I'm a Profiteer in Cold War Germany

Eva’s eyes went wide. She froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning.

A blush spread from her neck all the way to the tips of her ears. Her mouth hung slightly open, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.

The air in the shop seemed to freeze. Even the ticking of the clock sounded unusually clear.

"You... you’re asking about that..." Eva’s voice was as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz, trembling with a mix of shyness and vexation. "Werner, what on earth are you trying to..."

"No, it’s not what you think!" Werner quickly waved his hands, realizing how he must have sounded. "What I mean is, I have an important client who needs a custom-made wedding dress, but the bride can’t come for a fitting. I need to find someone with a similar figure to try it on for her."

He paused, trying to make his tone sound as normal as possible. "It’s just... your figure looks about the same as hers, so I was hoping you could help me out..."

Eva blinked. It took her mind a few twists and turns to finally understand what he meant.

’So it was for work!’ Her anger instantly vanished, replaced by a strange sense of disappointment.

She gave a light cough, trying to appear composed, but her voice still trembled slightly. "Oh... so that’s what it was."

"So...?" Werner looked at Eva, waiting for her answer.

Eva looked down at herself, the blush not yet faded from her cheeks. "Bust 82, waist 60, hips 86."

Werner mentally compared the numbers to Schiller’s daughter’s measurements. They were indeed a close match.

He nodded. "Okay, are you free tomorrow afternoon, then? To go to West Berlin and try on the wedding dress."

"West Berlin?" Eva’s eyes lit up. "I haven’t been over there in so long. I hear it’s changed a lot."

"Yeah, it’s changed quite a bit," Werner nodded. "Then it’s settled. See you at the Alexanderplatz Subway Station tomorrow at three in the afternoon."

With that, Werner turned to leave.

"Wait!" Eva called out to him.

Werner stopped and turned back to look at her.

She was still standing there, holding the canned food, a faint blush still on her face.

"Um... what kind of person is the bride?"

Werner looked at her, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "A very lucky girl."

After Werner left, Eva’s colleague, Marta, sidled over, her eyes gleaming with gossip.

"That young man came by again? What does he do?" Marta asked in a hushed voice.

"He’s in business," Eva answered distractedly.

"I think he has a good air about him. He’s quite handsome, too, especially his eyes—they’re so deep." Marta propped her chin on her hand. "And he’s so measured when he speaks, not rash like other young men. Very steady. The key thing is, he looks very capable, like someone who’s destined for big things."

Eva didn’t say anything, but she thought, ’He didn’t seem steady at all when he was awkwardly asking for my measurements.’

’But... why did she find that version of him so masculine?’ 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The next afternoon, Eva changed into her best dress. She checked her reflection in the mirror again and again, but in the end, still wasn’t satisfied.

She dug a lipstick out of her drawer and lightly applied it in front of the mirror, then decided it was too conspicuous and blotted some of it off with a tissue.

The Alexanderplatz Subway Station was bustling with people. Werner was already there waiting, dressed formally in a dark gray suit.

"Let’s go." He nodded at Eva and led her toward the subway platform.

Just then, a uniformed border police officer walked over, looking as if he was about to question them.

Eva’s heart tightened, but Werner approached him with ease.

"Matthias, on duty today?" Werner greeted the officer casually.

"Yeah, routine check." Matthias was a young man in his early twenties, his face still holding a touch of boyishness that made him seem younger than he was. "And this is...?" His gaze fell on Eva, a flicker of curiosity on his face.

"My friend," Werner introduced her simply.

Matthias blinked and smiled a little sheepishly. "A friend? More like your girlfriend, right? She’s very pretty."

Eva blushed and quickly tried to explain, "We’re just..."

"Ah, sorry, did I say the wrong thing?" Matthias waved his hands frantically, clearly not someone who handled such situations well. "I didn’t mean to..."

Werner didn’t correct the misunderstanding, just calmly patted Matthias’s shoulder. "It’s fine."

Eva wanted to explain, but she swallowed the words before they came out. ’This kind of misunderstanding... isn’t so bad, is it?’

She stole a glance at Werner.

’Even the border police, who everyone is afraid of, are so friendly with him. They’re chatting and laughing... They seem to know each other so well.’

’Werner... he really is a capable man, just like Marta said.’

"Alright, go on, have fun." Matthias looked at Werner with a touch of envy. "Werner, if you can... remember to bring back something good. You know what I like."

"No problem," Werner nodded.

The streets of West Berlin were more prosperous than those in East Berlin. Shop windows were filled with all sorts of goods, and the cars on the street were more numerous and newer. Eva took a deep breath, taking in the different atmosphere.

"It’s changed so much," she marveled. "The last time I was here was two years ago."

"Yes, the West develops very quickly," Werner said. "But our opportunities are here, too."

In Mary’s studio, the wedding dress was nearly finished.

The pure white silk shimmered with a soft luster under the lights, and the handmade lace was as exquisite as a work of art.

"Is this the young lady who will be trying on the dress?" Mary looked Eva up and down.

"Yes. Thank you for your trouble," Werner said.

Mary nodded and picked up the dress. "Go try it on in the fitting room. I’ll wait for you out here."

Eva took the dress, feeling the silky texture in her hands. Her heart inexplicably began to race.

She had never worn such an expensive piece of clothing before.

In the fitting room, Eva carefully put on the wedding dress.

The boat neckline perfectly revealed her elegant collarbones, and lace sleeves hugged her slender arms. The fitted waist perfectly outlined her curves, while the mermaid skirt cascaded to the floor like a wave.

She looked at herself in the small mirror in the fitting room, and her heart suddenly beat faster. ’This dress... it’s too beautiful. So beautiful that I can hardly believe the person in the mirror is me.’

She pushed open the fitting room door and stepped out.

Werner looked up, his gaze resting on her for a few seconds. His expression, however, was calm, his eyes focused and serious, as if he were inspecting the quality of a product.

"How’s the fit?" he asked, then walked over, crouched down, and began to inspect the length of the hem.

Eva could feel him right beside her, and her heart pounded even faster.

’I know he doesn’t mean anything by it, that he’s just checking the measurements, but this proximity still feels... a little intimate.’

She tried to make her voice sound natural. "It feels... it feels pretty good."

Her palms were sweating. She tried to keep her breathing steady, but her traitorous heart was thumping wildly. ’Could he hear her heartbeat?’

"The waist needs to be a little tighter." Werner stood up and reached out to adjust the silk ribbon at her waist.

His fingers occasionally brushed against her waist, sending an electric shock through her that almost made her lose her balance.

His movements were light and careful, as if he were afraid of damaging something precious. This very carefulness, however, only made her feel more flustered.

"Is this too tight?" Werner asked, his hand still resting on her waist.