BEAU (TheLarssonLegacy#1)

CHAPTER TWENTY- ONE - SIENNA

TRIGGER WARNING: HEAVY VIOLENCE AND BLOOD LOSS

Delilah whisks us girls off for a day of shopping. We mill around the Trafford Center before heading back up towards the apartments so we can look around Harvey Nichols.

"Fenty Beauty is here. I'll be a while," Annabelle says, rushing over to the counter.

Delilah laughs. "Okay, darling. We'll be looking at the handbags and jewellery."

Accessories are directly across from makeup, so we only have to take a few steps before we reach the expensive pieces. Gucci. Dior. Vivienne Westwood.

They stock it all, and I feel slightly stupid for spotting a diamond ring and thinking one hundred and thirty is a reasonable price once I spot the other zeroes.

Delilah takes a peep over my shoulder at what has me gawking, probably assuming I like it and not because I think it's grossly overpriced. "That's a pretty ring," she says.

I carry on walking. "It costs more than my flat did."

"Believe it or not, that's cheap for what they sell here. We once went into the Briggate store in Leeds and almost had a heart attack at the rare necklace they had on sale for three million pounds."

"You're lying," I gasp.

She laughs. "I'm not. Crazy right?"

"Insane," I say, using the railing to walk up the stairs to the skincare section. "I can't even imagine spending that much money on one item."

"I could do with some new wrinkle cream," Delilah says, and I want to know her secret as her skin is still as smooth as butter.

A woman hovers close to us for two stations before catching my eye and approaching us by the Dermalogica skincare counter. A knee-length lace dress and Louboutin heels on her feet. "Paulina's daughter?"

I freeze on the spot. All of my blood escaping to my feet. For goodness sake. Who is this now?

"No," I say harshly, which is probably a wrong decision if I want to play dumb. "I don't know a Paulina."

Sensing my ordeal, Delilah slips her arm around me when the younger lady tilts her head to study me harder. "She's my daughter."

The woman's eyes grow wide. "My apologies. You look so similar to an old friend of mine."

Paulina didn't have time for friends; if she did, they left because she ended up screwing them over anyway.

I cling to Delilah so hard I'm worried I'm hurting her, but she doesn't move away. She's standing her ground.

When an older guy approaches with several items of clothing draped over his arm, it all becomes clear. She's an escort.

I push back into Delilah's hold. "Let's go."