Chapter 200

Killing her would only put him in a world of trouble. He had no reason to go that far. Which meant it had to be Bria.

"If you're all set on taking me down, then I'm done being the pushover. I'm not letting this go. I will see it through to the very end."

The next morning, Lucie was up early, phone pressed to her ear as she waited for the test results. And, just as she'd feared, the answer came back- the unknown substance in that syringe turned out to be HIV.

For a moment, Lucie felt cold all over. Just thinking about what her future could've been if she'd been infected made her sick with fear. The rest of her life would be ruined. Miserable. Hopeless.

That's just... evil, she thought, her heart pounding. How could anyone be so cruel? Bria and Steven really are perfect for each other- both of them totally vicious.

She was still lost in that spiral when her phone rang again. Mr. Lee's name popped up.

"Hello?" she answered.

Mr. Lee's voice oozed through the line, just as fake-polite as ever. "Ms. Anderson, when do you plan to come by the antique market?"

Lucie pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling another headache coming on. "I'm not coming in today."

"Oh? But there are a few packages that need your personal signature."

Lucie groaned and pushed her hair back. "Fine, I'll be there."

"Thank you, thank you! Please come to the office as soon as you can."

"Yeah, I got it."

She hung up, her mood sinking. All she wanted was to stay home, curl up, and not deal with anyone. But she had no choice. The shipment from New Amberton needed her signature, and Dr. Tate had already been bugging her for an update.

After a few minutes, Lucie forced herself up, got dressed, and headed out for the antique market.

In the car, she glanced at Ruby. "How's the bodyguard recruitment going?"

Ruby perked up. "We've already interviewed a bunch of candidates. Plus, a security firm gave us some recommendations. Thirty people are in the final round of interviews."

"Good. Once they pass, get them on the job as soon as possible."

"Will do, Ms. Anderson."

Lucie had never liked having bodyguards around. Usually, she just brought an assistant or a secretary, nothing more. But now that her safety was actually at risk, she couldn't afford to be careless.

Half an hour later, she arrived at her office. Several large, tightly wrapped boxes were stacked by her desk; the courier had already dropped them off. Lucie signed for everything, then lugged the boxes over to her worktable and started unpacking with extra care.

She'd just finished opening the last box when someone knocked at the door. "Come in," she called.

The door clicked open and Elio slipped inside, glancing around before shutting it behind him like he was hiding from someone.

"Whew," he muttered, running a hand through his hair, "I finally lost that crazy girl. She chased me all night."

Lucie blinked in surprise. "Elio, what are you doing here again?"

He shot her a look, looking half annoyed and half tired. "Returning your car, for one. And I still want to check out those fresco icons."

Lucie couldn't help but ask, "Where's June?"

Just hearing the name made Elio grimace. "Please, don't mention her. I swear, I break out in hives just thinking about her."

Lucie frowned, genuinely puzzled. "Really? She seems pretty cute to me. I thought you two looked good together."

She meant it, June was bubbly and straightforward, maybe a little wild, but totally honest. People like her rarely had a hidden agenda; what you saw was what you got Lucie actually preferred that over someone like Shannon. Shannon acted all innocent and fragile, but she was a snake, manipulative and sneaky behind the scenes.

이

Elio gave a short laugh. "You've got to be kidding. She's nuts. Do yourself a favor and stay far away."

"Why?"

"You'll find out. Just... don't bring her up around me."

"...Alright," Lucie said, a little quietly, her mood suddenly dropping.

Elio noticed right away. He frowned,

concern flickering across his face. "What's wrong? Are you jealous? Because I swear, there's nothing between her and the. I'm one. hundred percent single. No strings, no drama, nothing."

Lucie hesitated, then shook her head. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Elio."

“I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea."

"There's nothing to get wrong."

"Then what's up? You look really upset."

Lucie's face was tight, her eyes distant.

That made Elio even more anxious. "Is it your scumbag ex again? Did he try

something?"

"No."

"Then what happened?"

Lucie hesitated, then decided to just

get it out. After you guys left

yesterday, a van started tailing me. They tried to shoot me with. Something. The police got the test results back today. It was HIV."

For a second, Elio just stared at her, stunned. Then his face went pale.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Let's get you to the hospital- right now." "I'm fine. The syringe didn't hit me."

Elio let out a shaky breath, anger hardening his voice. "Unbelievable. Someone actually tried that in Westbrook? Don't worry, Lucie. Whoever did this- I'll find them, no matter what it takes."