With a moment’s reflection, Dolores found it reasonable to assume that Maria, being no longer young and unwilling to marry Matthew, would seek other suitors. Marriages within wealthy or noble families were often driven by interests, after all. Perhaps she would enter into another marriage of convenience with another prominent family.
With this thought in mind, Dolores no longer found it strange that Maria had bought a wedding dress.
“Lola,” Mrs. William called out, approaching her.
Dolores pushed aside her thoughts and turned to Mrs. William. “Yes, Mrs. William?”
The lady took hold of her hand. “I’m heading home now. Please take care of this branch. LEO Corporation is my life’s work. Please do your best to protect and uphold the brand for me.”
“I understand,” Dolores acknowledged the importance of LEO Corporation to Mrs. William. “I will treat it as my lifelong career, ensuring its protection and defense.”
“I trust you,” Mrs. William hugged her and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Take care of yourself.”
“Can’t you stay a little longer?” Dolores tried to persuade her to stay.
To Dolores, Mrs. William was not just her boss, but also a family figure whom she felt grateful for due to her support and encouragement.
“I still have some matters to attend to back home, and I’ve already stayed here long enough. It’s time for me to return,” Mrs. William explained.
“I’ll give you a ride,” Dolores offered, asking Theresa to hand over the car keys.
Mrs. William laughed. “How can you drive in a dress?”
Dolores lowered her head and looked at her dress. She chuckled and then, reaching down, she lifted the hemline and tied a knot in front, revealing her slender legs. “I can drive like this.”
Mrs. William continued to laugh, affectionately ruffling Dolores’ hair.
Dolores walked out of the store with Mrs. William, accompanied by Theresa and Allison. Dolores glanced back. “I’ll drive Mrs. William to the airport and ensure she boards the plane safely. Please take care of the remaining matters here. Thank you.”
“Sure, no worries,” Allison gestured okay and waved at her.
After bidding farewell to Mrs. William, Dolores returned to the store. Theresa and Allison had already taken care of everything. A man was sitting on the sofa in the reception lounge.
Seeing Dolores enter, Terry stood up and complained, “Lola, we’re friends now, right? Why didn’t you invite me to the store’s opening ceremony today? Even though I’m not wealthy, I could have come to support you, couldn’t I?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose. I honestly forgot,” Dolores apologized.
Knowing that Dolores wasn’t that kind of snobbish woman, Terry didn’t take it to heart. He had actually come for a different reason-to discuss the case’s suspension. Matthew had asked him to delay it, but he didn’t understand why, so he had come to ask Dolores.
“Regarding the car accident, what are you thinking now? Aren’t you in a hurry? Why is it being delayed? You know that the longer it takes, the less beneficial it is for the case,” Terry inquired.
Since Matthew had asked her to leave the case to him last time, Dolores hadn’t brought it up. If Terry hadn’t asked, she would have almost forgotten about it.
She sat down on the sofa, rubbing her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
“Are you feeling unwell?” Terry asked with concern. “I shouldn’t have asked, should I?”
“Not really,” Dolores shook her head. “I’ll ask him about it when I see him tonight. I’ll find out why it’s been delayed.”
“Alright,” Terry could sense that Dolores was in a sour mood. “I’ll go now. Let me know if there’s any news.”
“Okay.”
After Terry left, Dolores and Theresa began sorting out the orders received that day. Since they didn’t run a regular clothing store and tailored clothes based on customer requests, the costs were higher than average.
Ordinary people couldn’t afford their clothes.
As Theresa was looking for opportunities, Dolores assigned one of the orders to her.
The other order she gave to Allison.
Allison declined, saying, “The customer specifically chose you as the designer. I don’t think I should take over. Besides, I don’t need this opportunity to showcase my abilities.”
Looking up, Allison proudly stated, “I’m already quite well-known. I don’t need a handed opportunity.”
Theresa remained silent because she did need such a chance.
She loved designing.
“Alright, I’ll give both orders to Theresa then,” Dolores handed the customer information to Theresa. “Work hard.”
