She had the kind of skin that broke out at the slightest provocation-especially after eating anything rich in protein. No matter how many e creams or medicated patches she tried, nothing ever seemed to help, at least not like this.


    "Wow, this feels amazing! The pain''spletely gone," Fidelia said to Effie, her face lighting up.


    Effie smiled. "Wash your face thoroughly with cleanser when you get home, make sure all the oil is gone, and then use it again. You''ll see even better results. Usually, if you put it on at night, those swollen red spots will be dried out by morning."


    Fidelia nodded eagerly. "I''ll use it right after I wash my face tonight."


    She looked at Effie, barely able to hide her excitement.


    Suzan watched the two of them, a skeptical frown on her face. Fidelia didn''t look like she was lying... Could Effie actually know what she was doing?


    No way.


    Suzan shook her head, trying to banish the thought. Maybe this was just another one of their little performances-she wouldn''t put it past them. Effie and Fidelia had pulled stunts like this before.


    With a cold snort, Suzan muttered, "Ugly girls always stir up trouble."


    Fidelia whirled on her, jaw clenched so tight she felt her back teeth might shatter. "What did you just say?"


    "I said, ugly girls make the most trouble," Suzan shot back, unbothered.


    Fidelia was shaking with rage. She jabbed a finger at Suzan. "You just wait and see!"


    Suzan blinked, caught off guard. What was that supposed to mean?


    "Don''t think you''re getting your hands on any of these mystery boxes," Fidelia said, voice icy.


    Suzanughed, mocking. "Do you even hear yourself?"


    "Do you even know who you''re messing with?" Fidelia retorted, then turned to Effie. "Effie, you don''t mind if I call my brother over, do you?"


    Effie shrugged. "I don''t mind."


    "Thanks."


    Fidelia stepped away, pulling out her phone. Within minutes, Lyman


    appeared, pushing through the


    crowd, gaze fixed on Effie. He hurried over. "Are you alright?"


    Effie shook her head, confused. "What''s going on?"


    Lyman leaned in, voice low. "Fidelia called me said someone was giving you a hard time."


    The situation dawned on Effie, and she shot Fidelia a look, exasperated.


    Fidelia offered an awkward, sheepish smile. "Hey, it all works out in the end, right?"


    Effie just stared at her. Was this really the same thing?


    Fidelia was clearly using Lyman for backup.


    Lyman turned to Fidelia. "Okay, what do you want from me? Why did you call me here?"


    Fidelia squared her shoulders. "Big brother, you started this art and gift shop, didn''t you?"


    Lyman nced at the sign above the storefront. Until that moment, he''d been so focused on Effie that he hadn''t even noticed. Now that he looked, it all came back to him.


    “Yeah,” he said. "I started it with some friends back in college."


    He nced thoughtfully at Effie. Back then, the whole idea of ''mystery boxes'' had been their shop''s invention-it was a huge hit. Effie knew all about it; her professor had even used it as a case study in ss, calling it a textbook example of business sess.


    He never imagined...


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!