CHAPTER 263: ZENITH HEIGHTS

(Author’s POV)

"I was just mesmerized by the luxury surrounding me. THIS IS SO COOL," Wendy exclaimed like a child.

The underground parking lot had a sleek and modern design, with a symmetrical outline and futuristic aesthetic. There were more than fifty cars parked in it, all premium automobiles, worth a fortune.

"Stop with your ogling around and let’s go. We are already behind time," Myra literally dragged Wendy away, as she was still fascinated by the display in front of her. They walked towards the elevator as Yelena chuckled while shaking her head at their sisterly bickering.

Taking the glass elevator, Yelena tapped the third floor button casually as the elevator slid shut. The capsule lift moved as the panoramic view of the mall’s inside came into view.

Wendy was at it once again. She gasped in pure astonishment and rejoiced with joy, her excitement was at its peak, "Whoa ~ ... You know what, guys, today is the best day of my life. THE BEST DAY, PERIOD."

"Then, let’s make it a more memorable one," Yelena remarked, "But first we need to sort your sister’s outfit for tomorrow and other stuff. Let’s begin with that." As she said this, the elevator came to a sudden halt.

The three of them exited it as they reached their designated floor.

Yelena started looking around, as if searching for something or someone. When her search was over, she muttered, "We need to go that way." Saying this, she turned around and started walking towards the right side. Myra and Wendy followed her behind.

As they were passing by other flashy stores, Myra noticed that this floor was all packed with big brand outlets. But before she could utter anything, Yelena stopped in front of a high end clothing store.

The store manager, who was already out at the entrance, seemed to be waiting for them as she asked, "Are you Ms. Yelena Yates? Did you book the appointment?"

"Yes," Yelena replied casually. "This right here ... she is Myra Miracle, my friend. The one I told you about." She pointed at Myra. "And the one next to her is Wendy Miracle, her sister. Did you arrange everything?"

The manager beamed at them, as the two Miracle girls were their prestigious guests and rightfully so, "Good Afternoon, Ms. Myra, Ms. Wendy. We have all set it up for you. Please follow me this way." Her tone was humble and extremely kind.

Wendy was too excited to think about anything else, but Myra was hesitant to go inside. She knew how expensive the garments were at such a place. But she was well aware that she couldn’t outright refuse Yelena, at least not in front of the staff.

She thought for a while and finally found a solution, ’I can say that the clothes are not my style. And then I’ll convince them to go to some other store, a place within my budget. Yelena will surely not be able to refute."

"Hey, Ra-ra. What are you waiting for? Come," Yelena urged her to come inside.

But when she stepped in, Myra found that the fancy looking apparel store had some of the red carpet looks displayed on its shelf. The layout and décor of the store were sophisticated and spacious. The walls were made up of polished, reflective dark stones, in contrast with the bright light illuminating from the golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

It had a central seating area. A curved cream and navy plush sofa resting on a textured, classy rug. The manager gestured while saying, "Please, make yourself comfortable, ma’ams." Saying this, she urged her staff to hurry up.

Myra was feeling extremely awkward. She couldn’t help but ask, her voice lowered as she leaned towards Yelena to say, "Don’t you think this is way too much, Yel? I think we should go to some other place."

But Yelena was adamant in her stance, as she replied, "Seriously, this is not too much. It may seem pricey, but this particular store has some really nice, affordable outfits as well, just like you mentioned to me. You see, it is a multi brand store."

Myra gave her a skeptical look. Then Yelena gave her an innocent look and added, "Now, now. At least, see for yourself whether I am lying or otherwise."

On her insistence, Myra settled down, though she was still uncomfortable with the whole designer setup. It reminded her of the time when she and Nora went shopping with Elio and Dion in Kimberg. Then, she reeled back to the silhouette she saw today. ’Can it be really Elio? But Esteria is like, totally the opposite side from Kimberg. And why will he be here anyways? Let’s focus on the thing I am here for.’ Thinking like this, she glanced around at the mannequins displaying some of the trendy and elegant dresses.

Her eyes caught sight of a red, A-line dress similar to the one she had worn in Nora and Elio’s birthday banquet, as her mind drifted off to that particular day in Kimberg again.

Wendy elbowed her as she inquired, "Why do you seem so dazed, sis?" She glanced at Myra’s line of sight and added, "Do you like that dress?"

That got Yelena’s attention, too. She then spoke, "Great choice, it will look so good on you, Ra-ra." She was about to gesture to the waiting staff, but before that, Myra interrupted her.

She snapped back from her thoughts and commented, "No need. I was just looking around. That dress isn’t my type. Let’s just buy what we are here for."

Although Yelena was a bit disappointed, she didn’t push it any further.

Soon, the store manager came back, along with two staff members, who were dragging clothing stands with different apparel hung on them.

She gave them a professional smile and started, "Sorry for the delay. According to your brief, we selected a few attires and combinations. Please take a look." She gestured for her staff as the latter stepped forward with a dress and briefed them about it, "This is a formal off white, crepe midi dress with long sleeves and a round neck."

Myra thought it was nice, but not for the event tomorrow. And Yelena didn’t like it at all. It was too covered. So, they turned to the next dress.

________________________

"Brother Dion, why do you have to drag us with you in such a crowded place?" Elio complained as he and Dion entered the Zenith Heights Mall while Alaric and Brave dragged their feet in tow.

"Am I the only one who was getting all bored and feeling stuffy in that cramped hotel? I needed to refresh my mind," Dion casually uttered, not looking at either of them.

"First of all, a presidential suite of a seven-star luxurious hotel is far from a cramped place. And the other thing is, why a mall? We could have gone to some other place. Now that I notice, it seems way too crowded today," Brave remarked.

"I say, it is a blessing in disguise. The more crowded the better. Think about it, if we had gone to some other, quieter place, those vampire king’s lackeys, especially that secretary, Elisa, would be able to keep an eye on us. Here, amongst all these people, they will surely have a hard time keeping track of us," he concluded.

Although the brothers didn’t like the location Dion picked, but they agreed with his words, totally.

Soon, Elisa, who was busy attending a call, came inside and looked at the overly populated ground floor and said, "I heard there is a small concert happening in three hours. Mr. Dion, why don’t we go to some other mall?" she suggested.

’Of course, I know there is going to be a performance here this evening. That’s why I chose this particular place,’ Dion scoffed in his mind.

"No need, it is fine by us. But if Ms. Queens is feeling rather uncomfortable, you can return back to the hotel first," Dion joked.

"Mr. Everests, it is my duty to accompany our guests and guide them," she said in a professional tone, but her facial expression said otherwise. There were too many people, mostly females, gathered here, which would only attract and distract the Everests boys.

Dion chuckled and replied, "No need to worry, none of us will snitch on you. You can rest assured, Ms. Queens. Why put yourself through such discomfort?" He was playful with his words, enjoying Elisa’s colorful reactions.

"Certainly not. I am not uncomfortable at all. Please, rest assured," Elisa remained adamant. When Dion said that he wanted to go out. She saw it as a chance and suggested a few scenic and seemingly romantic places which were couple oriented or on the romantic side. But Dion, as clever and cunning as he was, turned her offer down. He has looked at the social media regarding various attractions in Esteria and knew exactly about the places Elisa suggested.

He then said, "I heard the Zenith Heights mall is the continent’s biggest mall. I would love to see that and buy some souvenirs, as after tomorrow we will be getting quite busy with official stuff."

To Be Continued . . . . . . . .