"Why are you so quiet?" Dominic asked.

Vespera replied, "I''m just a little surprised."

Dominic said, "Don''t be. You''ll understand soon enough."

With that, Dominic entered his office. Vespera lingered in ce and thought about

it. A few possibilities flickered through her mind, but none seemed tond with

certainty.

Just then, Gerard walked over from his office and called Vespera. Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked at him and immediately remembered the scene from yesterday. Feeling guilty, she apologized, "I''m sorry about yesterday. Are you mad?"

Gerard was confused. He responded, "Why would I be mad? If anything, I should be thanking you. I didn''t have to drive yesterday, and this morning, Mr. Chandler told me I didn''t need to go to the penthouse. It has been blissful."

Vespera was rendered speechless. Gerard added, "If you get the chance, can you ask Mr. Reid if you two will bemuting together from now on? I just want to make sure I''m not a third wheel."

Vespera didn''t know what to say. A long whileter, she finally muttered, "You should ask him yourself."

Then, Vespera turned and walked straight into her office, leaving Gerard behind. Honestly, she hadn''t expected him to act this way. She had figured he might be in a dilemma. But now, she couldn''t helpughing to herself. It was kind of funny.

Later that afternoon, Reba gave Vespera a call. Last night, Vespera had randomly used Reba as an excuse, iming that Reba wanted to go to a broth-and-grill spot.

Now, Reba was calling to make that fake n a reality. However, it wasn''t a broth-and-grill. It was a barbecue.

Vespera had been nning to catch up with Reba anyway. Ever since Vespera returned, they hadn''t had a proper chat.

Before confirming, Vespera gave Dominic a call to check if he would be workingte. Once she knew he wasn''t, she epted Reba''s invitation.

After work, Vespera headed out first. Gerard, who had just started savoring his freedom, had already made dinner ns, only to be yanked back to reality by a call from Dominic. His peace onlysted for a short while.

...

On the other hand, Vespera rushed to the barbecue restaurant to meet up with Reba. The two chatted while eating.

Vespera recounted everything that had happened in Regalia, sparing no details. Anyway, Reba wasn''t an outsider. She could know anything.

Reba was so caught up in the story that she forgot she was still holding a slice of meat over the grill. Meanwhile, Vespera narrated the story while casually eating two tes of meat.

When Vespera got to the part about the rubber mask, she even used the meat on the table to mimic the texture. Reba recoiled and said, "That''s so gross."

Vespera calmly popped some

refreshing snacks into her mouth to

bnce the grease. Then she

mentioned receiving a picture of

severed heads. She added, "Th?

picture is still on my phone, but I''m afraid you''ll lose your appetitepletely if I show you

belongs to s

"Please don''t show me. I already feel queasy just hearing about it," said Reba, waving both hands in surrender.

"Food is a necessity. How else are we going to build strength to fend off evil people?" Vespera questioned.

Reba looked at Vespera with both admiration and concern. She said, "Vera, this isn''t a normal evil. person. You''re taking on a "full-on psychopath. That person is a killer and a terrorist, even. How are you supposed to fight someone like that?"  s

Vespera responded, "That''s the thing. It isn''t about whether or not I want to fight. They''ve already locked onto me. I don''t get a choice."

Reba asked, "You mentioned that this person isn''t Tina and that you found them familiar. Could it be someone you met before?"

Vespera answered, "I''ve been wracking my brain for days. I''ve gone through every possibility. There''s just no one that fits."

"I see," said Reba with a sigh. She picked up her cutlery to get some meat, only to freeze when she looked down at the grill. "Where did all the meat go?"

After dinner, Vespera and Reba decided to walk around the mall to digest, as the restaurant they had gone to was on the highest floor of the mall.

As they passed a luxury jewelry store, Reba slowed to a stop. She said, "My mom''s birthday ising up. I want to buy her a bracelet."

"Let''s check it out then," said Vespera, and they stepped inside together.

The two stood in front of a ss disy case, browsing through the selection.

While they were still choosing a design, several employees began whispering and ncing toward the entrance.

At this time, three people walked in.

They were Fawn, Natasha, and Harry, who looked like he had been forcefully dragged here. Natasha had previously ordered a custom jewelry set from

his store and was here to pick it up.  s

Natasha had dragged her mother and brother along, especially since they hadfn5d74 ???? ????s? ???????s ?? f?ndnovel/fn5d74

been holed up at home for a long time.