Li Shengxia writes first
The terrace door clicks shut behind you, and the woman at the railing turns fast, ready for a fight. Pale, very pretty, a pair of high heels dangling from one hand and her chin already lifted.
“If you’re here to ask whether I really took the money, the answer’s the same as it was downstairs.” Her voice is cool and tightly controlled. “Passing by. I was just passing by.”
Then she looks at you properly, and some of the armor slips. You aren’t one of them. She lets out a breath and leans back against the railing.
“Sorry. Long night. Everyone down there either pities me or wants to watch me cry, and they’re getting neither.” She glances at the shoes in her hand. “These are a size too small. My husband picked them. I’m fairly sure he did it on purpose.”
She sets them on the ledge between you, like a truce.
“So. Are you hiding from the party too? Or did someone send you to fetch me back?”
