On a rush morning, August took a day off again even though he couldn't go to work yesterday because of Charles Remington. However, he got permission first from Miss Johens, so he would only go absent with official leave.

Wearing his usual plain white t-shirt and faded jeans, he stood in front of the mirror to check his appearance.

"I look... average," August muttered as his gaze fixed on the small hole near the collar of his shirt.

Some of his shirts were like this. If they didn't have a hole in them, some were faded or too old that he had a hard time disposing of. August thought he lived like that because he wanted to give everything to Samantha.

But it's been a long time now. Still, nothing changed except the fact that he was able to escape from people's monitoring of his life.

"This might bring a small change," August told himself as he walked out of his small house.

But because the area where he lived was rural, he couldn't find any malls near him. With that, he traveled the city wearing his face mask, hoping no one would recognize him.

"Welcome, sir," one of the female staff greeted him when he entered the salon. 

This is the only salon he knew at the place because he had accompanied Samantha here before.

From the silver color coated walls down to the tiles made of marble, the whole place looked expensive for a commoner like him.

'I have money. I shouldn't be afraid,' August encouraged himself as he sat on the reclining chair the staff told him to sit on.

"What kind of haircut do you want, sir?" the female staff assigned to him asked as she got the brochure and gave it to him.

August tried to look at the brochure, but after approximately five minutes of scanning, he still needed to figure out what to choose. For all his life, he only had one haircut which was a clean cut. He never bothered to try something new.

"Uh... I don't know about haircuts," August answered honestly before he placed the brochure on the table on his right side. "Can I trust you on what you'll do to my hair?"

"Alright!" The woman clapped as she held onto his hair. A scissor was on her right hand. 

August never did that before. He won't trust anyone on his looks, or even his work or things, except for Samantha. That is why he never had friends. Everyone looked at him as pathetic— someone who doesn't even know how to socialize.

However, he made the right decision this time.

"This is... great," he couldn't help but admire his looks in front of the mirror. He only decided to cut his hair, but it seemed like the hairdresser cast some magic on him.

"Glad you like it, sir." The woman smiled while staring at him. "Hair was one of the important parts of our body. Styling it properly can emphasize our strong facial features and even make us look presentable."

August answered with a smile as he paid the cashier and gave the woman a tip for her service.

'This is how being rich feels like,' August thought to himself as he walked onto the road. 

He used Charles' money to change himself. If he wanted to rise to the top, he needed to make a presentable appearance first— A small step towards a big goal.

"What did you choose, sir?"

August couldn't count how many times the saleslady asked him that question and how many times he told her to wait. 

He had roamed the whole boutique but was still undecided on what to do. He unconsciously mimicked Samantha's habit when it came to shopping, but it didn't even help him.

"I— I don't know." August sighed in frustration as he held two expensive polo shirts in his hand. 

One was plain white with a horse embedded at the right side of it. The other is a simple black shirt with a golden bird in the pocket on the right side.

"Everything looks average when I wear it," he murmured in a sad tone.

"It's the opposite. Everything looks good on you."

August had his brows furrowed when a woman he assumed was the same age as he went in front of him. 

"But I prefer this one," the woman added in a sweet, gentle voice before she pointed at the black shirt. "It suits your appearance well."

She had elegant, lively blue eyes, a pointed nose, and rosy red lips that anyone would want to taste. Her sleeveless long yellow dress also complemented her white porcelain skin and her wheat golden brown wavy hair.

'A goddess.' That's the only word August could say to describe her.

"Are you okay?"

August snapped out of his thoughts when the woman stepped forward and talked with him. Her sweet scent danced at the tip of his nose as her voice lingered on his mind.

"Y-Yes, I am." August shook his head and tried to maintain his composure. "Thank you," he added and smiled at the woman in front of him.

"No problem." She tapped onto his shoulder lightly— definitely not in a flirty way- before walking towards the cashier.

"Miss Daphne!" The woman in cashier greeted her.

"Hey, Bella," she answered as her smile brought light to anyone inside the boutique. "It's been a long time."

'Is she a regular here?' August wondered as he didn't realize that he was already eavesdropping on the conversation.

Since the boutique he went to was expensive, few people were inside. To be specific, it was only him and the woman in the yellow dress. It became easier for him to listen to their conversation even if they were slightly far away from him.

"How are you in Hawaii?" the cashier asked as she assisted Daphne onto her seat.

"It's fine," Daphne answered nonchalantly before she sighed. " Anyway, do you have any dresses here? For a party?"

"We had catered dresses before you even went here! Come inside!" One of the staff exclaimed as she accompanied Daphne inside the white door.

Meanwhile, August's eyes had narrowed because he sensed some familiarity with the tone of her voice. He knew it exactly— the moment when people needed to endure doing something they didn't want because it was something they needed to do. Not because they like doing it.

She's precisely just like him— A woman who lived a mediocre and pathetic life.

'But she was rich. It was obvious from her manners and luxury things,' August said at the back of his mind. 'Why is she sad?'

August didn't know why, but he felt a pang of pain in his heart, thinking that Daphne had lived her life in misery despite everyone thinking she had everything.

"Are you going to buy it, sir?" August went back to reality as the saleslady talked to him. "You're so lucky. Miss Daphne even chose a shirt for you."

"Is she a regular customer here?" August asked in curiosity.

But he didn't expect the shock on the saleslady's face.

"Wait, you don't know her?" she asked as she stared at him like she couldn't believe what he had said. "Do you even watch the news?"

"Sometimes," August answered honestly before placing the white polo shirt back on the clothing rack. "When I am at work, some people prefer football to the news to avoid stress."

He gave the black polo shirt to the saleslady, and they went to the cashier to process his payment.

"I see. Do you know the Sandoval family, perhaps?"

August stopped moving when he heard the surname he didn't want to hear in his lifetime. Although he felt annoyed, at this time, he was more attentive to what the saleslady would say.

"Tell me about it."

"She's the second child of the Sandoval family," she answered before she placed the shirt on a paper bag. "The illegitimate one."

The shock would be an understatement for his reaction. His lips parted as the movement of his hands holding bills halted. 

He had started working at Sandoval Corporation right after he finished college, but he didn't receive news that the Sandoval family had an illegitimate child.

"Here." The saleslady gave him the paper bag and the receipt. After that, he went out of the boutique, but he only had a few steps away when he heard Daphne's voice outside.

"Alter the dress based on my liking, okay?" She said with a smile on her face. "Good job, everyone."

August would have believed that the woman was genuinely happy, but he could hear the pain and sadness in her voice.

Daphne went inside the backseat of the white car waiting for her. The driver immediately drove the car. August was about to walk away when he noticed a white envelope on the floor.

August opened the white envelope so he would know where to give it. But his brows furrowed when he noticed that it was for him.

Recipient: Augustus Fordman

Message: Please join us as we celebrate the engagement of Bruce Sandoval and Samantha Evergreen!

"What do you want from me, Daphne?" August murmured, confused, as his grip on the invitation letter tightened.