Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 1168

Estelle got home to find a bunch of workers in matching uniforms next door, hauling stuff. It looked like they were giving the place a makeover, replacing all the old stuff with new.

As soon as Estelle showed up, the dude in charge was all, "You live next door, right?"

"Yep!" Estelle responded. "Need a hand?"

"Nah, but if we're making too much noise or something, just let me know and we'll fix it right up." The guy was totally chill.

Estelle wasn't one to nitpick, so she was cool with it. "No worries; as long as you guys aren't making a racket during my downtime, we're good."

"Gotcha. We'll work around your schedule, keep quiet on weekends, or do the light stuff that doesn't make a lot of noise so we don’t bug you," the guy assured her.

Estelle thought to herself, "What a considerate renovation company!"

She nodded, "Thanks!"

The guy thanked her with a smile, then turned around and told his crew to clock off and not disturb the lady next door.

Before long, the workers were all gone.

The next couple of days were pretty smooth. The renovators would show up when Estelle was at work and leave when she got off. Aside from the occasional greeting, they were pretty much invisible.

They kept their tools and materials neat and clean; they even went as far as sweeping the hallway when they left. Talk about professionalism!

One Thursday after work, Estelle got a call from Yulia on the road.

"Is this Estelle?" Yulia's voice came through the phone, sounding as bland as ever. "I've got this thing coming up where I need a dress. I don't want to wear someone else's. I want you to design it for me. Come over now so we can talk about what I want."

In the script, the lady was throwing a party and invited Yulia’s character, but she didn't have a dress. According to the script, she made the dress herself.

Estelle pondered, "What about Carmella? Isn't she your personal designer?"

As they brushed past her, Estelle got a clear view of the drunk woman. It was Yulia!

Yulia turned her head and looked at Estelle. Her eyes were red, and she stared at Estelle. Her lips moved, but she didn't say anything.

Estelle walked past the grand entrance of the Midnight Bar and continued into the lobby, but after two steps, she stopped dead in her tracks.

She didn't like Yulia, but she quickly turned around, grabbed the guy at the end of the group, and shoved him forward, then leaped forward and kicked the guy holding Yulia in the face.

Before they could react, she lunged forward, quickly grabbed Yulia, and threw her backward.

The others reacted quickly too, pulling out knives and charging at Estelle.

After a brief confrontation, Estelle realized she was dealing with a bunch of pros.

There were seven of them, men and women, their faces cold and emotionless. Their movements were swift; it was hard to tell them apart.