CHAPTER 153: THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION

After their introductions, Eliot snapped his fingers all of a sudden. The two assistants moved almost immediately. They rolled over a portable mirror while the other opened a sleek back case filled with measuring tools and sketchpads.

"Let’s start with you, Gray." Elliot turned to Gray. The corner of his lips rose to the side as he gave him a nod. "Take off your top."

"..."

Gray blinked.

"Huh?" Did he just hear right?

Gray quickly turned his head slightly toward Selina.

"Did he just say take off my clothes?"

Eliot didn’t even give Selina the chance to say something,

"Yes, please. We need the measurements as close as possible so it’d be a perfect fit."

Gray squinted at him. When Selina noticed it, she stifled a laugh.

"Don’t worry. It’s not everything, Gray. Just the top. It’s really the process."

He glanced at her, then at Eliot, then back at the assistants setting up. They didn’t look fazed.

"For some reason, this feels illegal," he muttered under his breath, just enough for him to hear alone.

"Brother, don’t be shy!" Lily was already giggling from behind him.

"I’m not shy." Gray sighed, already loosening the buttons of his shirt. "I’m just... not used to it."

Gray took another deep breath.

"Can someone lead Lily out then?"

"Nana will take care of her."

Colette stepped forward with a soft smile, already sensing Gray’s discomfort.

"Come, Lily," she said gently, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. "Let’s let the grown-ups work for a while. I’ve prepared some snacks in the kitchen."

Lily blinked, looking between Gray and the open measuring case beside him. "But I wanna see the clothes—"

"You’ll see them later, dear. Right now, your brother needs to be measured properly." Colette’s voice was kind and understanding. "And we wouldn’t want to make him more embarrassed, would we?"

Lily pouted and nodded.

"Alright! I’ll just eat, brother!" Lily called over her shoulder in a sing-song voice before leaving with Colette out of the room.

The door clicked softly behind them.

For a moment, the room felt quieter. Gray breathed out loud and nodded.

"Alright," Gray said at last, his voice low. "Let’s get this over with."

He shrugged his shoulders and did as he had told him. It felt weird to take off his shirt in front of the others, but he was confident in his own body. It was years of hardwork, and the system that shaped him after all.

Gray pulled out his shirt. The fabric slipped down his arms and landed in his hands before he folded it once and placed it neatly on the chair beside him.

The room didn’t react at first.

But Selina’s breath caught the moment her eyes landed on him.

She didn’t mean to stare, but the sight of Gray’s body pulled her in.

Gray’s body was... solid.

It was not overly bulky, but toned. It was defined in all the places that mattered.

His chest was broad, with lean muscle lining his shoulders and arms. His torso tapered naturally into a slim waist. He also has abs. It wasn’t sharply defined, but it was visible from certain angles.

It was the kind of proportions you knew took time to build.

Selina blinked.

She’d seen him in suits and button-down shirts, but none of that prepared her for what was beneath.

Somehow, she’d imagined him as lean. Maybe quietly fit. But this one...

This one was different.

Selina’s hand froze at her side as she shamelessly stared at Gray’s body.

Eliot, meanwhile, made a thoughtful noise under his breath.

"Hmm. You’ve got a balanced proportion and an athletic build. You have a strong physique, but not overdeveloped. That’s quite rare."

"Thank you," Gray nodded at him.

He was embarrassed at first, but it melted away quickly. It must be that giga confidence of his that made him like this.

He couldn’t believe that he was just standing there shamelessly relaxed as multiple eyes stared at his body. He even saw Selina on the side, staring. He just laughed it off and looked ahead of him.

One of the assistants had already begun to measure, but Selina was still stuck in her place.

She tried to shake the thought, but part of her mind whispered something to her.

’I didn’t know he looks hot under those dress shirts.’

Gray, for his part, looked as relaxed as he could be with someone wrapping a measuring tape around his chest.

Despite the initial awkwardness, the rest of the fitting proceeded smoothly.

The assistants worked quickly and efficiently, barely speaking as they noted measurements and jotted figures down on their tablets. Their movements were practiced and professional.

Even with Gray shirtless in the center of the room, the atmosphere didn’t feel strange.

Eliot remained by the window, glancing over occasionally and adjusting a few numbers on his digital sketchpad. Occasionally, he’d make small comments on cut, line, or silhouette that would fit Gray.

Gray appreciated that.

In a weird way, it helped him relax more.

By the time they were finished, the assistant stepped back and gave Eliot a small nod.

Gray reached for his shirt. However, before he could put it back on, his eyes flicked to the side where Selina stood still, her arms awkwardly folded. She was clearly trying not to look now.

Gray smirked. He couldn’t help himself.

As he picked up his shirt and slid it back on, he glanced at her and said casually, "Are you done staring now?"

Selina froze.

Her eyes snapped to him immediately. She was clearly caught off guard.

"W-What?! I...I wasn’t—!" Her voice stumbled over itself as the color red rushed up her cheeks like wildfire.

"I didn’t mean to—!"

Gray’s smirk widened into a full grin. He finished putting his shirt back on. He chuckled, clearly enjoying this far more than he should’ve.

"It’s alright," he said teasingly. "It happens."

Selina stared at him, lips parting in disbelief.

"You’re so full of yourself—!"

"I’m just saying," Gray shrugged, tossing her a playful wink. "You didn’t have to stare that hard."

Selina opened her mouth to retort, but all that came out was a frustrated little huff as she turned her back to him.

Gray chuckled.

However, suddenly, Eliot’s voice cut through the two’s interaction.

"It seems the last suit I made for you was a perfect fit, sir," he said, not looking up from his sketchpad. "Did you like it?"

Gray blinked, and so did Selina. The two looked at each other before turning to Eliot.

"...Huh?"

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A/N:

I’d like to say a big thank you to all the readers who’ve dropped Golden Tickets and Gift into the novel over the past few days:

LordofNaps, Daoist4gPcXt, Ackino, Loon_SY, Jim_Wooten, Sadirano, Darkness_19, imperial_demon, Jabbathehutt, burf, Uxemis, Mark_Campos_5123, Jim_Wooten, Alec_Sutherland, De_Art_Smith450, PatD, Ikras, SiriusStarblade.