"That's a full-blown lie!" Lily yelled, pacing back and forth in the room.
Clara sat on the couch, her hands folded tightly on her lap. Nathaniel stood near the window, his expression unreadable. They had just finished explaining everything—Laura showing up at work, the strange conversation at lunch, and how she didn't seem to remember anything about the café or the dinner party.
Lily stopped pacing and pointed a finger at Clara. "You're telling me she just looked confused? That she doesn't remember threatening you? Come on, Clara, she's tricking you again. That woman's got more layers than an onion."
"I don't think so," Clara said quietly. "She looked… lost. It didn't feel like an act this time."
"She's always acting," Lily shot back. "That's what she does best."
"Maybe," Clara said, "but she can't do anything right now. We're at work. She wouldn't dare pull anything in front of everyone."
Lily crossed her arms. "You're giving her too much credit. Or not enough, I can't tell which."
Nathaniel finally turned around. "That's what I'm trying to figure out," he said. "I've already talked to the board, but apparently one of our top shareholders insisted on hiring her. No one's saying who it was."
The room went quiet for a few seconds, the only sound being the faint ticking of the clock. Then Nathaniel exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. "I need to make a few calls. I'll be in the study." He gave Clara a quick look before leaving the room.
As soon as he was gone, Lily flopped down on the bed beside Clara, still fuming. "You're way too calm about this."
Clara gave a small shrug. "Panicking won't help. Besides, there's something else I've been thinking about."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "What now?"
"The old woman," Clara said. "Did you find anything about her? Anything at all?"
Lily froze for a moment, then gave an awkward smile. "Oh, that. Uh… I actually forgot. I've been busy."
"Busy with what?" Clara asked, narrowing her eyes.
Lily shifted uncomfortably, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You know… just stuff. Work. Errands. Life."
Clara gave her a look. "You're avoiding the question."
Lily laughed nervously. "Alright, alright, can we talk about something else? Like—oh! How's living with Nathaniel, hmm?" She nudged Clara with a grin. "Has anything happened between you two yet?"
Clara rolled her eyes because Lily literally just changed topics.
Clara blinked. "What do you mean by anything?"
Lily smirked. "Oh, you know exactly what I mean."
Clara felt her face heat up immediately. "No! Of course not."
Lily's eyes widened dramatically. "You're serious?"
"Why are you acting like that's surprising?" Clara said, half laughing. "It's normal to wait until marriage. And we're not even married yet."
Lily threw herself backward on the bed, groaning. "You two are like a historical drama sometimes, I swear."
Clara rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at her lips. "Well, it's not exactly something to rush."
"Maybe not," Lily said, glancing at her. "But you really think he'll wait forever?"
Clara hesitated. For a moment, her thoughts drifted—was she even sure Nathaniel wanted to marry her? They'd never talked about it seriously. She quickly shook the thought away. "I don't know. But it's not something I should assume. I'll just… see how things go."
Lily gave her a look, then chuckled softly. "You always overthink everything."
"Maybe," Clara said with a small smile. "Someone has to."
They sat in silence for a bit, then Lily started talking about something random — their younger years before the bad times — and soon they were both laughing. Real laughter, the kind that made Clara's chest feel light again.
For a while, they forgot about Laura, the old woman, and the mess at work. It was just the two of them—sisters talking like they used to, teasing and gossiping until the tension faded from the room.
And as Clara leaned back against the headboard, smiling at Lily's animated storytelling, she felt quietly grateful. In this life, she hadn't pushed her sister away.
And that, at least, was something good she'd managed to hold on to.