Chapter 2: The Hidden Signature
The salon went dead silent. The other consultants stopped mid-sentence. Evelyn felt the blood drain from her face, leaving her pale as the lace she had been guarding so jealously.
"Grandma, I was so worried you wouldn't make it," Clara sobbed, holding the older woman’s face in her hands. She looked at the woman’s bruised expression and then at Evelyn, who looked as if she had just seen a ghost.
"She... she told me to leave," the grandmother whispered, her voice steady but laced with a quiet, devastating dignity. "She said I couldn't afford the dresses."
Clara’s face hardened. She turned to Evelyn, her eyes burning with a cold, terrifying fury. "Do you have any idea who you just insulted?"
"I—I'm so sorry, Ms. Sterling," Evelyn stammered, her knees beginning to shake. "I didn't know she was—"
"You didn't look," Clara interrupted, her voice dangerously low. "You were too busy looking at the price tag and the coat to see the woman. And now, you’re going to see exactly what you’ve done."
Clara grabbed the nearest dress—the one Evelyn had forbidden the woman from touching—and flipped the inner hem to reveal the hidden tag.
May you like
Evelyn leaned in, her eyes widening in horror. It wasn't the boutique’s brand name. It was a small, hand-embroidered label that read: Elena Rossi – Haute Couture Design.
The name was legendary. Elena Rossi was the mysterious designer whose gowns were worn by royalty and movie stars, a woman who had retired years ago and whose original pieces were now essentially priceless.
