176–But He Liked The Red One 
Nora: 
After that little chat, I couldn’t bring myself to ask him any more questions. I was feeling even shyer around him now. What did he mean by people spreading rumors about us? What could he possibly want to find out from me that he needed to hypnotize me for? 

We drove past the mall, and I turned around to double–check if I had seen it correctly. 
“You left the mall behind,” I blurted out. He shook his head, snapping back to reality. “Oh!” was all he said before hurrying ahead. I noticed how lost he had been now 
Soon, we arrived at the mall, and he led me to a boutique of a particular designer. 
“These are expensive,” I murmured, having only glanced at the price tag on one of the dresses before stepping away from it. 
“Good thing the Alpha King you’re with is loaded,” Silas whispered in my ear from behind, straightening up as I spun around to look at him. He was so tall and broad. 
I began to look at the dresses. I had told Brody that I was going to the mall with Silas. He wasn’t very happy because he wanted to help me find a gown. Now that he couldn’t find time, he had to accept that I would be attending the ball in something Silas might have picked out. 

“Look at this one,” my heart sank as I gazed at a beautiful red gown. It stood out among the others, so red. Silas had pointed it out from a 
176 But He Liked The Red Cre 
distance, drawing my attention to the stunning gown. 
“This will complement your hair, eyes, and skin so well,” Silas remarked, approaching me instantly and whispering, his fingers gently touching the gown before clearing his throat and adding, “it’s beautiful.” 
“Then I’m taking this one. But do you think the cleavage is a bit too much?” I didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable. I remembered that both him and Nash didn’t like me wearing clothes that showed too much skin. 
Silas stared at the gown and then at my face. The eerie silence made. me look away from him. 
“Don’t worry, if anyone stares, I’ll rip their eyes out,” he commented, leaving me frozen. 
I tried to recover quickly, but why the heck was he talking like that to me? Or maybe he was just trying to cheer me up. He did mention he wanted to lift my spirits. So maybe his way of cheering someone up was to be extra sweet. 
“Hey! I hope you haven’t picked something yet,” to my surprise, Brody appeared, holding a white gown and a bright smile on his lips. 
“Brody! How-“I was shocked to see him here. 
“I was already on my way to your mansion when I got your message that you were headed to the mall. I decided to surprise you. I picked this dress from their website. Check this out,” he said all in one breath, giving a jerk to his brown jacket and barely acknowledging Silas beside me. He handed me the white gown. 
“This is the prettiest gown in the store,” he insisted, urging me to try it 
25.17% 
176–Out He Liked The Red One 

on. 

I stared at it and then at the red one. I really wanted the red one, but the way Brody was so adamant that I try the white one, I felt like I would hurt his feelings if I didn’t accept his choice. 
“I’ll go try this on,” I mumbled, stealing a glance at Silas. 
I walked over to the changing room and tried it on. It was indeed very beautiful, but my mind kept wandering back to the red one. Not because Silas liked it, but because I liked it too. 
I didn’t come out wearing the dress because we wanted to keep it a surprise. 
“So?” Brody rubbed his hands excitedly, waiting for my response, while Silas stood behind him with his arms folded and his eyes on me. 
“I like it,” I said with a forced grin. The fact that he came all the way here to support me when buying a gown meant a lot to me. 
“Perfect, I’ll get it ready for you then,” Brody grabbed my arm and rushed towards the counter. 
“Why didn’t you pick the red one?” Silas asked, using a calm tone. 
“Brody really liked the white one,” I uttered softly, taking deep and shallow breaths. I was just very tired and upset. Maybe Cain and Ryker were the reason behind my sadness. 
“So? Is he the one who’s going to wear the gown? You liked the red one, Nora,” he shook his head slightly, indicating I should choose what I liked. 
“It’s alright, really. I’m going to the ball with him. I want to dress up to impress him anyway,” the lack of enthusiasm in my voice about the 
52.431 
176 But He Liked The Red One 
ball made Silas tilt his head and sigh. 
“You’re really not excited for this ball, are you?” he approached me and chuckled. 
“No, it’s okay. But what about you? Who are you taking to the ball?” Since I’ve never seen him with any girl, I couldn’t help but ask. 
“Hm, well, I don’t have anyone, and I don’t wish to go to any ball with someone I’m not interested in,” he shrugged, making me wonder if he was the only one not attending. Maybe Nash wouldn’t come either. 
“You know what?” he suddenly turned to me with a smile on his lips. and a mischievous glint in his eyes. 
“What?” I asked in confusion. 
“If you weren’t my step-” Before he could finish, Brody interrupted, and I felt like I would never find out what Silas was going to say. 
“Let’s go, I’ll drop you home in my car,” Brody wrapped his arm around. my back, giving Silas a strange look before pulling me away from him. 
“But I came here with Silas. He’ll get upset,” I stopped, turning around to look for Silas, but he had already disappeared. 
“Well, I guess you’ll be coming with me then.” Brody joked, and we continued to leave the mall with the order placed. 
79.07%