“But…” Theresa felt it wasn’t appropriate to take both orders. After all, Dolores had given her many opportunities.
“Don’t hesitate. I’ll present the design drafts to the customers first. If they’re satisfied, I’ll let them know you’re the designer. Since they’ve already approved, they won’t object,” Dolores had already thought about how to introduce Theresa’s work to the customers.
“But…”
“Enough,” Allison interrupted her. “Lola doesn’t need to prove herself with any chance, but you need this opportunity. You’ve worked with her for a long time, and she wants to see you grow. Just take it.”
Theresa felt grateful, yet she stubbornly asked, “Aren’t you afraid that I might surpass you in the future?”
Dolores ruffled her hair. “I hope so.”
Theresa opened her arms and hugged Dolores. “Thank you, Lola.”
“We’re already so close. There’s no need to mention it,” Dolores patted her on the back.
“You both want to leave me alone, don’t you?” Allison pretended to be jealous while standing nearby.
“Of course not,” Dolores pulled her over, and the three women embraced each other.
Dolores patted their backs and then released them. “Let’s head home early today. It’s been a long day.”
“I’m truly exhausted,” Allison said. “I haven’t worked like this in a while.”
“Yeah, I also need to carefully consider the requirements of those two customers,” Theresa added.
“Alright, you two can leave now. I’ll stay a bit longer,” Dolores said.
“Don’t stay up too late,” Matthew cautioned, his voice filled with concern.
“Lola, I can close the shop for you. Samuel and Simona are still waiting for you at home,” Theresa offered, recognizing that Dolores had a lot on her plate.
“It’s alright. I want to stay here alone for a while. You can leave now,” Dolores insisted, her mind still in disarray.
So much had happened lately, and she needed some time alone to gather her thoughts.
“Let’s go,” Allison interjected, slipping her arm around Theresa’s neck. It was clear that something was troubling Dolores, and she needed solitude-something Allison understood all too well.
Theresa was gently pulled away by Allison. They shared an apartment and had a car, making their daily commute convenient.
Once they were gone, the atmosphere settled into an encompassing silence. Dolores sat on the sofa, resting her cheek on her hand, replaying the day’s events in her mind. She wondered when everything had become so unsettling.
Could Beulah be involved in the photo and message she had received on her phone?
The sequence of events was overwhelming, leaving her struggling to make sense of it all.
She couldn’t help but ponder who had sent her that photo.
The message indicated that the sender was well-informed about the past, and worse, they seemed familiar with her. It left her feeling unsettled.
Pulling out her phone, she typed, “Who are you? Why did you send me the message?”
Yet, she hesitated, her finger hovering over the send button. She knew that the person behind this was baiting her. However, their true intentions remained unknown to her.
Suddenly, her phone rang, abruptly breaking her train of thought. The caller ID replaced the message on the screen.
It was Matthew calling.
Dolores glanced outside and realized it was already dark. With a swipe, she answered the call, and a deep masculine voice greeted her from the other end. “I’m outside the store.”
“I got it.”
Determined, Dolores stood up, gently patting her cheeks to gather her resolve. She switched off the lights and locked the store door. As she turned around, she spotted Matthew’s car parked by the roadside.
The night enveloped them in darkness, while neon lights illuminated the long street. Matthew had taken off his suit jacket and now leaned against his car, engrossed in his phone.
Boyce had sent him a message revealing the truth about Beulah’s death-it had indeed been a suicide. Once she was in Boyce’s custody, all communication had been severed, and her tragic demise confirmed that her actions were premeditated.
However, Matthew couldn’t comprehend why Beulah had taken her own life.
“There must be someone pulling the strings,” Boyce’s message read.
Dolores approached, breaking Matthew’s concentration. “What are you reading?”
“Nothing,” Matthew quickly stowed away his phone. Only then did he notice that the hemline of Dolores’ dress was tied in a knot, revealing her fair, slender legs. His gaze flickered for a moment, wondering who she had shown this side of her to.