.
After sending the message, Maria put her phone away. Then she kept looking at Dolores on stage, her lips curved into a grimace.
The lights came on and the background music played: after Doloresâ speech, the models started the final and most important section of today.
And the last masterpiece was a wedding dress designed by Mrs. William.
It had been a long time since Mrs. William had designed any dress. She designed this wedding dress especially for the opening ceremony of LEO Corporation.
White was the purest color. The entire bodice of the wedding dress was luminous snow white. The layers of the light veil were suffused, covered with soft satin, woven roses and gems, shimmering with a breathtakingly gorgeous and elegant charm.
Dolores stared at the dress, lost in thought.
A wedding dress was always accompanied by desire in love and hope in happiness.
Although she married, she never wore a wedding dress. There was no ceremony and no wedding dress for her. Even for the marriage certificate, she did not go to the civil affairs office together with her âhusbandâ.
âExcuse me, Lola.â Theresa reached over, handing her the phone. âYour phone.â
Since Dolores was on stage a moment ago, Theresa kept her phone.
Dolores took it. Theresa reminded her, âIt looks like you got a message a moment ago.â
Dolores slid her finger to unlock the screen. After she tabbed the message to read it, the blood drained from her face immediately. She could hear her heart beating violently, and it hurt as much as if it was about to break, making her shiver.
âLola, whatâs wrong?â Theresa realized she wasnât feeling well. She helped lift the trembling body of Dolores up with her trembling body. âYou donât feel well?â
Dolores shook her head. âIâm fine.â
Then she walked away from the vivid crowd with the phone in her hand.
Seeing that she had turned away in panic, Maria curved her lips into a wry smile.
Thanks to Dolores, Maria was able to find those photos. Back then, when Dolores asked Sampson to look into Country Aâs affairs, she got the hotel surveillance video. Thatâs how Maria got those photos.
Maria wanted to thank him.
She wondered if Dolores would be horrified to learn that it was all thanks to her.
Maria scoffed.
Dolores went up to the second floor alone.
It was quiet here and all noises were blocked outside.
All her strength gone, she collapsed to the floor.
The scenes of that night kept playing through her mind like a movie with sound and color, replaying in her mind.
He lowered his head and licked the photo open. Her face was clearly visible in the photo, which was the same as the shame she experienced that night and could remember clearly.
She too had dreamed of giving her virginity to a man she loved, butâ¦.
Pak!
A tear fell onto the phone screen.
Her heart also sank into an endless abyss along with it.
At that moment, she forgot to think and everything else, immersed in panic and fear.
She didnât want to remember this affair, but it came to her and reminded her firmly, as if reminding her that that was the stain and nightmare of her whole life.
She rarely cried. Since she had given birth to the two children, she rarely cried, because she was mother and daughter. On her shoulders was the burden of raising her children and caring for her mother. Therefore, she could not cry or be weak.
However, she could not bear this moment. She felt a sharp pang in her heart, which hurt so much that she could not breathe.
The sunlight on the ground gradually faded, and she sank into the dark shadow.
âAre you crying?â
Dolores hurriedly wiped the tears from her face. She set the phone face down on the floor. âNo. Me, Iâm not crying.â
Matthew looked at her as he stood erect.
Since she was walking away from the crowd, he could tell something was wrong with her. Now the ceremony was almost over, Armand and Boyce were gone, so he went upstairs to find her.
Then he saw her shed tears. Her face was covered with tears, but she denied that she was crying. He wondered if she thought he was blind.
He squatted down and turned her to face him so she could look into his eyes. âWhat happened to you?â
The corners of her eyes were wet and there were still tear stains, as if she could still feel the temperature.
As if her eyes were covered by a layer of gauze, she couldnât see the expression on the manâs face. It was lost, its blood and skin seeming to be ripped off by a needle, leaving only a pile of bones, lifeless.
