Chapter 111
The Spare Wife by Nadia Gordon
Chapter 111 Voice Recorder The first show was scheduled for the next day. Abigail took the dress to her room for final checks to prevent unforeseen circumstances. When she opened her room door, she was startled to find Sean sitting there.
He had returned to his company two days ago, so she assumed he wouldnât be back so soon. His sudden appearance in her room rattled her already tense nerves.
âYou seem surprised to see me,â he remarked casually as he put down her notebook.
Abigail used the notebook to doodle patterns for the dress, often finding inspiration at random moments. She hadnât expected Sean to go through her notebook, especially when he had previously shown little interest in her work. âI heard you went back to work. Of course, Iâm surprised to see you in my room,â she replied, quickly coming up with an excuse. She composed herself and held her dress up a little, then she went into the room and closed the door.
He glanced at the dress in her hands. âIs Luna having you check the dress instead of working on it herself?â
âShe wants me to check the details. Sheâs exhausted after working on it all day,â she explained.
He then turned his attention to her notebook. âNice patterns. Did Luna ask you to learn this as well?â
Abigail hung the dress on a hanger, feeling slightly offended by Seanâs comment. Her mind was already weary from a long dayâs work, and she couldnât figure out why Sean would ask her that. âYep. What do you think? Do I have enough talent to be a designer?â
âNot bad,â he acknowledged. âMany people donât have talent, but hard work can compensate.â
She grunted and changed the subject. âA stranger pricked me last time. Have you found out who did it?â
âWe did. Iâll handle it,â Sean calmly assured Abigail.
She involuntarily looked at him with a hint of subtle mockery flickering in her eyes. However, he seemed oblivious to it. She looked away, pretending to be interested in the dress, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She muttered, Heâs going to sweep it under the rug because itâs related to someone named âPalmer.â She held the dress, finding the situation amusing and pathetic, and thought, If he refuses to tell me, I will ask Luna to investigate.
âAfter youâre done, make sure to get some rest. Youâre working harder than any assistant,â he advised before leaving the room.
The door was closed, and Abigail was still stunned. She had expected Sean to stay longer, but it was just a brief visit. She entered the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water. When she looked at her reflection, she frowned. She appeared vacant and worn; even she was repulsed by her appearance, let alone that man.
After a shower and some adjustments to the dress, she sewed a few patches to perfect the details.
An urgent knock on her door roused her from hier groggy state the following day. It wasnât even seven oâclock yet, and she knew the show, if today, wouldnât start so early.
Approaching the door, Abigail was about to inquire about the visitorâs identity when Luna whispered, âOpen up. Itâs me, Luna.â
Abigail quickly opened the door, greeted by a pale Luna, which instantly alarmed her. âWhatâs wrong? Did you stay up all night?â
âNo, I got some sleep, but I found this in the couch crevices this morning. Someone must have hidden it while we werenât looking.â Luna showed the voice recorder and squeezed into Abigailâs room.
Abigail took the recorder and examined it closely. âDid you turn it off, or did it run out of battery?â
âI turned it off. I checked the model, and it saves its file in a cloud system. We need a passcode to access the files,â Luna whispered.
Abigailâs heart skipped a beat. She swiftly grabbed her phone to scan the voice recorder, and it directed her to an online shopping page. After inspecting the recorderâs details, Abigail frowned.
âThe recorderâs battery can be recharged. It can work all day and last for a week.â
She turned on the recorder, which still had twoâthirds of its battery life. âJudging by the power usage, Joan must have secretly placed it here when she joined the livestreaming team, specifically when she sat down and asked you questions.â
Over the past two days, they had discussed their secrets at length, and Joan had likely gained access to the voice recordings through the cloud storage.
âNo wonder she wasnât concerned when we mentioned altering our clothes. This must be her plan.
She thinks she can win first prize by exposing us,â Luna grabbed her hair, her voice laced with anger.
âItâs possible,â Abigail responded solemnly.