The Sleeper's Wrath and His Wife's Strike novel Chapter 88

Duty?

Lindsay was puzzled. What duty? They barely even knew each other—calling them acquaintances would be generous. They’d only ever met through Yves.

“Actually, I’ve been wondering about that good luck charm you gave me,” Lindsay said. “The symbols on it look different from the ones I’ve seen before—why is that?”

“Oh, that one’s my own invention,” Cheryl replied breezily. “It’s different from the ones you find out there.”

Feigning ignorance about Cheryl’s profession, Lindsay raised an eyebrow and asked, “Wait, are you some kind of fortune teller?”

“No, not at all…”

“Then how do you come up with your own symbols?”

“It’s just a hobby, really. My real job is fashion design.”

Lindsay nodded, suddenly intrigued. “What a coincidence—I’m in the same line of work. I’m working at Bloom right now.”

Cheryl’s eyes widened in mock surprise. “Seriously? That’s amazing! We should exchange contacts. It’d be great to chat about design ideas.”

Lindsay pulled out her phone, opening the contact code for Cheryl to scan.

“Have you heard about Vogue Vision?” Cheryl asked.

“Yeah, there’s only one spot for our company, so I signed up for the internal selection.”

Cheryl frowned. “You have to compete for it at Bloom? Couldn’t Yves just give you the spot?”

Lindsay shook her head. “No, I want things to be fair. Respect means playing by the same rules.” In truth, her real reason for joining Bloom was to investigate what happened with the Nelson Group’s bankruptcy all those years ago. The competition itself didn’t really matter to her.

“Ms. Nelson, with your talent, I’m sure you’ll stand out. I’m competing in Vogue Vision too—let’s meet in the finals.”

Lindsay laughed, “You’re a shoo-in for the championship.”

“Lindsay, you don’t mind another place setting, do you?” Cheryl switched to a more casual tone, as if she’d always been part of the group, in stark contrast to Lindsay’s discomfort.

Guests are always welcome, Lindsay thought. She certainly wouldn’t turn anyone away. “Of course not,” she said.

Cheryl smirked at Yves, clearly pleased with herself.

Lindsay glanced between the two of them, taking in every nuance. Was it just her imagination, or did something feel off about their relationship?

Just as dinner was about to begin, Lester arrived home. Ever since Althea was hospitalized, he’d been running himself ragged, barely finding a moment to catch his breath. Each day was a blur of shuttling between the hospital and the Quigley Group offices, and at night, he’d come home only to soothe Naomi’s nerves. Lately, his life had been nothing but stress and exhaustion.

The moment he saw Cheryl at Quigley Manor, all his defenses shot up. He remembered too well how she’d fooled him before, and his face hardened in suspicion.

“Mr. Green, long time no see!” Cheryl greeted him with a bright, innocent smile.

But only he knew how dangerous this woman really was.