Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Why was Timothy being so mysterious?

Samantha could not control herself from being curious. “Could you give a little hint?”

“No,” the man answered firmly.

“…Then could you at least tell me if it’s something scary or something pleasant?”

She was not to be blamed for her overly suspicious nature. Timothy had always been an unpredictable person, and she did not want a good start to the day to be ruined just like that.

When the car stopped at a red light, the man freed up a hand and patted her head to comfort her.

She felt uneasy only because the sense of security he gave her was not enough.

It was strange of Timothy not to answer her, but that small gesture was enough to dispel Samantha’s anxiety little by little.

More than half an hour later, the car finally came to a stop.

Samantha was somewhat taken aback when she looked at the big shopping mall in front of her. Why did Timothy bring her there? Did he want to buy something?

Timothy got out of the car first, then walked around to the front passenger seat. He opened the door, bent down slightly into the car, then unfastened her seat belt and said softly, “Let’s go.”

Once Samantha got out of the car, Timothy took her hand and led her in.

Many luxury brands set up shop in that mall. Timothy kept his eyes open and took Samantha to the special VIP elevator. They took it to the top floor and walked out.

They stepped out of the elevator and saw a clothing store with a lavishly grand layout. The manager was already waiting there and he immediately came over to greet the couple. With a respectful little bow, he said, “Nice to see you, Mr. Barker, Mrs. Barker.”

Timothy responded by raising his head slightly.

Samantha nodded in a very courteous manner.

She glanced around and instantly knew that it was no ordinary clothing store. If her guess was correct, those clothes were on the highest end of the luxury spectrum, for all of them were custom-made and bore no logos.

The price of any one piece of clothing or jewelry could render a person speechless.

The store manager gestured to come in. “We have prepared refreshments for you. Right this way, please.”

Timothy led Samantha into the store, but instead of going to the VIP seat, he walked to the clothing area and glanced at Samantha from beside. He then opened his lips and said, “Go ahead and choose.”

Samantha blurted out a question, “Choose what?”

That was the women’s section. Why did Timothy need women’s clothes? Was he buying them for the old lady? Or did he have…some kind of weird fetish?

Timothy seemed to have seen through her thoughts and he did not know whether to laugh or get angry at her. He placed his hands on her shoulders from behind, then pushed her forward to the clothes and said, “Choose the clothes. If you like it, it’s yours.”

Samantha was startled. Did Timothy bring her there because he wanted to buy something for her rather than for himself?

She was stunned for about half a minute before she managed to find her voice. “Why… W-why are you buying clothes for me?”

The man whispered in her ears “Are you really asking me this, Mrs. Barker? Does a husband need a reason to buy clothes for his wife?”

“But, I… I have clothes! These are too expensive…”

The price of a single piece was enough for her to buy a couple of years’ worth of clothes. She had been pinching her pennies all those years and has long discarded her indulgent habits.

Moreover, money was a cause of her conflicts with Timothy in the past, so she was subconsciously reluctant to have anything to do with Timothy when it came to money.

Timothy remained silent for a while and asked, “Aren’t you going to choose?”

Samantha pondered over her reply and answered cautiously, “I…still have plenty of clothes.”

Timothy nodded. “If you’re not choosing, then I’ll choose for you.”

He raised his black eyes, looked at the store manager who was waiting at one side, then ordered, “I’ll take them all.”

Samantha was speechless.

She wanted to stop from buying them, not let him buy them all!

The store manager smiled with glee and his eyes had practically disappeared. “Sure!”

“Wait… Hold on!” Samantha said hurriedly. “I… I didn’t say I wasn’t going to choose. I’d like to have a look around before choosing!”

Samantha turned around and pretended to give Timothy a disdainful look. “As if you know what kind of clothes women like. Even if you can afford to splurge, you can’t just buy them willy-nilly. You… You should just sit down and wait for me. I’ll look at the clothes myself.”

Timothy’s eyes seemed to sparkle with joy. Rather than being angry, he replied happily, “Okay, my dear beloved wife. I’ll do as you say.”

Samantha’s cheeks turned uncontrollably red when he said the four words ‘my dear beloved wife’.

The store manager pursed his lips and complimented with a smile, “You’re very kind to your wife, Mr. Barker.”

“Take your time. I’ll wait for you.”

Once he ended that sentence, he turned around and walked toward the VIP seat.

The shop manager looked at Samantha and said, “Mrs. Barker, do you need me to introduce you to what we have in store?”

“It’s fine. I’ll look at them by myself.”

“Sure.”

The shopkeeper kept quiet and followed behind her.

Samantha did not really want to buy any clothes, but if she had not stopped Timothy, he would have bought everything there! She was not about to let him waste his money like that.

It would be a shame to spend money so recklessly!

She had no choice but to pick a few just for the sake of it.

In all honesty though, she still felt elated when her husband bought clothes for her. That being said, it was the first time Timothy personally came and kept her company when she bought clothes.

During their past relationship, Timothy bought countless clothes, jewelry, and bags for her, but they were mostly the latest releases, which he sent directly to the Larssons. He never once accompanied her to buy them in-store, much less wait for her as she chose them and tried them on.

An inexplicably romantic feeling surfaced in her heart.

Did the ‘marry first, fall in love later’ cliche that often occurred in novels apply to her relationship too?

Samantha thought to herself and smiled uncontrollably.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the store manager looking at her and immediately felt embarrassed, so she hurriedly retracted it and continued looking at the clothes.

Her attention was subsequently drawn to a light green dress up ahead.

The design was exquisite and the skirt of the dress had a motif resembling a sea of ​​flowers. Any woman would fall in love with it at first sight.

The store manager looked in the direction Samantha was looking and said with a smile, “You have a good eye, Mrs. Barker. This dress is Master D’s latest creation this year. He presented it as a gift to his beloved. There are only two for sale. The other one was bought, and this is the only one left.”

A gift for a beloved… What a delightful story behind its creation.

Samantha said, “I’ll try it then.”

She looked around again and chose a few more items.

The store manager said, “You may head to the dressing room and wait for a moment there, Mrs. Barker. I’ll have the fitting room attendant pick up the clothes and send them over.”

“Alright.”

Samantha started walking to the dressing room.

There was tea inside the dressing room too. Samantha sat down, picked up a teacup, and drank slowly from it.

A minute later, the attendant came in with the clothes and said to Samantha, “Ms. Johnson, I’ve taken these sizes based on your measurements. Please try them on..”