This was her first time shopping with Alexander's two sisters.
She couldn't be too casual.
During her nap, Evelyn set an alarm, afraid she might oversleep.
When it went off, she woke up immediately.
She washed up, changed her clothes, and checked the time.
It was almost time to meet Isabelle and Lillian in the main house.
Evelyn grabbed her backpack, double-checked its contents, and headed downstairs.
She ran into Lily Thompson, who was coming over to clean.
"Lily, I'm going shopping with Isabelle and Lillian!" Evelyn explained.
That way, if Alexander came home first, Lily could tell him.
"Of course, Mrs. Sterling!" Lily replied.
Evelyn nodded and walked toward the main house.
She wondered if Isabelle and Lillian would drive themselves or have the chauffeur take them.
Evelyn thought she'd be the first to arrive, since she was ten minutes early.
But Isabelle and Lillian were already waiting for her.
"Isabelle, Lillian, didn't we say three o'clock? Why are you so early?" Evelyn asked, embarrassed.
"It's nothing. We just got here a bit earlier," Isabelle said with a smile.
"Evelyn, you look lovely today!" Lillian added.
"Really? I've never worn this outfit before. I thought pants would be more convenient for shopping!" Evelyn said, a little shy.
"It's beautiful. It suits you perfectly!" Lillian took her hand.
They chatted as they walked to the front door.
The chauffeur was already waiting for them.
Evelyn thought he would drive, but Isabelle got behind the wheel instead.
Evelyn and Lillian sat in the back together.
"Isabelle, why don't we just let the chauffeur drive?" Evelyn asked, confused.
"It's more convenient for us to drive ourselves!" Lillian said with a smile.
"Won't you get tired?" Evelyn asked.
"Not at all. I'm used to it. Lillian can drive us back," Isabelle said.
"Evelyn, can you drive?" Lillian asked.
"No, I just registered for driving school. I haven't started practicing yet," Evelyn answered honestly.
"Let me tell you, you should just stop learning. If you can drive, you'll have to drive yourself everywhere. Like me and Isabelle. If you can't drive, you can have Alexander pick you up and drop you off. If that's not possible, there's always the chauffeur. How comfortable is that!" Lillian said.
"But if I can drive, it's more convenient to go wherever I want," Evelyn said with a smile.
Like if she wanted to visit her parents, she could just drive herself there and back. She wouldn't have to wait for Alexander to pick her up. How convenient!
"You just got married, so you don't understand yet. You need to act a little more delicate. That way, Alexander will love you more and care for you more. If you're too independent and capable all the time, he'll get used to it after a while and think you can handle everything yourself. No matter how capable we women are, there are times when we need to be vulnerable. So, it's better to act a little more delicate!" Lillian advised Evelyn like a seasoned veteran.
Evelyn nodded. Lillian's words made sense.
"Lillian, you have a point. But I'm a bit stupid. If I really had to do everything myself, I wouldn't be able to do anything. So I can only learn a few skills I can barely manage. Otherwise, if I always made Alexander pick me up, he'd be exhausted too," Evelyn said, a little embarrassed.
Not everyone had the luxury of being delicate.
She didn't.
Most of the time, when she tried to learn something, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get it.
So she was still a bit worried about learning to drive. She might not even get her license.
But she had to try. Maybe she would pass.
"See, our little sister knows how to care for Alexander!" Lillian said, looking up at Isabelle with a smile.
"Yes, can't you see how good their relationship is?" Isabelle echoed as she drove.
"No, it's just mutual understanding and respect," Evelyn answered shyly.
"That's good!" Lillian praised. "By the way, you've been interning at the company for almost a month now!"
"More than a month."
"Are you getting used to it?"
"It's just the beginning. I'm still not familiar with everything."
"It just takes time. We all went through it. Which department are you interning in?"
"The secretarial office," Evelyn answered.
"The president's secretarial office?" Lillian asked.
"Yes."
"Alexander really has a heart, arranging for you to work beside him. Otherwise, interns don't usually get assigned to the president's office," Lillian said with a smile.
"Maybe the policy changed this year," Evelyn said.
She had heard Secretary Harper say she was the first intern in the secretarial office.
She had wondered if Alexander had arranged it specially and asked him about it.
But Alexander hadn't even looked up. "I don't handle intern assignments," he had said.
"Does that mean I'm so excellent that I was assigned to the secretarial office as an exception?" Evelyn had asked excitedly.
Looking at it from another angle, it was a good thing.
"You think too much," Alexander had finally looked up at her and answered slowly.
Evelyn had been deflated. Ah, she was being too sentimental.
"It must have been arranged by Alexander. He just wanted you to work beside him," Lillian stressed with a smile.
Evelyn just laughed. It was hard to argue.
They went to the mall first. There were some big-name luxury counters there, and the environment was nice.
Evelyn didn't have anything specific to buy. But if she saw something she liked, she would consider it.
The three of them strolled slowly. Evelyn realized that compared to Isabelle and Lillian, she was a complete country bumpkin.
They had great taste and knew everything about luxury goods.
She knew nothing except a few brand names.
And the brands she knew were only because her sister Victoria liked them.
Shopping with Isabelle and Lillian, Evelyn felt like she was learning a lot.
Because whenever they saw something, they would comment on whether it was good or not and why.
Even though she didn't understand the details, she still picked up some professional terms.
"Evelyn, what brands do you usually look at when you go shopping?" Lillian asked.
"I don't know much about brands. I just go out with my classmates and wander around. Sometimes I don't buy anything, just browse," Evelyn said with a smile.
"So you don't have any particular brand you like?"
"No, I just buy whatever I like. Some things are too expensive for me to buy," Evelyn answered.
"Oh, what's expensive? Are you afraid Alexander doesn't have money?" Isabelle smiled.
"No, it's just a habit I've always had," Evelyn said, a little embarrassed.
"Evelyn, you know how to manage a household. You're not like us, who spend every penny we earn every month. Anyway, let's find a place to sit down and have a drink," Lillian said.
"Okay!" Evelyn nodded in agreement.