Liz made a mark on the list resting on her lap. It was for the third dress that had just passed in front of her. Its bright color and layered skirt had caught her attention—beautiful.
Coincidentally, Liz had a scarf that would go perfectly with it. She already imagined how she would display it later.
The mannequin display in front of her boutique was the place's main attraction. Because of Liz's talent for mixing and matching, many people came in. Dresses that seemed unappealing on their own would look perfectly wearable once Liz styled them the right way.
"Are you sure? That dress barely made it through the selection. A lot of people didn’t like it," Rein whispered from beside her as he saw Liz marking another dress—a mustard yellow one that reminded him of an omelet. Not pretty.
All the dresses currently on the catwalk had already been approved, but that didn’t mean all of them were suitable for sale. This summer collection lineu
Despite the overwhelming number of guests in the room, Liz still spotted Asher easily. His figure stood out to her.He was holding a glass, picking out food, and then turning to another room. Liz was about to call out, but he disappeared again.With quick strides, Liz followed where Asher had gone. When she saw him again, he was standing in a dim corner, facing the wall. It was an unusual place and posture.Liz sighed, sharpening her focus. Asher was adding something to his drink. He shook the glass briefly, then began walking again.Liz continued to follow, now with a whole new set of questions. In particular, what was Asher really doing in that place?Asher entered a quieter room. There were still guests, but it wasn’t as crowded as the main hall. Liz felt a wave of relief as she saw him stop, but then her steps froze when she saw what had caused him to halt.She is a beautiful woman. The model was likely a fashion show veteran. Tall, with an exotic face. They laughed together, and i
Liz growled as she tried to open her eyes. Her head hurt badly. It had been a long time since she’d woken up like this, because it had been a long time since she’d partied to the point of getting drunk.“Huh?” Liz gasped and opened her eyes wide, fighting the pain, suddenly remembering that she hadn’t been out partying at all. Someone had knocked her out.“That hedgehog…”Liz growled again, angry because she clearly remembered who had done it. Asher!She threw off the blanket and got out of bed, only to collapse onto the floor. Her head wasn’t in sync with her desire to be angry. She still couldn’t stand properly.“Shit!”Liz rubbed her head several times, slowly, waiting for her vision to clear. Whatever Asher had given her, it was strong, making her want to kill him even more. How dare that hedgehog touch her and knock her out?Liz sat on the floor for a moment
"Me?" The man pointed to himself with a confused expression that Liz was starting to despise. He looked incredibly dumb."Yes, you! I can't believe how stupid you can be! Is there nothing in that brain of yours that remembers me? You brag about being smart and all, but your memory is shorter than a finger!"Liz wanted to keep ranting, but her eyes caught the gaze of two confused children. When Liz lived with Ruby, she learned not to swear in front of kids because they imitated."I mean... you're just a little forgetful. That's... all."Liz lowered her voice, feeling a bit awkward. Five pairs of eyes stared at her in shock. Her harsh words must have been quite a spectacle.The woman, who had previously been speaking Italian, waved and invited them inside. She knew that kind of conversation wasn’t meant for children to hear.Then Anne-Marie broke the tension. She giggled. "You’re just like my mother," she said.“
“Missing? What do you mean?” Ed frowned. He didn’t want to misunderstand.“Correct. I received a report from the police. Rein Cardenas, Senorita Liz's work partner, reported that she suddenly disappeared from a fashion show, hasn’t been reachable for almost twenty-four hours, and hasn’t returned to the hotel.”Ibanez handed Ed a copy of the police report."The police confirmed Senorita's identity here, and our people there realized who she was and told me," Ibanez explained further.Ed abruptly stood up, shocked by this unexpected source of information.“No one from the police should inform Ruby! Have they contacted her yet?” Ed asked.“Uh... I...”“Tell them to delay it! Now!” Ed snapped, frustrated.Ibanez complied, but his instincts were still not as quick as Otiz’s. For such details, Ed still had to give direct orders. Otiz would have anticipated this and prevented the information from reaching Ruby.“Book a flight to France,” Ed said, while Ibanez was still sending the message.“Y
"Not in the police report." Ed had skimmed through it earlier. There was no mention of a witness. This news was very fresh."They’re the type who wouldn’t talk to the police," said Ibanez."Oh, illegal." Ed immediately understood that the witness was likely an illegal immigrant. They wouldn’t talk to the police but might open up to the right person."Get more people together. I want everyone who’s not busy to come and help search." Once he realized Liz was in danger, Ed became serious."Yes, Don Rosas." Ibanez quickly sent out more messages."Does anyone know where Liz was taken?" Ed asked."I got the license plate number, and the car that used to take her was found parked at a small airport outside Etampes. It seems Senorita Liz is no longer in France." Ibanez nervously read the rest of his team’s report."Shit! What is this? Was she sold or something?" Ed didn’t want to think the worst, but it was
"They are so different," Liz said, chewing on the sandwich, her first meal of the day."Hm?" Anne-Marie, who was with her, turned to follow Liz's gaze—staring at Eren playing with his two children."Do you mean their personalities? It's hard to tell by their faces. I've known them since they were little, but sometimes I still mistake one for the other from afar. But up close, I can always tell. Asher rarely smiles," Anne-Marie explained further, and Liz agreed.Looking at Eren in the daylight, up close, dressed normally, Liz could never mistake him. Eren was tidier and smiled more—definitely more friendly. He even apologized easily earlier, something Asher would likely never do."He's like me," Liz murmured."What?" Anne-Marie didn't catch Liz's mumble; she was already distracted by one of her children coming over."Nothing." Liz shook her head. The murmur had been primarily directed towards herself.Eren and Asher shared
“Why is there another car?” Ruby turned around and saw one more car that had indeed been following them.Ruby only noticed it after they reached a quieter road. The car had been with them all along.“Yes, because it’s necessary. This area belongs to the Val family,” Ed explained with some relief.That was the first question Ruby had asked since their trip from Paris to Italy—Lake Como. She had been silent since they left the restaurant.“What do you mean by ‘area’?” Ruby only knew that Val was Ed’s friend."His family has a business here, and I'm not exactly supposed to enter casually." While gritting his teeth and squeezing his phone, Ed stated that he would likely smash it if he had the ability.That frustration was directed at Val. In such a critical moment, none of his calls to Val had come through. Not even a response. Ed wasn’t sure if Val’s phone was off or
"I didn't kidnap anyone." Eren's weak voice was heard again."You knocked her unconscious and took her to another country! Isn't that a kidnapping?" Asher glared at the face that looked so much like his own."I didn't know who she was; she kept calling out the name Anne-Marie! What do you think I was supposed to do?!" Eren wasn’t backing down."You mentioned Anne-Marie?" Asher finally looked at Liz, after barely glancing her way before."Uh… yes. You’ve mentioned her before." Liz nodded."You still remember?" Asher was surprised, as he recalled mentioning the name only in passing."Why did you bring up Anne-Marie when you were with him?" Ivy abruptly interjected, clearly curious."Nothing!" Asher was dismissed immediately. However, Liz, being honest, provided a more thorough response at the same time, ensuring that she was genuinely heard."I own a boutique, and Asher said he wanted to buy a gift for a woman&