Celine’s bright eyes sparkled with wit as she stood nestled in Perry’s arms. Adam’s expression was as dark as a thunderstorm. What a sly fox! Even Perry had fallen under her spell—she truly had a way of getting things done.

“Celine, I’ve brought you here for some shopping. What do you think? See any dress you like?” Perry asked.

The sales associate, Melanie, immediately presented a lace dress. “This dress suits this beautiful young lady well.”

Celine nodded. “I’d like to try it on.”

“Go ahead,” Perry replied. She took the dress and headed into the fitting room.

Carly watched her pleasant mood dissipating completely. She tugged at Adam’s arm. “Look, I told you she wasn’t any good. She’s managed to make Mr. Marshall head over heels and wrapped around her finger. All he does is spoil her now.”

Pursing his lips, Adam didn’t respond.

Perry walked over and said, “Mr. Alvarez, thank you for looking out for Celine when you were her husband. But from now on, you don’t have to worry about her anymore. I’ll take good care of her.”

Adam glanced back at him. The two men, both equally brilliant and attractive, locked eyes, and tension arose between them. Unspoken sparks flew.

Just then, Melanie’s voice rang out. “She’s ready.”

Both men turned around at the same time. Celine emerged from the fitting room, wearing the lace dress.

The slim-fit dress accentuated her elegant curves. Adorned with shimmering diamonds, the lace bodice transitioned into a body-hugging skirt. Paired with her loosely styled hair, every step she took was elegant and stunning.

Adam fixated his gaze on her, unwilling to look away, but Perry stepped forward, blocking his view. He looked at Celine with approval. “You’re absolutely beautiful, Celine.”

She did a little twirl, clearly pleased with the dress. “I’ll take this.”

He pulled out a black card with gold embellishments and handed it to Melanie. “I’ll pay by card.”

She replied, “This is a customized dress, and the diamonds are all hand-sewn. It’ll be slightly pricier—”

“Just charge my card.”

Melanie happily complied. “Of course.”

Seeing Perry spend so extravagantly on Celine, Carly’s jealousy surged. Celine’s figure was perfect—absolutely alluring. The dress seemed tailor-made for her.

Carly couldn’t hold back any longer. “Wait!”

Celine and Perry both turned to look at her. Melanie stopped what she was doing.

Carly arrogantly said, “Celine, it seems we share the same taste. I also like the dress you’re wearing.”

Melanie seemed conflicted. “Miss, every dress in our store is one of a kind.”

This was exactly what Carly wanted. Smirking, she turned to Celine, emphasizing every word as she spoke: “I want you to take off that dress, and that dress only. Buy it for me. I’ll wear it… just for you!”

Perry started to step in, but Celine stopped him, shaking her head. Carly then turned to Adam.

Several errors in names and spelling have been corrected (Adamm to Adam, Celia to Celine, lavar to leave). Some sentences were restructured for clarity and flow. The dialogue has been punctuated more correctly. Word choice was improved in a few places for better style.