Matthew reached out his warm fingers to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes. He held her face carefully, with concern. Her expression troubled him greatly. âTell me. What happened to you?â
Dolores hugged him and pressed her face to his chest. âI ran into Randolph today, so I remembered he left my mother and meâ¦â She told a lie to disguise that she had lost her sanity.
Matthew stroked her back and comforted her. âGood girl, donât be afraid. You have me in the future.â
Dolores, who had already calmed down, shed tears again at his words.
In the past, she took care of her little brother and her mother. Later, she had children and took care of them. No one had ever told him before that he would have in the future.
It wasnât sweet talk or big talk. It wasnât an unforgettable sentence, but it was pure, pricking hard at the softest part of her heart.
âHi, Lola.â Theresaâs voice rang down the stairs. It sounded like she had come up to get Dolores, as she had been absent from the ceremony for a long time.
She wiped Doloresâ tears and smoothed back her messy hair. âStop crying. Itâs not good for others to see.â
âItâs okay.â She pulled out of Matthewâs arms. Sniffing, she checked the time.
âItâs supposed to be the end now. You can go home first. I might be pretty busy today.â
âIâll come get you in the afternoon.â
âSure!â
âLola.â Theresa walked over. Dolores had already dressed. Seeing that only Dolores and Matthew were upstairs, Theresa wondered if she had come up at the wrong time and interrupted them.
âWell, uhâ¦Mrs. William is leaving,â Theresa stammered.
âSo soon? What about the guests downstairs?â Dolores chimed in, âLetâs go downstairs and check on them.â
She looked back at Matthew, who was talking on the phone with a long face.
âWhatâs wrong?â Dolores asked.
After saying âgot itâ into the phone, Matthew hung it up. He looked at Dolores, his eyes darkeningâ¦.
It was a call from Boyce a moment ago. It said Beulah had died. She had committed suicide. Boyce was investigating.
This matter was not simply obvious, and it pointed to Dolores.
Instead of worrying Dolores, he wanted to find him clearly and solve the problem. âItâs something with the company. I have to go.â
âOkay.â Dolores didnât think too much about it.
Theresa rarely asked Dolores about her privacy. However, seeing Matthew appear, she could sense that the relationship between this man and Dolores was not a simple one.
Looking at Matthewâs tall, straightened back, she said, âLola, is that Samuel and Simonaâs father? Looking closer, I could see that they look very much alike, especially the eyes and forehead. No wonder their children are so handsome. Turns out they have good genes.â Doloresâ face immediately fell.
She wasnât willing to pursue this topic any further, because Samuel and Simona had nothing to do with Matthew.
âAre there still people downstairs?â she deliberately changed the subject.
âMrs. William has already dismissed some guests. I also escorted the rest for you. I donât think there are any guests now. The cleaners are cleaning the parlor. Mrs. William is waiting for you.â
Theresa could tell that Dolores didnât like the subject at the moment, so she went on to answer her question rather than discuss that topic further.
âI see,â Dolores said in a light tone.
When they arrived downstairs, almost everyone had left and the room seemed empty. There was only one clutter in the room: on the table, lay the remains of desserts and drinks.
âItâs been a long day, but weâve gained a lot. All the dresses in the fashion show were sold out, including Mrs. Williamâs wedding dress. Guess how much it cost.â
âHow much did it cost?â Dolores had no interest in knowing, but Theresa had raised the question, she had to answer.
Theresa held up three fingers. âThree million.â
Dolores was not at all surprised. Mrs. Williamâs designer pieces were usually worthy of higher prices. Three million for this wedding dress was by no means a high price.
However, she was curious to know who had bought it. âWho bought it?â
âMaria Herbert, the daughter of the Herbert Family. She said she would wear it at her wedding.â
Dolores turned to look at Theresa. âMaria Herbert?â
âYes.â Theresa asked, âWhatâs wrong?â
âNothing.â Dolores felt funny. The engagement between Maria and Matthew had been called off not long ago, and there was no news of her getting married or having a boyfriend.
Would she dress him at her wedding?
Who would she marry?
.
.
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