The busy signal beeped from the phone, leaving Lady Stephens in a kind of bewildered panic.
The course of events seemed to have exceeded her expectations; she hadn't thought it would change to this extent.
Sitting on the sofa, Lady Stephens's hands began to tremble, and she buried her face into her palms.
She had lied to Daisy Ginger.
This lie was full of holes, leaking from all sides, yet Daisy, clever as she was, still chose to believe it. She was truly desperate to the extreme, trying to hold onto even the tiniest shred of hope.
She used Daisy's love for Edward Stephens to deceive her.
But she hadn't expected that her son would also be ensnared in the lie.
She wasn't a smart person; things had already gone beyond her expectations. At this point, Lady Stephens was truly at a loss, not knowing what to do.
*
Edward Stephens returned to the villa, weary from travel.
Charlotte Smith immediately stood up from the sofa upon seeing his return and looked up at him.
