Lucinda expressed her sarcasm as she watched Nalaâs expression.
Nala, for her part, looked completely baffled.
âIâm lost, Miss Simmons.
What do you mean by those words? Youâre not planning to harm me, are you?â
Lucinda clarified, âI never said such a thing.
But Iâm the vengeful type and I donât take kindly to being crossed.
If anyone tries to push me around, Iâll make sure they regret it by multiplying the payback by a hundred or even a thousand.
Iâm not the only one in the business world who thinks this way.
Remember, if you find yourself attacked or kidnapped out of the blue, itâs likely because youâve upset someone.
â
At this, Nala looked truly scared and her eyes welled up with tears immediately.
âPlease, Miss Simmons, youâre frightening me.
Iâm just starting out and havenât stepped on anyoneâs toes.
The only person I might upset â¦â
Her voice faded.
She paused as her thoughts swirled.
Then, with a determined look, Nala locked eyes with Lucinda.
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Lucindaâs response was cold and mocking.
âMiss Diaz, if your reason for showing up is merely to complain about lost deals, then you might as well leave.
As long as youâre in charge at AN Group, consider every deal with them as good as gone from your grasp.
â
Tears threatened to spill from Nalaâs eyes, which were now even more inflamed with emotion.
She appeared deeply hurt and was on the verge of breaking down.
âMiss Simmons, why are you being so aggressive towards me? What have I possibly done to offend you?â
Leaning back with an air of nonchalance, Lucinda proposed a condition.
âMiss Diaz, if you wish to avoid any trouble with me, youâll need to provide answers to some questions.
â
Nala nodded honestly.
âOf course, Miss Simmons.
Iâll share whatever I know.
â
Lucindaâs gaze sharpened and a mocking glimmer played in her eyes.
âTell me, Miss Diaz, are you truly who you claim to be? Are you the real Nala Diaz?â
Nala looked puzzled as she answered, âOf course.
â
Lucinda prodded further, âMiss Diaz, can you recall where you met Danilo?â
Nala frowned.
âThatâs something personal between us.
Why do you need to know?â
Lucinda brushed off the concern lightly.
âItâs a simple question.
Mentioning the place isnât going to invade your privacy in any way.
Are you hesitant to share?â
Staring back firmly, Nala disclosed, âI guess it was in a forested mountain area in Stastle, Cadiered.
â
âOh, really?â Lucindaâs interest peaked.
She raised an eyebrow and asked, âWhat took y
ou there?â
Nala explained, âThe school had organized a trip to the countryside for some agricultural work which offered extra credits.
I was aiming for a scholarship, so I joined.
I ended up getting lost in the mountains and bumped into Danilo, who was visiting Cadiered.
I asked him for directions.
To my surprise, he was smitten with me right away and made an effort to chat as we walked.
He was quite charming, so we ended up exchanging contact details.
â
Lucinda dropped her head to hide the coldness in her eyes.
âI see.
That sounds interesting.
â