The Heiress Gambit-Chapter 95- The Dress

PAIGE

The entire week passed in a beautiful, overwhelming haze. It felt like I was living in a dream. One day I was fighting for my life in a boardroom, the next I was officially taking the helm as CEO of Rimestone Co., sitting in my father’s former office.

It didn’t feel like his anymore. The dark, oppressive energy was gone, replaced by the bright, buzzing certainty that it was now mine.

And now, today, I was standing on a small, circular platform in a fitting room at Kleinfeld Bridal in Manhattan. The air smelled of expensive silk and hope. All around me, mirrors reflected a version of myself I barely recognized.

Suzume was fussing with the train of the dress, her movements quick and excited. "I just can’t believe it," she chirped, her voice full of laughter. "In two days! You’re getting married in two days! Who does that? Besides Reomen Daki, of course."

I let out a breathless laugh, my head still spinning. "I can’t believe it either," I admitted, staring at my reflection. "It’s all happened so fast. One minute we’re taking down a tycoon, the next I’m picking out silverware patterns."

It was surreal. The battle had been so long and so hard, and now the victory felt like this... this whirlwind of pure, uncomplicated joy.

"Well, believe it," Suzume said, stepping back. Her eyes met mine in the mirror, and they widened, her joking demeanor softening into genuine awe. "Oh, Paige. Look at you. You are... breathtaking."

I finally let myself really look.

The dress was everything I didn’t know I wanted. It wasn’t a fluffy princess gown. It was sleek and architectural, made of heavy silk crepe that hugged my body like a second skin before flowing into a clean, elegant train.

The neckline was a deep, dramatic V, and the back was open, almost to the waist. It was powerful. It was sexy. It was me. The woman Reomen had fallen in love with—not a princess, but a queen.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I blinked them away quickly.

"It’s perfect," I whispered, more to myself than to her.

I needed to ground myself, to think about something other than the dizzying reality of my own wedding. I looked at Suzume’s reflection, her face still lit up with happiness for me.

"How are things with you and Kenji?" I asked, genuinely curious. "After all the... international incident drama?"

Suzume’s whole face transformed. A slow, dreamy smile spread across her lips, and her eyes took on a faraway, contented glow. It was a look I’d never seen on her before. The sharp, socialite edge was still there, but it was softened by something real.

"He’s... incredible, Paige," she said, her voice dropping to a confidential tone. "It’s not just the lavish dates or the gifts. It’s the way he listens. The way he remembers the little things I like." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a surprisingly shy gesture. "The other night, I just mentioned offhand that I missed the cherry blossoms from our trip to Tokyo. The next evening, my entire penthouse was filled with branches of these delicate, silk cherry blossoms. He said if I couldn’t go to them, he’d bring them to me."

She shook her head, laughing a little at the extravagance of it. "He’s so intense, but with me... it’s a different kind of intensity. It’s romantic. He makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the world."

Hearing her talk like that, seeing the genuine happiness in her eyes, made my own heart feel even fuller. After everything we’d all been through, we deserved this. We deserved this kind of crazy, all-consuming, dramatic love.

I reached out and squeezed her hand. "I’m really happy for you, Suzume."

She squeezed back, her eyes shining. "Right back at you, future Mrs. Daki. Now, let’s make sure this train is perfect. Your ruthless billionaire is waiting, and you need to knock him dead."

I looked at our reflections in the triple mirrors—me in the stark white dress, Suzume in a chic lavender cocktail dress—and a laugh bubbled out of me. "You know, it’s terrifying," I said, shaking my head. "The more you talk about Kenji, the more I see the similarities." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Suzume’s eyes lit up with wicked understanding. "Right? They’re both sarcastic as hell. It’s their first language."

"It really is!" I agreed, feeling a giddy sense of camaraderie. "Reomen’s idea of a romantic proposal was to tell me he was ’making up for’ his previous ’merger proposition’ while kneeling in a boardroom. And your guy fills your apartment with silk flowers because a real tree was too inconvenient."

Suzume grinned, placing a hand on her hip. "Kenji’s most heartfelt compliment to me was, ’You’re marginally less trouble than you appear to be.’ I almost swooned."

We both burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the luxurious room. It was a relief to laugh about it, to finally be with someone who understood that with men like ours, a cutting remark was a love letter, and an over-the-top gesture was just Tuesday.

"Speaking of my wedding," I said, my laughter softening into a warm smile. "There’s something I need to ask you." I took her hand. "Suzume, will you be my maid of honor?"

Her face lit up like the sun. "Really? Paige, of course! I’d be honored!"

"Well," I added with a wink. "One of two. Because if I don’t make Leon my ’bridesman’, he will literally never speak to me again. He’d probably start a support group for neglected best friends."

The image of Leon, dramatic and betrayed, organizing a protest outside the church made us dissolve into another fit of giggles.

"Oh, that’s perfect," Suzume managed between laughs. "He can be on flower duty. I’ll make sure he doesn’t trip on my train."

As our laughter settled, Suzume’s expression turned a little more thoughtful, a little more careful. "And... what about your mother? And Payton? Are they... invited?"

The question didn’t bring the old, sharp pain. Instead, it brought a quiet sense of peace. "They are," I said, my voice firm but not unkind. "I sent them invitations this morning."

Suzume looked genuinely surprised, and I couldn’t blame her.

I smoothed down the sleek fabric of my dress, a small, wry smile touching my lips. "I handed them salvation, didn’t I?" I met her gaze in the mirror. "It would be pretty poor form to then not invite them to the party."

Suzume’s surprise melted into a slow, knowing smile. She shook her head, a fresh wave of laughter escaping her. "Only you, Paige. Only you could destroy a man’s empire, save his family from the wreckage, and then call it ’handing them salvation’."

I grinned back, the weight of the past feeling lighter than ever. "What can I say? I’m a generous winner."

And in that moment, surrounded by silk and friendship and the promise of a future I had fought for, it felt incredibly, wonderfully true.