A prickly silence followed my words. While I was lost in doleful introspection, Lily kept shut and didn't utter a word. I turned to face her, and caught her with pity and guilt on her face.

"Don't feel guilty, you've done nothing wrong," I told her.

"Still, I shouldn't have been so direct. It's still a flaw I'm working on," she replied.

"Which flaw? Being direct?"

"Yeah."

I smiled. "Its not a flaw. Yes, you should know when to be direct, but if it's with me, I'll welcome it wholeheartedly. Also, neither it is your fault that I've lived that way, nor did you know anything about it. So don't beat yourself up."

Lily looked like she was about to cry, and then suddenly she was all over me. Startled and discombobulated, I saw that she was hugging me. Now that was the most awkward for me, I'd decided.

"Oh, what am I gonna do with you! You're the best!" She exclaimed out of glee which I didn't really understand, but didn't say anything.

"Okay, I get it, so please detach yourself from me. I'm already feeling hot."

She finally got away, but still grinned from ear to ear. Her smile was contagious, and it managed to bring a smile to me face too. Linking hands with me, she dragged me into yet another showroom.

At long last, after three arduous hours of nonstop shopping, we stopped at a cafe. It was nearing five in the evening, and I was craving caffeine in my blood.

"You have a really bad caffeine addiction, Liz. Even us models don't consume so much coffee in a day," Lily said, and I smiled.

"I can't help it. It started from a little affection, and then turned into such a big need in my life. Now, I just can't do without it."

"Looking at you, I can confirm that people can actually die of caffeine overload." She taunted me.

"Whatever. I'll deal with the future in the future. Right now, the only thing I can see is this ice cold americano."

The aura of the cafe was pretty light and colorful, and it had large windows that allowed sunlight to enter through. Taking a seat beside one of the windows, we immediately indulged in our cold beverages, feeling its coolness calm our erratic heartbeats.

"So, I had a question. It's actually been bugging me since yesterday," I said, which caught her attention.

"What is it?"

"I'm going to be honest, but I didn't expect you to actually be curious about me. Ever since I've landed in New York, people have constantly looked down on me, and found ways to insult me. Especially, people of your standard.

"But then, you came along, telling me that you wanted to be friends with me. It just doesn't sit right with me - why are you being friendly with me while being Madison's best friend?"

My question had kept me up all night, and no matter how much I grilled myself, I just couldn't find an appropriate answer for it. Lily was Madison's friend, and she was supposed to feel hatred for me. Why was she so nice to me?

Was this a trap I didn't know about? Was this the fantasy that was too good to be true, and that I was going to find myself in a ditch later on? Even if it was, I ought to know all about it early on.

Even though my future had always been bleak, I'd still lived my entire life cautiously. I hadn't trusted anyone easily, and didn't plan on changing it anytime soon. If Lily was really planning to stab me in the back later on, I believed I would be able to get an inkling right now.

Being direct was the best approach to startle someone. I would read her when she least expects it.

But something unexpected happened. Not only was Lily unaffected by my sudden bomb, she even laughed it off. Little giggles of glee escaped her mouth, and it perplexed me to no end. What was so funny about my question?

When she finally stopped, she said, "I really thought you couldn't get any funnier than this, but you keep surprising me. Do you really think I'm the kind of girl who would waste her time with you if I hated you? Although you don't know me that much, but I still expected better from you."

"What?" That was all I could utter, as nothing actually registered in my brain. Her words were too twisted and vague for me to decipher.

She sighed. "Liz, don't believe everything you watch on TV. I can't believe I have to explain this to you. See, Maddy and I aren't actual best friends. It's all for show, for the cameras, it's a facade. Who even wants that Devil's spawn near?"

My jaw was slacked open. I couldn't believe my ears. Was this real life? How could they...? Judging from the day I'd spent with Lily, and her present expression, I was almost sure she wasn't lying. I hadn't really seen her with Madison in real life, so I still wasn't aware of what their dynamic was. But if she was saying this with so much surety, surely the people around them must know something, right?

Surely, she must be speaking the truth, right?

Still baffled, I asked, "But why do you both act so close for the cameras? It's not necessary to do that for your career?"

"It just happened to be that way. Even our managers decided it was for the best, and before we knew it, we were being labeled as the Angel Sisters. It actually helps with our image, you know? We get almost all the biggest shows, commercials pictorials, everything. It's for the money and the fame, so I don't really mind, even though Maddy isn't easy to deal with."

Her answer made so much sense now. It wasn't possible that a girl like Lily could put up with Madison, but now that I'd heard it was for the money, it was all coming to me.

Lily Jones was making a huge sacrifice for her career, just like me.

The next few days after that passed by in a blur. It was a constant circle of me going to the office, working, getting home, working, sleeping, and then going to office the next day. Since it was the first part of the process, there was no time to wait or rest. Everything had to be visualized, planned, created, and readied before time.

Since my engagement was also being finalized, there was much more on my platter than the rest of my teammates. I had to start sessions with my mama at the hospital twice a week, prepare for my first fashion week, and marry an insolent brat. I bet nobody was busier than me.

I waited in the doctor's office, as he finished the test reports. The first session had started, and mama was already having a hard time. It was unbearable to see her fighting that monstrous tumor, and I wanted to find out if there was an alternative to reduce her pain.

Soon after, Dr. Matthews entered the room. Today, he looked much more optimistic than the last time, which came as a relief to me. Reading my doctor's expressions had now become second nature to me, and one look could tell me if mama was in danger or not. It was undoubtedly stupid to link their expressions to mama's health, but it was still the most effective way to check if the doctors were telling the truth.

"I'm positive about this one, Ms. Fontaine. I feel like we can beat this tumor this time. Since this is the first session, it's hard to say anything certainly, and your mother will also have a hard time for some time. She will soon get used to the pain, so the next sessions won't be so difficult for her."

His words calmed me down a bit, but I was still worried for mama. "Is there no way we could lessen the pain for her? I would want her to feel as less pain as possible."

The doctor smiled at me. "I know you want that, and I do too. But there are things in life we can't just control. Your mother's a strong woman, she's come a long way here. And she will be fine from now on too. Just trust me."

I sighed and nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry I'm just so impatient. It's already been six years."

Pharrell replied, "Don't be sorry, Ms. Fontaine. She'll be fine now."

I thanked him one more time, and exited the room. Deciding I must meet mama one more time, I walked back towards her room.

Opening the door, I said, "Mama, je suis ici. Comment vous sentez-vous maintenant?"

But my words died down in my throat, as I saw someone with mama inside. Someone who shouldn't have been there. Someone who shouldn't have met mama, at least not without telling me. Someone who shouldn't have even known about her.

The dread I felt when I saw those familiar sliver locks tied up in a bun was unexplainable. As he turned around to look at me with his silvery gaze, I was rooted in my spot.

What the hell was André Beaumont doing here?

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