Chapter 241: Chapter 241: Living in Your Heart (5)

Lucy replied: [Yes, I accept it, thank you, Your Majesty.]

She stepped over the antique store’s threshold, "Is the owner around?"

"Yes." An old lady in her seventies or eighties hobbled out with a cane, smiling as she asked, "What do you need, miss?"

Lucy handed her two photos, "I want to buy two disguise masks."

The old lady took the photos and asked, "When do you need them?"

"Today."

"Five million, no bargaining."

"Alright."

"Miss, please follow me."

The old lady led her inside, around a courtyard, and into the house at the back.

"Just wait here," she said.

Lucy nodded, "Alright."

The waiting lasted until night.

A little past eight, the old lady came to see her, handing her the masks she had made.

After paying, Lucy took them and left.

The two masks were of Flora Palmer and Sophie Bennett.

She drove from Northriver to Ningham.

She parked the car not far from Charles Sharp’s house.

Thinking she’d have to wait until tomorrow, she planned to sleep in the car overnight; unexpectedly, her luck was so good.

Sophie left the house a little past nine.

Lucy tailed her by car as she went to a nightclub.

Figuring she wouldn’t come out anytime soon, Lucy parked the car in a parking lot and paid a half-month’s fee.

Then she took a cab back.

Once inside the nightclub, she donned a mask, searching around for Sophie on the ground floor but couldn’t find her.

Of course, she was, after all, the President’s daughter; she might love to party but wouldn’t be that reckless.

With that thought, Lucy went to the VIP lounge area.

The slowest method was to search room by room.

The slow method was very effective.

Sophie was indeed inside one of the rooms.

Lucy couldn’t believe Sophie was so bold, with four men sitting on the sofa, her lying across their laps, pouring wine into one man’s shirt while teasing.

Lucy pushed a small crack in the door open, then quickly closed it again.

She didn’t take the opportunity to snap a photo.

Because Sophie was, in name, Charles Sharp’s wife, as a friend, how could she let others ridicule Charles for having a "green hat"?

She didn’t stay there long; after leaving the bar, she pried open the trunk of Sophie’s car.

She sat quietly there, waiting with her backpack.

The number of people and cars on the street gradually dwindled as night deepened, with more people entering the bar than leaving.

At eleven-thirty, Sophie came out with a young man.

She was obviously drunk, the young man supporting her as they walked toward her car.

Clearly, the man intended to see her home.

Sophie sat in the passenger seat; as the young man was helping her fasten her seatbelt, she kissed his face wildly, mumbling, "I don’t want to go home, let’s have fun tonight? I’ll give you a hundred thousand."

The man obviously wouldn’t refuse, "If that’s what you want, we won’t go home."

She patted his head, "Good boy, let’s go to the wild."

"Aren’t you afraid a reporter might capture us?"

"No one will catch us."

The man chuckled, driving away.

Lucy didn’t dare breathe, fearing being discovered by them.

After driving for half an hour, they stopped on a small rural road on the city outskirts.

Once the car stopped, they started kissing passionately.

It was evident that Sophie wasn’t out looking for a man for the first time.

If it was her first, she would surely be nervous, but she wasn’t.

The entire time, she was confident and fearless.

The car continued to sway, with indistinct, tender voices filling the air.

The confined space was suffused with a particular scent; Lucy kept her eyes closed, motionlessly waiting for them to finish. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

After half an hour, as the man relaxed, Sophie began to drowse.

"While there’s air conditioning, sleeping here would still be cold; why not find a hotel? I can use my ID to book a room? You can wear a mask, and no one will recognize you."

Sophie responded vaguely.

The car stopped at a nearby hotel entrance, the man letting Sophie stay in the car as he went in alone to book a room.

The moment he entered the hotel, Lucy got out of the trunk and went straight to the driver’s seat.

Sophie, without opening her eyes, thought it was her companion returning, "Weren’t we going to a hotel? Why are we leaving?"

Lucy stayed silent. Sophie slightly opened her eyes, realizing the driver had changed.

"Who... who are you?!" She panicked, reaching to stop Lucy from driving, but Lucy knocked her unconscious with a blow.

Sophie’s phone kept ringing afterward, so Lucy stopped the car, took it from her bag, and looked; the caller ID was an unlogged local number.

It must be the man from earlier.

She swiped to answer, lazily imitating Sophie’s voice, "What’s up?"

"Why did you drive off alone?"

"Hmm."

"How am I supposed to get back? It’s late, and there are no cars available."

"That’s your problem."

"The crucial thing is you haven’t given me Ethan Hughes’s hundred thousand yet." That’s the most important!

"You should feel honored to have slept with a princess like me, and you dare ask for money? Are you mad? Don’t cause trouble for me, or you’ll regret it; I could dispose of you in a minute."

The man on the other end nearly coughed up blood, angry and humiliated, yet he truly couldn’t do anything.

"We always had fun, and you paid timely before, but this time you’re cheating and breaking your word."

"I’m cheating; what can you do about it?"

"You..."

Lucy hung up. She knew this man wouldn’t dare stir up trouble; after all, how can someone like that challenge Sophie?

As for Sophie herself, Lucy had thought of a perfect hiding spot.

Lucy drove all the way to Northriver.

By then, it was four in the morning.

She took Sophie to the secret cave once used to rescue Emma Bennett.

It was an excellent hiding place.

The sound insulation was great; even yelling wouldn’t easily alert anyone.

Lucy carried Sophie to the mountain’s halfway point and into the secret entrance.

She stripped Sophie of all her clothes and injected her with an anesthetic.

The anesthetic would keep her unconscious for most of the day.

When daylight came, Lucy bought plenty of food, drinks, and necessities, not forgetting to purchase a couple of blankets due to the frigid weather.

She left a note for her.

[Stay here quietly, I don’t want your life, and will release you in at most half a month.]

The trapdoor was hidden; if she hadn’t known the activation spot, it would be nearly impossible to find.

Half a month was the longest time she estimated, confident she wouldn’t need nearly that long.

Leaving there, Lucy put on Sophie’s disguise mask, meticulously applying makeup in front of a mirror until she was indistinguishable from Sophie.

She was very satisfied.

Carrying Sophie’s golden ID token, she made her way smoothly into the Presidential Mansion, unchallenged.