Chapter 227

Valeria prepared the ingredients at home. Around 11:00 am, Lindsey and Queenie arrived, bringing gifts for Selena. "Thank you, Ms. Meyer, Ms. Lurn." Valeria asked them to sit first, then went into the kitchen to prepare the side dishes. They all had lunch together. Around two in the afternoon, Lindsey received a call. Her boyfriend had come to pick her up, saying something urgent had come up. Queenie stayed a little longer but left around three. At first, Valeria didn't notice anything unusual. It wasn't until that night, after she had showered and lay down on her bed, that she noticed that the small table not far away seemed a little out of place. Her room wasn't big. At night, when she worked, she usually sat by the window on a low stool and a small square table. She got up, opened her sketchbook, and flipped through a few pages. Then, she noticed that one of her sketches, the gown she had designed for Gabriella, was gone. It had been neatly torn out. … Valeria didn't like