32 FRIEND OR FOE?

The door of the express elevator suddenly opened and an elegant woman stepped out.

Her high-heeled emerald wedge shoes thumped on the polished floor, which will naturally make anybody turn around to properly look at where it's coming from.

She was wearing a ¾ sleeved casual A-line knee-length emerald dress knotted collectively with the same shade of the belt. Her glossy hair was sleek and tied on the right side.

"Greetings, Erin!" She greeted her dear friend in a cordial yet refined tone.

By her dignified posture and how she projects her commanding presence, anyone would undoubtedly see that she was of noble origin.

Erin and Zoe fixed themselves, with Erin acknowledging the attractive woman with a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Hello, Veronica." She reluctantly approached her in a sociable way.

'Erin must have associated with every local villager on this isle,' Zoe muttered in amazement at her companion who seemed to know everybody, from the clerk to the stock owners of Lord Howe Island.

"I'm surprised. I assumed you had already gone back to your country." She said thoughtfully as she struck up a civil conversation with her.

Afterward, she flashed at Zoe and beamed her a modest smile.

"I was. But I returned here for a reason," Erin merely responded with the corners of her lips twitched up and a raised eyebrow.

Zoe observed her friend who was having a tête-à-tête with an accomplished lady in front of her. She was having a normal chat with her, but something was off, and she could feel it.

'She looks familiar..." Zoe cleared her throat.

Erin glanced at her and introduced her to her acquaintance.

"By the way, this is my longtime friend, Zoe. Zoe, this is Veronica Zhōu. She was the daughter of one stockholder of Lord Howe Island."

As soon as she heard the surname Zhōu, her eyes widened as she peered back at the sophisticated female standing in front of them.

After carefully scrutinizing her from head to toe, she came to a conclusion. She was the daughter of Lady Zhōu! No wonder she appeared familiar to her.

Veronica grinned amiably at her and generously offered her rosy palm to shake hers.

She stared grimly at it, wondering if it is a hand of a dear friend or a potential foe. 

'Does she have an idea about what Lady Zhou just did out there? Or is she the Lady Zhou that he was talking about?'

Zoe glanced at Erin, who seemed to obtain more information about her. She nodded at her to do so.

Because her lifelong friend gave her the go-signal, she humbly offered Veronica a welcoming smile and shook her hand. "I'm delighted to meet you."

Veronica gently squeezed her hand in confirmation, "The pleasure is mine. Though this was not the first time, right?"

That incident seemed to be unforgettable for both of them. "I apologized again for that one." 

"I am not aware of that," Erin butted in with a confused smile.

"It's my fault," Zoe told Erin. She doesn't want this issue to take its time.

"Really? I'm sorry about that. Why don't you connect with us at our reunion this weekend?" Erin blurted out while grinning from ear to ear without thinking and then looked at Zoe.

On the other hand, Zoe smiled back at her, but she was jerking her head vigorously.

Veronica gave them her back her sweetest smile.