The shop owner glanced over at the neighboring store and replied, âThat shop? Itâs been closed for business for quite a while now.
â
Right after saying this, her face seemed to brighten with recollection, and she sighed, âIts owner, Lilyana Rayne, had remarkable skills, but itâs a shame this place is so remote.
Running a business here is already challenging, and handmade clothing like Lilyanaâs, which lacks the appeal of big-name brands, doesnât attract young people.
The costs involved make it almost impossible to sustain the business in this Location.
â
Listening attentively to her Lament, Ariana realized that Lilyana must be the owner of the closed shop, and the woman in front of her knew Lilyana.
Seizing the opportunity, she quickly inquired, âCould you tell me where Lilyana resides?â
Hearing Arianaâs request, the woman scrutinized her with a mix of suspicion and caution.
âWhy do you want to know the old ladyâs address?â she asked warily.
Ariana swiftly comprehended the misunderstanding and hastened to explain, âI happened to come across a gorgeous dress someone bought from here online, and Iâm interested in having one custom-made as well.
â
The woman appeared slightly reassured and nodded.
âAlright, you seem like a nice young Lady, not someone with ill intentions.
However, Iâm afraid I canât assist you.
â
âWhy not?â Ariana pondered as she stood in the quaint little shop, her gaze fixed on the woman.
Thinking that the woman still had doubts about her, she was ready to present the evidence from the blog post that would justify this air of mistrust.
âI simply desire a custom-made skirt.
â
However, the woman merely shook her head, a melancholic expression etched on her face.
âItâs not that I lack faith in your words,â she began, her voice carrying a tinge of sympathy.
âLilyana, the skilled seamstress, used to reside at 101 Stone House, adjacent to South Park.
However, she relocated to the bustling city with her children last year.
I am unaware of her current address or contact information.
â
âOh⦠I see.
Thank you,â Ariana replied, a tinge of disappointment evident in her voice.
Yet, she was determined not to surrender so easily to this setback.
Perhaps a visit to the Stone House would be worth a try? Ariana pondered.
What if she happened to meet Lilyana there?
With newfound hope flickering within, Ariana set forth on her journey towards the Stone House, her steps carrying a mix of anticipation and uncertainty.
As she took only a few strides, Ariana was startled by the womanâs hushed murmurs that reached her ears.
âIt seems there are quite a few people who appreciate Lilyanaâs skills.
This is already the second person whoâs come asking.
Why couldnât she keep the shop going? After all, it was doing well.
â
Intrigued, Ariana halted her progress, turned around, and inquired, âPardon me, but did you just mention someone else looking for Lilyana recently?â
Ariana was both serious and anxious, which somewhat confused the woman.
After thinking for a while, the woman stammered, âYes, yes, he was a quite handsome young man.
â
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âWas he about this tall?â Ariana leveled her hand to Theodoreâs approximate height.
The woman thought for a while and then nodded in agreement.
Ariana gave more details to the woman to be sure it was indeed the same person, and the more the woman nodded, the more Ariana was convinced that it was indeed Theodore.
But even so, she was still uncertain.
She was worried that her excitement was premature, and that she would be even more disappointed in the end if it wasnât him.
She eventually thought of showing the woman a photo of Theodore, but then she realized that she had very few photos of Theodore in her phone.
Heaving a deep sigh, Ariana gave up on the idea and just asked the woman, âDo you know where that man went afterward?â
The woman shook her head.
âHow would I know? He seemed to be from another city and he came last week.
I havenât seen him since, so he probably left the town.
â
A week ago⦠Ariana roughly calculated the time and felt more certain that the person the woman was talking about was indeed Theodore.
It reassured her that she hadnât come all the way here for nothing.