Chapter 177 That Marjorie Might Be Fake
"Coincidence?" Margaret raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Juniper nodded, lips tight. "When did Marjorie show up?"
"The day I got engaged to William," Margaret said, thinking hard.
"And before that? Marjorie was a ghost?" Juniper smirked. "I saw on the gossip sites that Marjorie sings at Enigma Bar, goes by Angel."
"Yeah, I saw her at the bar during Samuel's birthday," Margaret nodded, catching on to Juniper's drift.
Juniper added, "That's super weird. You said William's been hunting for Marjorie for years with no luck. You even had Anthony dig into her, and he came up empty. Marjorie's just a bar singer; how could Anthony not find her? Anthony's one of the top hackers out there. You know he's got mad skills."
Margaret squinted, agreeing. "Juniper, you're right. I missed some stuff."
"Margaret, you ditched the engagement on a whim, giving Marjorie a shot," Juniper snorted. "I even think Marjorie might be a phony."
"Phony?" Margaret frowned. She flashed back to that morning at the Fisher Group. Marjorie was totally fake, nothing like the sweet girl William talked about. Something was definitely fishy.
Margaret rubbed her head. "But William wouldn't mistake someone."
William was so sure Angel was Marjorie, there shouldn't be a mix-up. Where did it all go wrong?
Juniper wasn't buying it. "Why not? Didn't you say William once thought you were Marjorie? So he could mess up again. And this Marjorie popped up on your engagement day, crashing the party. Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"
Margaret thought for a sec. "I'll dig into it when I get back. Juniper, let's drop it for now. My main goal is to find Pryce and get Bradley cured ASAP."
"Margaret, you gotta dig deep. It's rare to find someone you like; don't give up so easy," Juniper said softly.
After a long trek, Margaret and Juniper finally hit Glacial Crest. It was a huge, snowy mountain range, all white and empty.
"Margaret, you sure Pryce is here?" Juniper shivered from the cold.
"If my gut's right." Margaret rubbed her hands, blowing warm air on them. "He once said he wanted to live in Glacial Crest."
"Alright, gut feeling," Juniper said, exasperated.
Margaret looked at the nearly frozen Juniper. "Why don't we ask around?"
"Okay." Juniper nodded, scanning the area.
At the mountain's base, there was a tiny village with a few scattered houses. Margaret and Juniper knocked on one of the doors. "Anyone home?"
A middle-aged woman with graying hair opened the door, eyeing them curiously. "Who you looking for?"
"Is there a place called Crystal Peak around here?" Margaret asked. She remembered Pryce once saying if he ever settled in Glacial Crest, he'd pick Crystal Peak 'cause his loved one was there.
The middle-aged woman nodded and pointed to a distant peak. "It's on that mountain."
There really was a place called Crystal Peak! Margaret's heart skipped a beat. "Is it far? If we head out now, when can we get there?"
The woman eyed them suspiciously. "What business do you have going to Crystal Peak in this snowy weather?"
"We're looking for someone," Margaret smiled.
"Looking for someone? Are you looking for Pryce?" The woman suddenly got it.
"Yes, yes," Margaret nodded like crazy. "Can you tell me how to find him?"
"Come inside, girls," the woman said, seeing the two nearly frozen, and invited them in.
"Can you tell us about Pryce?" Juniper asked, seeing Margaret's eager face, and smiled.
The woman handed them two cups of hot water. "Pryce is a strange guy. He insisted on living in Crystal Peak. But he's a good guy. When the weather's good, he often comes down to help the villagers with their illnesses. His medical skills are top-notch."
Margaret and Juniper exchanged glances. "It must be him."
The woman asked curiously, "How do you know Pryce? He's very secretive and doesn't let anyone talk about him."
"My grandpa is his friend," Margaret said truthfully.
"I see," the woman nodded. "It's been snowing in the mountains these days. He won't come down. Why don't you stay in the village for a few days and go find him when the weather clears?"
"I want to go now." With news of Pryce, Margaret couldn't wait. Even if she could wait, Bradley's illness couldn't. The sooner she found Pryce, the sooner Bradley could wake up.
"It's dangerous to go into the mountains in the snow," the woman kept persuading Margaret and Juniper, "Especially for you two girls from out of town. It's not safe."
"Juniper, you stay here," Margaret said after thinking, "Wait for me here."
"You want to go into the mountains alone? No way." Juniper grabbed Margaret. "Let's see how it goes. Maybe the snow will stop tomorrow."
"Bradley can't wait," Margaret said firmly, "Juniper, you know my temper."
"But..." Juniper wanted to say more, but Margaret cut her off, "Do as I say. You stay here. If something happens to me, you need to find help."
Seeing Margaret's determination, Juniper knew it was useless to argue. She carefully asked the woman about the precautions for going into the mountains and repeatedly reminded Margaret to be careful.
"I will." Margaret put on a thick down jacket, wrapped a red scarf, and wore cotton gloves, smiling. "Wait for my good news!"
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