She thought, Larkin would definitely love this.
After all, it was Larkin who had given the photo to the gallery in the first ce.
Once the piece was framed, the shop owner wrapped it carefully in ayer of crimson cloth to protect it on the road.
Jessica paid for everything, left the delivery address, and scheduled for it to arriveter that evening.
The papercut was quiterge-nearly six feet long-making it impossible to carry home herself.
She''d been up until nearly 2 a.m.st night, then woke at dawn to work on it, finally finishing byte afternoon.
Fortunately, she hadn''t lost her touch. If her hands weren''t steady, there simply wouldn''t have been enough time.
As Jessica stepped out of the framing shop, her phone buzzed with a message from Vince.
"Jessica, I''m outside your building. I came to pick you up-are you not home?"
She hadn''t expected Vince to show up in person.
"I''m out, but I''ll be back right away," she replied.
"I''ll wait for you."
When Jessica arrived home, she found two people standing at her door.
One carried an impressivelyrge bag, while the other struggled with several boxes in his arms.
"Jessica, open up!"
Vince''s warm smile put her instantly at ease, the sort of easy charm that made people want to trust him.
Jessica had no idea what Vince was nning, but she couldn''t very well leave her guests standing out in the hall.
She unlocked the door and let them in. Vince stepped inside and said, "This is the makeup artist I arranged. The boxes have the dress, shoes, and jewelry I picked out for you."
Jessica, so busy finishing Larkin''s gift, hadpletely forgotten about everything else.
It was a high society g tonight, after all-no way she could show up in her usual clothes.
She quickly typed a message on her phone: "Thank you for going to all this trouble."
"No need for thanks. I figured you wouldn''t have time to get everything ready, living way out here. Go on, get changed and let the makeup artist work her magic -the clock''s ticking."
Jessica led the makeup artist to her bedroom.
Vince waited in the living room. He''d already spoken to Timothy, asking him not toe by, but the old man had called Timothy directly. Timothy promised he''d arrive right on time tonight.
So Vince was determined to make sure Jessica would be the star of the evening.
Timothy was a legend in the
business world, practically
unstoppable. Vince was no slouch himself he was even a year
1.n
older but he had to admit he was
still a step behind Timothy in terms
of ruthless skill.
There really wasn''t much that could throw Timothy off.
But Vince was curious-was there truly nothing that could shake Timothy''sposure?
Jessica had never appeared in public as Mrs. Timothy Lawson. Vince could easily guess why: the Lawson family would never allow it, not with her being just an ordinary girl who couldn''t speak.
The Lawsons probably didn''t want to admit that Timothy had married someone so... unremarkable.
But then, why had Timothy married her? And if he had, why keep it a secret for so many years?
Maybe tonight, all the answers woulde to light.
The whole thing amused Vince. After all, Timothy had nearly thrown away his inheritance for She all those years ago.
When the makeup artist was finished, Jessica almost didn''t recognize the morous woman staring back at her from the mirror.
She stepped out of the bedroom.
Vince looked up, and his eyes shed with genuine awe.
Thest time he''d seen Jessica, she''d been bare-faced-her quiet, understated beauty had already left an impression.
But now, seeing her transformed, he realized she couldmand a room with a very different kind of allure.
There was something about her
gentle personality and soft presence that made the bold makeup look bnced, never gaudy. She
seemed both pure and seductive, as
if she could embody every
contradiction.
No wonder Timothy had fallen for her...
Most men are susceptible to beauty, and even someone as self-disciplined as
Timothy apparently couldn''t help himself.
The real show was about to begin.