THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 425: Talk A Corpse Out Of Decaying

"Candace’s cousin is into interior decoration. And we’ll also be needing Ariel, Kathleen’s assistant."

"Luckily she’s still around. What will she be doing?" Cheryl asked.

"Well, since Kathleen’s not around, it makes sense for Ariel to step in as her able assistant. She can work alongside your husband’s assistant to handle the technical aspects."

"And how do you suggest I manage all of that?"

"Simple. Have them give you progress updates every twelve hours. Then you can relay those to Jason for final analysis and approval."

Cheryl nodded enthusiastically. She was intrigued about how Lauren was going about the whole thing.

"Also, I heard Shawn’s mother is back to town. We can arrange with her to give you some hostess’s tips which I’m sure she’d gladly help with as a recognized and award winning hostess of Baltimore."

After laying out the entire plan, Lauren smiled. "So, what do you think?"

Cheryl’s eyes shone in admiration and she rushed out to clasp Lauren in a warm hug. "You sure are a lifesaver. I can already see the event as a huge success. Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without you?"

Lauren chuckled as Cheryl broke the embrace. "I did nothing special, all I did was use what was at our disposal to get what you want. You have all the resources around you but getting them to play as a team was what was missing. The ability to put a square peg in a square hole and a round peg in a round hole is what we just did here."

Cheryl shook her head in disbelief. "You should be running a massive business empire with this kind of strategy, not just a coffee shop."

"Empress Brews is more than enough for me," Lauren replied with a smile.

"Cheryl grinned. "At the rate you’re going presently, it won’t take long for Empress Brews to become a huge business empire. People will be thrilled when I announce that the coffee at the event was provided by the renowned CEO of Empress Brews."

"You flatter me. It’s not surprising though, with your glib tongue as a lawyer. You can ever talk a corpse out of decaying."

"Now who among us has a glib tongue? How did you even come up with that unbelievable flattery? Anyways, let’s forget about it. How’s my dear brother-in-law?"

"He should be at the theater now. Yesterday, he told me of a major surgery scheduled for this morning."

"So... how has it been since he returned? Any change?" Cheryl asked, her gossiping mood activated now that her major headache had been taken care of.

"He’s fine. Nothing has changed. The best news is that his memory has been fully restored."

"That’s great. It will be very useful in court. I still have a meeting with your brother and Steffan’s brother later today to finalize everything."

"Sounds good," Lauren said, gathering her things. "I should head out now. Call me if anything comes up for next week’s event."

"Will do, and thanks again, Lauren."

"I should be the one thanking you, the great legal luminary of our time," Lauren said with a wink. "How would I have been able to afford your services with the meager income from my little coffee shop?"

Cheryl laughed as she stood to see Lauren out. "You’ve definitely overstayed your welcome now. Get out before you talk me into charging you."

Lauren grinned. "So, you’re kicking me out?"

As they reached the door, Cheryl shook her head, still marveling at how Lauren had effortlessly laid out the event plan.

"You know, Lauren," Cheryl said with a laugh, "if I ever decide to run for office, I’m hiring you as my campaign manager."

Lauren smiled as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "Just as long as I always get out of any problem I might cause."

Cheryl grinned. "Deal!"

They shared a final laugh before Lauren opened the door.

"Seriously though," Lauren said, turning back to face Cheryl, "if you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask. I’m sure you’ve got it handled, but just in case."

"I’ll keep that in mind," Cheryl said. "With your help, I’m confident everything will be flawless. You’ve given me the blueprint."

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

"Take care," Cheryl called after her as Lauren stepped out into the bright sun.

As Lauren made her way to her car, her phone buzzed with a message from Steffan.

’Surgery went well. Care for lunch with this poor doctor?’

Lauren smiled at her phone. ’Sorry, I need to stop by Empress Brews today, but let’s do dinner instead. And, congrats on the surgery,’ she typed back and almost immediately, a sad emoji popped up in reply, making her chuckle.

’I’ll make it up to you,’ she quickly typed.

’Promise?’ Steffan responded almost immediately.

’Yes, I promise,’ Lauren replied, adding a heart emoji as she slid into the driver’s seat.

On her way to Empress Brews, she decided to make a quick stop at a supermarket to grab a few things for the house. As she pulled into the parking lot, her phone rang. It was Candace, Stanley’s wife.

"Hello, sis. What’s up?" Lauren answered with a smile.

"I wanted us to go check out the wedding dress. Ruth said it’s ready."

"Alright. I’ll head over as soon as I see them at the cafe, let’s say in two hours. Is that okay by you?"

"It’s fine. I’ll see you then."

After ending the call with Candace, she stepped out of the car and headed to the supermarket. She had hardly gotten through the gate of the car park when she saw a beggarly figure crouched against a pole not too far from the supermarket.

She intended to mind her business but there was something oddly familiar about the figure that didn’t allow her to look away.

Drawn by curiosity, she moved closer but was careful enough to maintain a safe distance, and on detailed inspection her eyes widened in shock.

"No! It can’t be. There’s no way this is the same proud and arrogant Ms Peggy that had almost ruined her reputation during the competition.

To confirm she was truly the one, Lauren called out hesitantly, Peggy? Ms Carter and the woman’s gaze that locked onto hers was dull and empty as if her soul had been separated from her body. Not long after there was a flicker of something in those eyes as recognition dawned on her.

’She’s really the one,’ Lauren muttered in disbelief as she staggered back in shock. What could have happened to her to reduce her to this state.

She was still lost in wonder when she suddenly felt a change in the air around her. Probably with her past experiences and with Dolly’s threat still hanging out there, she’s learned to be extra sensitive to slight changes around her. Her eyes darted up in time to see the thin figure lunge at her.

In a split second she saw the once melancholy eyes take on a ferocious glare and just when those claw-like fingers would have dug into her skin, Lauren deftly stepped aside, causing Peggy to collapse in a heap a few feet from her.

Lauren stood aside to catch her breath from the rush of adrenaline at the sudden attack.