"Are you alright?"
Suzie's soft voice pulled Nicolette out of her thoughts. She shuffled on her feet and tucked her phone into her pocket.
"Yes, I'm fine," Nicolette said with a forced smile.
She couldn't begin to tell Suzie about Lucian's message. Not without making her worried and tense again. And definitely not with Richard still standing there.
"Sorry about that," Richard said, sliding a hand into his jacket pocket. "I apologize for my aunt's behavior."
Nicolette turned to him, extending the smile. "It's okay."
But it really wasn't.
Clara had humiliated her in front of everyone, and Nicolette couldn't shake the sting of it. She hated that Clara was still trying to torment her.
At least she had stood her ground. She had finally made it clear that she wasn't someone to be fucked with.
"And," Richard said, stepping forward, "how do you feel? You know, your body and all… I saw the clip…"
"I feel good. Anna helped with… my wounds," Nicolette replied with a nod.
