a time, our families made a deal to have our kids hitched, but we were talking about your sister back then. Sadly, she passed away, and you got a chance to cozy up to Louis. So, don't go around saying that Alicia is a stand-in anymore because you're just one yourself." The woman didn't mince words and gave Madelyn no shred of dignity.

Alicia spun around and saw a woman standing ten yards away, looking like a million bucks. She was tall and slim, wearing a black coat that showed off a pair of stunning legs, and her posture was top-notch.

It was Louis' mom, Paige.

Alicia was taken aback for a sec, then smiled and greeted Paige, "Paige, long time no see!"

Paige curved her lips elegantly and gave her a nod.

Madelyn was about to go off when she saw it was Paige, but then put on a fake smile and said, "Aunt Paige, you're back in town?"

Madelyn ran over, hugging Paige's waist tightly, planting kisses and saying with love, "I missed you so much. I even told my mom the other day that your birthday was coming up. I came over to pick out a gift for you and stumbled upon Alicia. We had a little chat."

Alicia couldn't help but be impressed by Madelyn's thick skin. Even when Paige dissed her, Madelyn kept on chatting, acting like everything was cool and brown-nosing her.

Paige stayed calm, untangling Madelyn's hand from her waist and stepping back, creating some distance.

Madelyn wasn't fazed at all, still grinning from ear to ear and saying, "So, Aunt Paige, what are you shopping for today? Let me help you out."

Paige looked at the bag on Alicia's shoulder and said, "I'm here to get Alicia a new purse. She married a rich husband and still didn't know how to spend like a rich wife. She insists on carrying around some cheapo bag, and I'm scared some snooty person might see it and laugh at her."

Madelyn's smile froze 'cause it was clear that Paige was throwing shade.

After a moment, Madelyn muttered, "Uh-huh, I see. Alicia's too thrifty for her own good, even though she's a stunner. She never dresses up, which is a shame since you work in the fashion biz, Aunt Paige."

Alicia caught on and realized Madelyn was dissing her, implying she was a fashion victim.

Alicia usually dressed down, wearing simple shirts, pants, coats, or sweaters that weren't name-brand. She barely wore any jewelry either. Compared to Madelyn, who rocked the latest high-end fashion, was blindingly flashy, and looked like a butterfly, Alicia was more low-key.

But Alicia didn't mind one bit. Her motto was to dress comfy and appropriately. Madelyn thought she was unfashionable, but Alicia thought Madelyn was too flashy, always dressed like a celeb on the red carpet, with jangling jewelry hanging all over her body. It looked exhausting.

Paige gave Madelyn a frosty glare and said in a hushed tone, "My daughter-in-law is a modest and virtuous woman who values inner beauty. Even if she were to wear a bedsheet, she would still turn heads with her stunning temperament. Confident people don't need all those external adornments."

Madelyn was at a loss for words and bit her lip, keeping quiet.

Alicia was deeply touched. She admired Paige's powerful words, which shielded her and slapped Madelyn in the face at the same time.

Just then, the saleswoman brought over a white bag and respectfully said to Paige, "Ma'am, the bag you booked has arrived."

Paige took the bag and handed it to Alicia, saying, "This is my gift to you. Don't just buy bags for Lilith and me, but also treat yourself to something nice. Our social circle is so superficial that people judge you by your accessories. If someone else has it, you should have it too."

Alicia gratefully accepted the bag, beaming, "Thank you. The bag is gorgeous."

"If you like it, that's all that matters," Paige replied, handing her card to the saleswoman to pay.

Alicia then handed Paige the amber-yellow Burkin bag she had bought and said, "This is the birthday present I chose for you."

Paige immediately had the clerk open the package and transfer all her belongings into Alicia's bag, declaring, "From now on, I will only use this bag. It's a significant gift from my daughter-in-law."

Paige's use of the term "daughter-in-law" felt like a knife in Madelyn's heart. She stood there motionless, her face changing rapidly.

