Chapter 179: A Legendary Statement

After Patricia’s incredible steak meal, Ruby sank deep into the dining chair, rubbing her slightly rounded stomach with a satisfied sigh.

"Ugh, I am completely stuffed," Ruby groaned, leaning back dramatically. "Benita, babe, I love you, but we’re going to have to postpone my Met Gala measurement for like... two hours. If you wrap that tape around my waist right now, you’re going to get the ’post-steak’ numbers and my dress will fit like a sack on the red carpet."

Benita chuckled softly, setting her measuring tape down on the table. "Honestly, it’s really not a problem! We can wait until later tonight or tomorrow—"

"Nope," Ruby insisted, waving her hand with a royal pout. "I refuse to let food baby ruin haute couture."

I pushed my chair back, a smooth smirk playing on my lips as I looked over at Benita. "In that case, why don’t you measure me first? You’re making my custom tux for the Met Gala anyway so I can escort you on the red carpet."

Ruby nodded along at first, completely fine with the idea. "Yeah, do him first! That makes sense."

Then, I decided to pull a sneaky move.

Without breaking eye contact, I unbuttoned my shirt, slid it off my shoulders, and tossed it casually over the back of my chair. Standing there bare-chested—my physique on full display—I crossed my arms and looked down at Benita. "Might as well make sure you get the exact, precise body measurements so the fit is perfect."

Benita didn’t even flinch. As an elite designer, she looked at my bare chest with pure, professional focus. "Well, going down to the skin isn’t strictly necessary for a jacket, but okay, it works," she said calmly, pulling the yellow measuring tape taut between her fingers.

Ruby, on the other hand, absolutely freaked out.

The second Benita stepped close to me and reached out to wrap the tape straight around my bare chest, Ruby sprang up from her seat like her chair was on fire.

"WAIT, NO! NO, NO, NO!" Ruby shrieked, darting between us and thrusting her hands out like a human shield. Her cheeks were bright crimson, her purple hair flying as she glared at the scene. "You cannot wrap your hands around his bare chest like that right in front of me! Absolutely not!"

Ruby frantically looked around the room for a distraction, her eyes landing on May, who was still lazily picking at a bowl of fruit.

"Measure May!" Ruby shouted, pointing a dramatic finger at the sprinter. "Go measure May first! She’s an athlete, she wears tight clothes all the time!"

May stopped chewing, raising an eyebrow with an amused, deadpan look. She crossed her arms, leaning back against the counter. "Nope. Don’t drag me into your drama, pop star. I’m on my cheat day, resting, and I am not taking off my hoodie for anyone."

Benita just stood there holding her tape, looking back and forth between Ruby’s frantic jealousy, May’s absolute refusal, and my bare chest, a quiet, amused smile breaking across her face.

I gave Ruby a calm, unbothered look, catching her by the wrist and gently pulling her to the side.

"Ruby, sit down," I said softly, my voice leaving no room for argument. "She’s designing a bespoke suit for the biggest fashion event of the year. Let her do her job."

Ruby pouted hard, her face flushed red as she reluctantly took a step back, crossing her arms and crossing her legs tightly in her chair. She kept her dark, hawk-like eyes glued to Benita’s every move, muttering under her breath about "unnecessary bare-skin metrics."

Benita just let out a quiet, amused chuckle, stepping up close to me. The nervous, hesitant girl from earlier completely vanished, replaced by the absolute master of her craft.

"Hold your arms slightly out," Benita instructed smoothly.

She stepped right into my space, wrapping the yellow tape around my chest, her fingertips brushing lightly against my ribs and upper back. She didn’t hesitate or act flustered for a single second; she was purely in the zone, calling out numbers under her breath as she moved to my shoulders, tracing the tape across my broad frame.

"Chest, forty-four... broad shoulders, twenty-one..." she murmured, writing down the specs in a small leather notebook she whipped out from her pocket.

She dropped to one knee to measure my waist and hip drop, her hands moving with swift, practiced precision along my jeans.

Over by the counter, May took a bite of her apple, leaning over to whisper loud enough for the whole room to hear. "Careful down there, Benita. Ruby looks like she’s about to jump across the table."

"I am not," Ruby snapped defensively, though her eyes were practically burning holes into the back of Benita’s head.

Patricia set down a fresh tray of warm water and tea on the counter, her cheeks flushing a soft pink as she stole a quick, timid glance at my bare upper body before hastily looking away, pretending to wipe down an already spotless marble surface.

Benita stood back up, adjusting her glasses and giving my physique one final, coolly analytical look before tucking the tape away.

"Perfect," Benita said, a confident, professional smile on her lips. "The proportions are immaculate, Ethan. I’m going to structure the shoulders with structured silk-velvet lining to match the dark aesthetic of UncuT. You’re going to look like royalty on that carpet."

"Good," I said, picking up my shirt from the chair and slinging it back over my shoulders, looking around the room at my inner circle. "Now that we’ve got the suit sorted... Ruby, go get digested. You’re up next."

Ruby stood up immediately, crossing her arms and smoothing down her top with an overly exaggerated, dramatic puff of her cheeks.

"Alright! I’m fully digested! My stomach is completely flat again," Ruby announced loudly, stepping right into the middle of the room with her arms slightly raised. "Benita, measure me now. Right now. Before he finds someone else to stand around half-naked for!"

Benita laughed softly, completely unbothered by Ruby’s possessive outburst. "Alright, Ruby. Stand still."

I sat back on one of the barstools, folding my arms and watching as Benita unrolled the tape again.

She circled around Ruby, measuring her bust, waist, and hips with quick, expert movements, marking down the exact numbers in her notebook.

"So," I asked, looking over at Benita as she wrapped up the final waist measurement. "How long is this going to take? When will the dress and suit be completely ready?"

Benita paused, looking down at her notebook and calculating the timeline in her head. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked up at me seriously.

"Give me time, Ethan," Benita said, her voice filled with deep professional pride. "For a standard piece, I could have it done in a week. But this isn’t just a dress and a tux—this is UncuT’s absolute statement to the world."

"Take whatever time you need," I replied smoothly, leaning back. "Quality over everything. Just make sure when we step onto that red carpet, nobody else in the room even matters."

"They won’t," Benita promised with a confident, radiant smile. "I’ll make sure of it."