Twice Over

Chapter 125 - Sophisticate

sophisticate
verb
1. make (someone or something) more sophisticated.
2. (archaic) talk or reason in an impressively complex and educated manner.
adjective
1. sophisticated.
noun
1. a person with much worldly experience and knowledge of fashion and culture.

"Wallace, please help me." I called him on the phone, worried that my merchandise would be gone forever and my show wouldn't be able to go ahead. Its all set up, invitations are out. It would be a major cluster fudge without the clothes and accessories, but everything was gone, all except for the samples I'd already given to my family and team as gifts. What was I going to do?

"Lily, where are you? Are you safe?" His voice was full of concern as I listened while sitting on the lounge settee with Evil Eyva 2.0 cuddling up next to me.

"Yes, I'm at the estate." I replied. Patricia, Grant, his mother and even Ms Claire were all helping the police and security team with the investigation. Very quickly our well oiled event setup had turned into a disaster of epic proportions and I was a mess.

The police had arrived and the whole van was processed. The only prints found were for the security guard who had driven the van from the Liberty Building. It was too clean though, none of Grant's prints were there from his pick up on Tuesday, none of the team's prints, nothing. Clean as a whistle.

The security guard hadn't checked the van's contents before he drove it over as he had assumed the van was loaded up already as he'd seen it being loaded earlier in the day. The whole security team at Liberty Building had. It was recorded on the security cameras. The van was loaded up, then driven around the building and down into the company car park under the building. There was only a moment where it went out of camera coverage, a blind spot, before it appeared again. So the whole team thought it was still full of boxes of my new clothes and gift wear.

The security driver was reprimanded when Montgomery arrived to help with the investigation, but between him, Denault and the estate security and the police, they had found nothing, no clues whatsoever. They could, however, confirm that the security cameras and recordings hadn't been tampered with.

"Lily, Denault had sent me an update. I'll get my people on the investigation quickly. We will find it." Wallace's voice was firm.

"What am I going to do? I can't get any more stock in this short amount of time. We have to get them back." I cried.

"Lily!" He called my name and I jolted at the firmness in his voice. His dragon aura was coming through the phone and made both Eyva and I shiver a little.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

"Yes!" I said instantly and then sighed, realising that he would find the merchandise because he said would.

"Thank you, Wallace." I had calmed down in an instant and Eyva handed me a warm drink from the coffee table in front of us.

"Good girl. Stay strong." He hung up and my phone rang again.

"Mum, Wallace said he'd find it all." I didn't even have to explain the situation as I know the estate staff had probably already updated my mother.

"Good. Then you'll just need to wait. I'll be home with JacJac soon. Stay home until I arrive." That was all she said before she also hung up.

"Dad's team will probably have it all back before dinner." Eyva's remark was half snark in her condemnation of my overreaction to the theft, and half encouragement that revealed her trust in our step father's power.

"Yeah, thank you, Eyva." I turned to find her blushing.

"Of course." She cleared her throat, shy in her play acting Eyva 1.0. She still doesn't have any memories of her life before the accident, and I still worry that one day they will all come back and she will revert back to her base code. I hate thinking that way, but I really like this new step-blister of mine. Is that a good thing? Am I a horrible person? Should I pray to what ever goddess in the universe out there that she never gets her memories back? Should I feel guilty thinking like that?

Eyva chuckles at my dumb look as she waves a hand in front on my open daze. "Earth to Lily. Don't worry. It will all be recovered." Eyva encouraged. I turned to fully look at her and smiled, then noticed a new gem stone on a new cuff on her ear.

"You got another piercing?!" I exclaimed and pulled my step sister around so I could see her right ear that had been turned away from me. She refused to let me see it, exclaiming it was nothing.

"Not nothing, you got another piercing without asking dad!" I cried, then tried to pull her over to see the new earring. We struggled, giggled and I finally came out on top, literally, sitting on her stomach as she tried to turn her face away from me.

"Show me now, or I'm telling Wallace." I threatened. She stopped struggling as we both heard a deep voice.

"Tell me what?" I jumped as Wallace stepped into the room, looking over the back of the couch as Eyva and I froze in place, me still sitting her top of her. She turned slowly to face her step father, much as I had, but then I realised I could now see her new earring.

"Ooooh, so pretty!" On the upper helix of her right ear sat a lovely mini cuff in platinum or white gold, sparkling with tiny blue diamonds – because they would only be diamond – in the shape of leaves on vines with a tiny butterfly.

"I love it!" I squealed, then tickled her while I had her under my control. "But you should have asked me first, young lady!" I yelled at her as I meted out my punishment.

"No, stop!" She giggled, trying to get me to cut it out. "Its not pierced. Its not pierced!" When I realised what I'd heard, I stopped, got up off her, then turned to Wallace, our shared father, and cupped my hands together with a small bow.

"Sir, the step sibling hasn't marred her ears past standard requirements and high society expectations. It isn't permanent and the jewellery can be removed. Please do not met out unnecessary punishments. Necessary punishments are welcome." I was giggling by the time I looked back up to a very amused Wallace.

"Hey!" Eyva complained as she got up off the floor, then pounced on me, wrapping her legs around my hips causing us both to land on the couch as she tickled me in revenge.

"All right, you two. Settle down."

"Yes, Wallace." We both spoke at the same time, like we were answering our teacher in a school classroom. Then we both giggled as we sat up and turned towards him.

"OK, Lily, We've located your missing van and have a team bringing it in now."

"Yus! Thank you Wallace!" I jumped up and gave him a quick hug, then escaped the lounge to give the news to my team.

"And you, Eyva. No piercings. No boyfriends. No tattoos!" Wallace's voice rung around the room as I quickly left giggling. I'd got her into trouble and I knew she'd pay me back, Eyva 1.0 or 2.0 none-withstanding.

"They found the van!" I called out to Patricia, Grant and Ms Claire. They all looked relieved. "It should be here shortly. It will take time for the police to process it, so let's go through everything for the show before we have access to it all."

"Good, glad to hear it." Grant smiled as the three of them expressed their happiness that my clothing merchandise might have been recovered.