âYouâre right.
Take these to the fitting room.
I want to try them on,â
Valerie instructed the salesgirl.
âYes, of course,â the salesgirl promptly responded, taking the dresses to the changing room.
As soon as she left, Valerie held Lucindaâs arm again and smiled innocently.
âI canât zip the dress on my own.
Come inside and help me, okay?â
âs BunnyBookery
Lucinda neither accepted nor declined Valerieâs request, her expression veiled with caution.
Nevertheless, Valerie persisted and led her into the secluded changing room.
Within the intimate space, Valerie shed her clothes unabashedly, revealing a confidence that suggested a long-standing friendship between the two.
Lucinda, leaning against the wall, regarded her with a _ cool detachment.
âYou did not summon me here solely to seek fashion advice, did you? Let us dispense with pretense.
It is just the two of us here now.
Speak plainly and reveal your true intentions.
â
Valerie continued to adorn herself with elegant garments, seemingly unaffected by Lucindaâs stoic demeanor.
âLucinda, your curiosity regarding my patron has always lingered, hasnât it? You yearn to discover the benefactor who propelled me into the limelight, granting me unwavering influence.
â
She continued, âActually, there are two people who are helping me, giving me a lot of help.
â
Lucinda Listened attentively, her eyes unwavering.
As Valerie stepped into a pair of high heels, she continued her tale.
âYou may have wiped your memory clean of all events preceding your fifteenth year, but I still vividly recall our first encounter in that dim alley.
You found me pitiable yet endearing, opening your home and your heart to me.
And I, too, grew fond of you.
However, my affections extended beyond you alone.
I desired your father and brothers, driven by a greedy longing.
I believed that with you out of the picture, I could reign as the sole daughter of the illustrious Simmons family.
â
A frown creased Lucindaâs brow, for Valerieâs words mirrored the ones she had heard in her nocturnal reverie.
âThatâs why I secretly stole something from Hilliardâs shelf and lured you out.
When you werenât looking, I injected it into your body and pushed you into the sea.
I never expected you to be so lucky as to survive.
â
Lucindaâs voice turned icy as she clenched her fists.
âArenât you afraid that I might have a recorder with me today?â
Valerie covered her mouth and chuckled, a charm still evident in her eyes.
âSince I choose to tell you the truth, of course Iâm not afraid! With the power of the Simmons family, why would it take them so long to finally find you? Have you ever consider that? The truth is, your brother already knows everything, and he tacitly approved of my actions.
â
Lucindaâs heart skipped a beat, and she clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Suppressing her anger and regaining her composure, she asked Valerie in a cold voice, âWhich brother of mine are you referring to?â