Price tag

Lily peered inconspicuously at the price tags. She knew she would have a heart attack after seeing too many zeroes. She hoped to proceed inconspicuously. Like a ninja. Silently, like a shadow. She pushed one hanger after the other on the rod to the side. The high quality fabric fluttered with every movement. The unpleasant squeak of the hangers was heard. She felt as if all eyes were on her. But. Where were the price tags. She wanted to make the whole thing inconspicuous. She knew little rich ladies did not look for price tags. If her grandmother knew what she was doing. She would be dead. Ohhh, her Granny would kill her. Yeah, she would definitely be dead meat, if her granny know! This kind of experience she had already as a child.

"How is it." Alexandre came out of the fitting room with a cinza colored double breasted jacket with a glenurquhart pattern and matching suit pants. Under the jacket he wore a white shirt and a black silk tie.

"Elegant and posh." Lily tried to hold back with complements. He looked far more than just elegant and posh. She just did not want to let this ego grow to a Mount Everest.

Alexandre was not satisfied. "Anything else you want to add?"

Lily looked at his smug grin. She was speechless. "You…you are …"

"Handsome, stunning, a genius, immensely talented ...."

"Um ... yeah ... I can't tell... mhh…only from the suit." Lily interrupted him. "But with handsome and stunning, I agree." She nodded eagerly, forgetting that she wanted to fence his ego. Lily's big eyes were filled with honesty and innocence. In vain, she bit her lip as she realized what she was saying.

"Don't I look good in it?" Alexandre teased his wife.

"Look in the mirror!" Lily could not stand the boastful glow in his eyes. She wanted to cry.

"I want to hear it from you."

"That's disgusting. You're lucky you're the most handsome man I'll ever get to know." Lily rolled her eyes. She gave up. His arrogance and shamelessness was a disease.

"Great, let's get this."

Lily bared her teeth after her hubby disappeared back into the fitting room. She hardly dared to look up. How could she ever look into the employees' eyes without blushing?

She turned back to the clothes which the staff had chosen for her. She really did not want to buy a dress. But, Alexandre ... this shameless man would certainly come up with a cheesy scenario to persuade her to choose a dress. Lily was tired. She just wanted to go home. She was too tired for the bickering with Alexandre.

That's why she wanted to try to find a simple dress. She did not like this pompous style. Which usually the upper class ladies preferred. Some ladies thought that if they spend a lot of money on clothes, their clothes should sparkle. Like a disco ball. Best embroidered with gemstones.

Lily liked simple clothes. Elegant and refined. They had to be comfortable and fashionable.

It was not easy to break old behavior. In the past, when she was that other girl, she came from a worker's household. They had middle-class incomes, with which they barely got by in a rich industrial state. The rents were high, as well as the cost of living. The salaries of workers were pressed. In addition, her father succumbed to alcohol and often spent more than the family owned. Therefore, she and her mother had to be economical with the monthly money. Even after she got a job, she had to pay wisely for her salary. Even after getting a job, she had to spend her salary wisely. It was only natural to be petty.

Add to that came the two years without the support of her grandparents. And Lily realized how difficult it was to make money to live without having to go to bed with an empty stomach.

Why did Alexandre just have to throw his money out of the window. Lily thought furiously. Didn't he leave several million with the jeweler today? If only he knew that he would be broke in the near future.

Lily always looked for the price tags, though she did not have to. Heaven, she was probably as rich as Croesus! But she was always afraid to wake up one day and return to her old life. Without wealth. Without luxury.

Bad habits could not be easily discarded.