In Northridge.
Carla had a comfortable Whyte gown on. Her beautiful face shone with serenity as she rested lazily on the sofa with a tablet in her hand. She was reading up on the triplets.
She had been reading for hours and was re-reading every word. Every photo, every video, every alphabet… She examined them endlessly, without missing anything.
Time flashed by, and dawn soon came.
Carla hadn't slept the entire night. She looked calm, but her eyes shone with immense confusion and contradiction.
"Diane is here, Ms. Lierger, " announced Freda, who had personally brought Diane over.
Carla finally shifted her gaze from the tablet and sat up straight before she instructed, "Invite her over."
"Understood."
Diane entered the place fearfully. She looked nervous and might even be a little scared.
She was stunned when she first saw Carla. Then, the anxiety in the former's eyes turned to a pleasant surprise as she blurted, "Carla? You're the master they are talking about?"
"You don't need to be scared. No one will hurt you, " informed Carla as she turned to Diane. The former's gaze instinctively turned warmer as she asked, "Are you okay? They didn't make things difficult
for you, did they?"
"They? You mean Mr. Giblo? He didn't make things difficult for me, but he did lock Kristi and I in a villa. He didn't let us go until last night, " replied Diane as she stared uneasily at Carla before testing the waters and asking, "A-are you really Carla?"
"What's wrong? Do I not look like myself?" asked Carla with a grin.
"You look exactly like yourself, but your aura, the way you speak, and the glow in your eyes are all different, " shared Diane fearfully as she stared.
"What was I like?" asked Carla curiously.
"You were lively and would laugh and cry freely. Your eyes always have a youthful glow, " answered Diane, who couldn't help grinning when she spoke about Carla's past. She added, "We met at a party. I was bullied at the time. My boss wanted to force me to perform on stage even though my hand was injured. You stepped up and helped me."
"What happened next?" asked Carla. She was genuinely curious about her past.
"You put on my clothes and wore a mask to perform on-stage, " replied Diane as she recalled their past. Her voice was filled with appreciation when she informed, "That is how I got my job in the first place, and that was the turning point of my life. Unfortunately, my hand hadn't recovered, so I couldn't play the piano. I had to work in Stifling Night instead…
"I later met you again at the metro. You didn't have a job at the time, and you were having a hard time making ends meet. Hence, you asked me to help you find a job, so I got you a gig for playing the piano. Something happened after that, and you couldn't play the piano anymore, so you went to Stifling Night to work with me…"
Diane paused at that part of the story and asked carefully, "Do you really not remember any of that?"
"Who would've thought that I actually worked at Stifling Night? No wonder the place seemed familiar to me, " murmured Carla before she continued asking, "What else do you know?"
"I…" said Diane. Her guard was up, so she asked, "Carla, why did you change your surname? Where is Mrs. Borah?"
Diane wondered if the proud and distant woman in front of her was truly the Carla Wigston that she once knew.
"My mom's surname is Lierger, so I am using her surname now, " replied Carla with a smile, "It's fine. You can share everything with me when you feel comfortable doing so. I will have my people send you back for now."
"I'm sorry, " apologized Diane, "I am traumatized by the Giblos and am especially careful now. I truly wish that you are the same Carla Wigston I know. At least that would mean that the person I care about is still alive and wasn't killed by a heartless villain…"
Diane couldn't help sobbing a little when she reached the end of her sentence.
"Killed by a heartless villain?" repeated Carla suddenly as she frowned and demanded, "What does that mean? Was someone after me back then?"
Diane turned to Carla before quickly having her head down. The former didn't dare to say another word.
The Carla I know would never put on an expression and gaze that terrifying.
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