The driver came over to collect the items Alicia had purchased and placed them in the trunk. Alicia and Paige each carried a new bag, chatting and laughing as they exited, leaving Madelyn standing alone, feeling disheveled.

The saleswoman had seen this scenario play out before and knew what was going on. When she looked at Madelyn again, her expression had become very subtle.

Outside the store, Paige suddenly asked, "Madelyn is Louis' ex-girlfriend. It must be hard for you to have to meet her every day."

Alicia smiled softly, "Yeah, definitely."

Paige chuckled and said, "Don't worry about whether Louis forgets about her or not. What matters now is that he loves you."

Alicia fell silent and thought to herself, "It's a shame that Louis' heart still belongs to Madelyn, not me. He suddenly decided not to divorce me, mostly because Bonnie talked him out. Louis is good to me because when he was going through his darkest and most trying times, I took care of him with all my heart and effort. He is actually a very loyal person."

Paige checked her watch and suggested, "It's still early. Would you like to grab a cup of coffee together?

Alicia nodded and got into Paige's car to head to a coffee shop she frequented often. After they sat down, they each ordered a cup of coffee.

Paige rested her chin on her left hand and looked at Alicia, saying, "Louis had a terrible temper two years ago. You must have had a hard time. Even I, his biological mother, could barely muster the patience to take care of him. I thought you wouldn't last a few days, but you managed to stick it out until now."

Alicia gently twirled her cup in her hand and said, "It's alright."

Paige sighed, "He gave you 15 million dollars? How many times did Louis lose his temper and treat you badly before he tried so hard to make it up to you? If it were me, I couldn't bear it even if I loved him."

Alicia paused, knowing that Paige had overheard her conversation with Madelyn.

She flashed a smile and said, "I've been studying how to restore ancient books and paintings with my grandpa since I was a kid. I've got a lot of resilience and patience. It wasn't that big of a deal. Louis was going through a lot of mental pain those two years, and when he let out his temper, he felt better. If he bottled it up, he would have gone insane."

"You really care about him, don't you?" Paige glanced at Alicia's injured hand. "It must have been tough when you broke your important hand."

Alicia looked down at her hand, now wrapped in a cast, and chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, it felt like the end of the world."

"It'll get better." Paige offered some comfort.

She called over a waiter, gave him the car keys, and asked him to retrieve a gift box from the trunk.

After retrieving the box, Paige opened it and pushed it towards Alicia. "I designed this myself and made it a long time ago. I'm wearing it for my birthday at the end of the month."

She looked at Alicia's plain white shirt and remarked, "Simplicity is a virtue, but some shallow folks judge others by their clothes. We've got the means, so wear it if you want to."

The gift box contained a midnight blue dress that resembled a starry night sky.

The delicate sheer fabric was studded with countless shiny artificial diamonds, resembling stars in the Milky Way, sparkling with starlight.

Even if she didn't wear it, Alicia could picture how stunning the dress would look on her.

Suddenly, she thought of something and whispered, "If I wear such a stunning dress on your birthday, won't I steal the spotlight?"

Paige took a sip of her coffee and smiled, "No, you're my daughter-in-law. The more dazzling and radiant you look, the more brilliant I feel as Paige."

Alicia was touched to the core. She used to think Paige was icy and standoffish, rarely speaking and indifferent to others. She didn't anticipate this warm side beneath her frigid exterior.

Alicia had barely closed the box when her phone started ringing. She checked the caller ID and saw it was Louis.

When she answered, Alicia asked softly, "Hey Louis, what's going on?"

"Where are you at?" Louis inquired.

"I'm having coffee with Paige," Alicia answered.

"You're with my mom? Which coffee shop?" Louis sounded a bit anxious. "I'm almost finished. I'll come over."

Alicia hesitated for a moment and replied, "You can carry on working. No need to come over."

"Let me talk to her," Louis insisted.

Alicia handed the phone to Paige.

Paige took the phone and said, "Hello." Louis' tone was more of a warning, "Don't give Alicia a hard time. If there's anything, just come to me directly."

"Give Alicia a hard time?" Paige said casually, while reaching up to clean her ear.