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Chapter 22 - The Witness Spills the Tea

Risa's apartment was already alive with the scent of takeout and the familiar sounds of banter when Amy arrived. She barely had time to slip off her shoes before Lumi flung a cushion at her from the couch.

"There she is!" Lumi grinned. "The traitor who went on a date and told no one how it went!"

"I was going to—" Amy started, but Risa waved a hand.

"Nope. You don't get to explain until we've grilled you properly." She pointed to the floor between them like a courtroom. "Sit. Testify."

Amy surrendered with a sigh and dropped onto the beanbag chair in the center of the room.

Lumi leaned forward; eyes gleaming. "So? Was she gorgeous? Did she smile at you? Did you kiss?"

Amy flushed immediately. "No. But—"

"She wanted to!" Risa interrupted, grinning. "Didn't she?"

Amy pressed her lips together, fighting a smile. "I don't know. Maybe." Then she gave in. "Probably."

Lumi made a dramatic noise, clutching her chest. "Okay, start from the beginning. Where did you go?"

Amy did.

She told them everything — the bioluminescent garden and the koi pond, the observatory-turned-art gallery, the dusty bookstore café and the cherry cake, the hilltop park where silence wasn't awkward, and finally, the boardwalk by the sea where she gave Sara her thanks and got back something softer, sweeter than a kiss. Something that lingered.

By the end, Risa looked visibly impressed. Lumi looked like she wanted to frame the story on her bedroom wall.

"And she bought you a wolf keychain?" Lumi asked, eyes wide. "Like, just—saw it and said it suited you?"

Amy nodded.

"She's in," Risa said decisively. "And you are doomed."

Amy chuckled, shaking her head. "Maybe. But it was good. It really was."

They let the moment breathe. A rare kind of quite settled — not silence, just stillness.

Then Risa asked, "So what were you doing all morning, anyway? Lumi thought you were ghosting her."

Amy hesitated. "Right. That…"

She leaned back, eyes flicking toward the ceiling, grounding herself. "I went to the company."

Both girls straightened.

"To the company. What company?" Lumi asked.

"The one my grandma left me," Amy responded.

"Did your grandma own a company?" Risa asked in shock.

"Not only that, but she even built it from scratch, apparently." Amy said.

"Wow, your grandma is awesome." Lumi commented, "So, do we know this company?"

"I think so," Amy said with uncertainty. "It's Nymira Technologies."

"Like, the big one?" Said Lumi.

Amy nodded. "So last Saturday, I went to her house 'cause I was finally ready to face it. I first went to her study to see if there were any important documents on her computer. That's when I discovered a document about the company. Out of curiosity, I opened it, and surprise, surprise—it was about the founding of Nymira Technologies, with her as the main founder. That surprised me. Then, in a drawer, I found a business card with a number that I decided to call. The person who answered was the CEO, Damon Leiss. He seemed to know who I was but said he didn't expect my call. We arranged a meeting for me to visit the company this morning. After a couple hours of him showing me around, he took me to his office and handed me some documents. They were the deeds to several buildings that my grandmother owned." She exhaled. "And it turns out she owned more than just that building. A lot more."

Risa frowned slightly. "Like… how much more?"

After a pause, Amy said "They were for all parts of the country, but I only read some of them."

Amy looked at them. "Do you remember the place where the party was? The mansion with the white terrace?"

"The one from Friday?" Lumi asked, brows raising. "The Elarion Estate?"

Amy gave a tight smile. "Yeah. That's one of hers. One of mine now."

They both stared at her.

"You're kidding," Risa said flatly.

"I wish," Amy replied. "I didn't even know. There's so much she didn't tell me, or maybe she just… couldn't. But it's mine. And I need to figure out why."

The teasing was gone now. In its place: awe, confusion, maybe a little fear.

Lumi leaned closer. "Are you okay?"

Amy considered that for a moment. Then nodded. "I think so. Just overwhelmed. But I'll be fine."

Risa gave her a gentle shove. "You'd better be. Because now we're definitely coming with you next time."

Amy smiled, and this time, it reached all the way to her eyes.

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