Chapter 252:
Alicia couldn’t wrap her head around Caden’s erratic behavior lately. Not long ago, he had been adamant about keeping her in the dark, but today, he had personally asked her to meet Lina. She had only agreed after confirming that Yolanda wouldn’t be anywhere near the company.
The moment she laid eyes on Lina, Alicia’s breath hitched. The sight of her was unsettling.
Lina was flawless—so human-like, it was eerie.
“You made this?” Alicia asked, her voice tight as she stared at Lina, a chill snaking down her spine. “Is it… real skin?”
Caden, noticing her unease, smirked and responded coolly, “If I could use real skin in business, I’d have conquered the world by now.”
Alicia swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “But it looks so real.”
Without warning, Caden commanded, “Shake her hand.”
As Lina stepped forward, her hand outstretched, Alicia’s nerves got the better of her. She let out a startled cry and darted across the room, her eyes wide with fear.
In an instant, Caden caught her by the arm and calmly led her back to where she had been standing. Lina, still smiling, extended her hand again.
“Hello,” she said, her voice eerily close to human, though tinged with a mechanical hum.
Alicia forced herself to meet Lina’s gaze, her pulse still racing, but then something in her shifted. She froze.
Lina’s face…
The more Alicia studied her, the more familiar Lina became, as if she had known her all along. Pieces of memories rushed back, flashing in her mind.
Somehow, Lina’s face was in those fragments.
gⱯlnσν𝓮𝓁s﹒𝒸оm opens doors to fiction
In that instant, her fear melted away. Alicia stepped forward and cautiously took Lina’s outstretched hand.
Unexpectedly, Lina’s fingers were ice-cold.
Caden raised an eyebrow, amused. “What happened to being terrified? Weren’t you just convinced she’d eat you alive?”
Alicia withdrew her hand, turning her gaze toward him. “Caden, you’re so determined to perfect her because she means something, doesn’t she?”
His smile was faint but filled with meaning. “Of course. She’s beautiful.”
“You care about her, don’t you?”
“I love her,” Caden corrected, his gaze softening as he stared dotingly at Lina. “More than anything or anyone else in this world.”
Alicia felt a tightness in her chest as tears welled up in her eyes.
She leaned in closer, her voice barely above a whisper. “I know who she is.”
Caden’s hand froze mid-motion.
His voice turned darker. “You do?”
