Miss Josefina: Nobody's Princess

Kidnapping?

A smirk threatened to break across Josefina's face as Lena cobbled together such a shoddy excuse.

"Come on, you were free to come and go as you pleased, right? The surveillance footage shows you were the last one to walk into that room. How in the world could you have been kidnapped?" In front of everyone, Josefina pierced through Lena's fabrication with a pointed tone.

Lena was left speechless. Gritting her teeth, she countered, "Some guy was tailing me, made me withdraw cash. I got the money. Just when I was about to hand it over, then... Bam! The whole mess kicked off."

Tears streaming down her face, Lena threw herself into Hattie's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "I was so scared, Mom, please help me."

Lena wept, her body quaking until she fainted away.

Josefina watched Lena's tour de force performance, half-tempted to give her a standing ovation. Such talent-she should be on Broadway or something.

Josefina chose not to expose Lena's scheme any further. Some things are best left with just a hint.

After Lena was whisked away to the hospital, Hattie and Josefina were left to handle the aftermath.

When the five men came to, none of them dared to stray from the story. As per the earlier arrangement, if caught, they'd claim they were kidnapped for ransom. What could they do? Lena's offer had been too generous to refuse.

The cops relayed this version to Hattie, who wasn't buying it one bit. The story was riddled with holes.

Hattie spent a pretty penny to keep the lid on the story, so Lena's scandal remained under wraps.

...

Annika and Josefina met up in the garden. Josefina perched on a swing beneath the shade of a tree, the warmth of the day tempered by the cool canopy above.

Annika was a bundle of nerves. "Ms. Josefina, this is all my fault. I almost got you into serious trouble."

Annika hadn't anticipated Lena's double-dealing. If not for Josefina's keen eye, the one in the crosshairs would have been her.

"Annika, don't beat yourself up. Lena needed to put on a convincing show to dupe you. Besides, I'm fine. No harm done."This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

Still, Annika's worry was palpable. The mere thought of Josefina coming close to being bullied or outmaneuvered made her stomach twist in knots.

Fuming, Annika asked, "Ms. Josefina, why didn't you give her a taste of her own medicine? Let Lena have a good look at what it feels like."

Josefina replied, "I don't want to embarrass our family because of her actions. Right now, she's stiff a member of the Harrison family. Her troubles would reflect poorly on everyone."

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If not for Hattie and Garrett's sake, Josefina wouldn't have been so lenient, and Lena's 'scare' wouldn't have been so mild.

"Keep your eyes open, Annika. Lena knows we're close and she'll definitely try something again. Just be careful."

"You can count on me, Ms. Josefina. I'll be more vigilant."

Internally, Annika cursed Lena out, branding her a conniving, nasty piece of work.

Josefina stood up, and Annika followed suit.

"I'm off to see if Lena's come around yet. She's got to face up to the little gift I've sent her way." Josefina's smile was light yet confident her natural charisma shining through. en.s.net

Josefina strolled into Lena's room, making her way to the bedside. In her hand, Josefina twirled a slender silver needle, her smile deepening "My dear sister, still not awake, huh? Looks like it's gonna take a little silver to rouse you. Don't worry. It won't hurt much."

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As Josefina aimed the needle, the person in the bed rolled away with swift agility, narrowly escaping the jab. "Josefina, what the hell are you doing!" Lena shouted, fuming. Josefina settled into an armchair, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Oh, dropping the act now, are we?"