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When the bus stopped, I got up and smiled at the couple. “You make a lovely couple. I wish you great health and happiness.”

Martha and her husband beamed and wished the same for me. I just made their evening better by offering them kindness. Those priceless gestures were rare these days.

I walked into Elegant Cosmetics, which wasn’t too busy. Three other customers were in the shop. A sales associate adjusted a sign that promoted a discount on a new makeup product.

I spotted Theabehind the counter, wearing the black uniform with the shop’s name on it. She had light brown hair and a pretty face.

I walked up to her and smiled. “Hello. I see you have new makeup.”

“Yes, we do.” She beamed, looking like her brother. “These are all organic. I’m wearing the foundation and eyeshadow. Do you want to try it?”

“Sure.” I slid onto the stool. “I only have a little makeup on.”

“You have nice skin.” She cleaned my face with gentle aloe wipes and added a toner.

“You look familiar,” I said as she tested a foundation.

She paused and studied me. “I don’t know you.”

I tapped my head. “Yes, I remember you now. Emmanuel showed me pictures of you and him. We dated for a short time.”

Fear splashed onto her face, and she whispered, “I don’t want any trouble.”

Surprised by her response, I said, “I’m not here to hurt you. Emmanuel was good to me when we first started dating, but then he changed. Now, I don’t even recognize his character.”

Sadness stirred in her eyes. “I know.”

“Did something happen to him?”

She bit her lip, ignored my question, and added foundation to my face. “This suits your skin tone perfectly.”

“He’s been threatening me,” I said. “But I don’t understand why.”

She arched her brow. “What do you mean?”

I gave her a brief account of his blackmail but kept out the part where I’d already paid him some money.

Thea glanced around, making sure no one was nearby. “Some powerful people did something to him. He’s not the same person anymore.” Tears brimmed in her eyes. “He told me to stay away from him because they’ll hurt me.”

Was Emmanuel being blackmailed too?

“Who’s blackmailing him?”

She looked at me, and I could tell she was weighing how much to trust me.

“I don’t want to hurt Emmanuel. Someone is forcing him to hurt me. I want it to stop. What if these people are forcing him to hurt others? Those people might not be as considerate as me. What if they retaliate with violence?”

Understanding flashed in her eyes. “I don’t know who they are. He called me from the hospital one day, and I took him home. But from that day on, he acted differently.”

“Did he say why he was in the hospital?”

She shook her head. “He wouldn’t tell me. He said it was best I didn’t know.”

My intuition was right. Something had happened to Emmanuel. What did they have on him? How did these people know about the event in the alleyway?

I looked in the mirror, loving the makeup Thea had used on me. “I love the casual, yet elegant look. What’s the eyeshadow color?”

“Lavender pink.” She smiled. “It looks great on you. You have naturally long lashes. You don’t need extensions.”