THE LUNA CHOOSING GAME - Season 5 Episode 71

“Oh, no! Piper, I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed. She placed her empty glass down on a nearby table then held her hands out to me like she intended to do something. Yet she never actually touched me or my clothes. “What can we do? That will stain right away!” She was right. Red wine stains didn’t come out at all once they were set.

I studied Bridget for a moment, trying to determine if this had truly been an accident. Everything had happened so quickly. Bridget could have lost balance. In the moment, that had been what it looked like.

Bridget was a professional actress. She could make anything look accidental.

But what would her end goal have been

for deception? To ruin my outfit? To get me out of the way? I wasn’t even talking to Nicholas, I had been talking to Julian! And Bridget hadn’t really shown any possessive interest in him. At least, not on the same level of Nicholas.

If this hadn’t been an accident, that meant that Bridget had it personally out for me, and that just seemed so… I don’t know. Too much.

It had to be an accident.

Veronica stood from her spot. She had a handkerchief and tried to help me wipe at the various spots. But it didn’t matter. The stain seemed set already and trying to wipe it away only stretched the stain out, making it worse.

The outfit was basically trash now.

Unless I could get it soaking in cold water. That might be the only way to salvage it.

Veronica traded me the handkerchief for the empty bottle. “We’ll keep an eye on Elva,” she said. “Go change.” That seemed like the best plan to me.

“Thank you,” I told her.

“Oh, Piper. Forgive me,” Bridget said.

@® I didn’t reply as I walked around her and headed toward the sliding glass door that seemed to lead inside.

One of the wait staff was there. As I gestured to my shirt, I asked, “Do you have any idea where my luggage is?”

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The waiter looked sympathetic. “We’ve moved all the luggage into the foyer while the room assignments are being made. You should find your bag there.

“Thank you. And the bathrooms?” “Third door on the left.” “Thank you.” They opened the door for me and I slipped inside. The inside of the building was as beautiful as the outside, with bamboo motifs and a tropical theme. Photos of palm leaves and exotic birds covered most of the walls. The furniture was mostly wicker with decorative cushions. I The foyer was much smaller than the one in the palace. It was mostly just a mudroom, where one could change I

their shoes and hang their clothes in the nearby closet. Our luggage was lined up there, just inside the door. I recognized mine right away. It was the most beat up of the bunch.

I grabbed my bag and dragged it back toward the bathroom. I found it exactly where the waiter described.

Some of the staff at the palace hadn’t always liked me. Some still didn’t. I was worried a little about what the situation would be here. It was a relief to know that the staff here would not be repeating the trend I experienced there. Maybe the tropical weather helped people feel happier.

One even joined me as I stood there.

“111 take your clothes for you when you are ready, Miss. The sooner we get them washed, the more likely we can

remove that stain.” I was incredibly grateful to her. So I ducked into the bathroom with my bag, changed out of my clothes, and then held them out for her after opening the door enough for my arm.

She collected them, and I heard her footsteps disappear down the hallway.

With relief, I turned to my suitcase. I set it down on the floor, zipped it open, and in a flash, all good feelings vanished. Instead, my heart sank.

“What the…?” The inside of my bag was covered in sticky red paint! It looked like someone had put a paint bomb in here. Cursing, I dug through my clothes, searching for something that had been left

untouched by the splatters and drips of the paint, bit every single one of my clothes seemed damaged. @ For this to have happened, someone must have put in a few different paint bombs, to create the maximum damage.

Thank God I had brought packed Elva’s clothing in a separate smaller bag tucked into the corner of this one. That seemed entirely untouched, except for the outside of the bag. Inside, Elva’s clothes were safe and sound.

But that didn’t help me right now.

What was I going to do? All of my clothes were damaged. And I had already given my stained clothes to the waiting house-person.

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I would have to stay here until

someone came looking for me. God, 1 hoped it would be Veronica or Julian, and not Bridget. ws I guess I didn’t have any other options.

Unless…

I closed the lid of the suitcase and then opened the top flap. There, I had stashed the two piece bikini that I had been too embarrassed to try on. It had seemed too revealing then. But. We were on a beach, right? Would it really be so bad for me to put on my swimsuit? € At least for as long as I could get Veronica’s attention. Maybe she could lend me something else to wear for now. Even though our styles and sizes were different. Something would be better than nothing.

Plan set, I slide my underwear off and the bikini on. God, it really didn’t leave much to the imagination. The triangles covered my nipples well enough, but much of the swell of my breasts were exposed. And the bottoms showed much more of my ass than I would have liked.

I closed my eyes and took a breath, steadying myself. This was fine. It was the beach. Everyone dressed like this.

No one will probably even bat an eye at me wearing this.

Still, as I went to leave the bathroom, I opened the door a crack to make sure no one was coming from either direction. Then I crept up the hallway, carefully plotting places to hide in case I someone came along.

No one would notice me behind that

potted plant, right? And those curtains seemed bulky enough to protect me.

Near the party, I slipped around into one of the more empty rooms. There were open windows along this side of the house that opened out onto the deck. If I could find one nearest Veronica and Julian, I could whisper at them through the window, all without giving myself away to anyone else.

I found a room with a window in the right position. The room was empty, thank God. Crouching, I crept toward the window. Unfortunately, a few long feet separated the window from where Julian sat. Veronica had moved even farther away and was talking with Elva.

Bridget, thankfully, had moved

somewhere else.

Julian was my only hope, then.

“Julian,” I hissed, afraid to raise my voice too much. He didn’t seem to notice at all. I dared to whisper a little louder. “Julian.” He lifted his head. Did he hear me that time? Yet before I could feel any of the high of victory, a set of footsteps sounded behind me. They were close. Too close.

Someone was right there. I glanced, and oh no.

It was Nicholas.