With just her words, the mother-daughter pair couldn't say anything more.

"Zoe, where did you get the money?! Did you sell yourself?!" Sophia said, eyes wide with fake curiosity.

A series of gasped echoed in the lobby.

Sophia covered her mouth, looking at Zoe with an apologetic face as if she didn't mean to say those words out loud.

Zoe's eyes slid to Sophia with silent mockery before s.h.i.+fting her gaze to Nicholas with a smirk on her face.

"Where indeed?" she said with a knowing smile.

Nicholas yanked his collar and cleared his throat. "Sophie, it must be because Zoe sold her paintings."

Sophia feigned a sigh of relief. "Oh, maybe you're right. But you can't blame me. I worry about her. Nick, look at her," she said, pointing at Zoe. "Seeing her like this. I can't help but think she became like this because she is hanging out with dangerous, uneducated people. It makes me worry."

I rolled my eyes.

"Sophie, you are too nice." Nicholas patted Sophia's shoulder, consoling her.

The simple action was like a gesture of lovers. Sophia smugly held her chin as if conveying that the man Zoe loves had already fallen for her.

"Miss Collin, the room is ready for you to try on your dress," said one of the staff.

Sophia's eyes glint as her smile brightened the whole room. She took off, totally forgotten all about us as she followed the staff to one of the fitting rooms together with Emma and Nicholas.

But not before the man gave us a malicious smirked.

"How on earth did you even fall for a guy like that?" I asked the moment the three left.

"I don't know. Maybe because I was blind? Naive? Idiotic? Desperate?"

I took a long looked at Zoe, trying to discern her expression. She was calm about it, which surprised me a little. There was not a trace of unhappiness, hatred, nor jealousy on her face.

It must be tough living in that kind of family, surrounded by enemies all the time. I guess her heart must be hard as steel by now.

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"What?" Zoe asked when I was just staring at her.

I shook my head. "Nothing."

"Miss Lee, Miss Collin, sorry for the wait. Mr. Z will see you now," the reception lady announced.

Zoe and I glanced at each other and stood to our feet. We followed the lady into the room where Ana went into earlier.

Inside, the interior was s.p.a.cious, pastel silver-colored with only a working table, a chair, a full-length mirror, and a princess couch. At the center of it all stood Ana and a dark-skinned bald guy with gla.s.ses and piercings in one ear. He had a tribal tattoo on his head up to his eyes. He was tall and slim, and at one glance, he didn't look like a man but a bald lady.

This is Z O'nier?