Carissa was momentarily speechless before she regained her voice. She gulped, offering a believable lie to explain her absence, hoping to diffuse the tension. "I was caught up in a meeting with a client," she replied smoothly, her smile returning. "You know how it goes."
Louisa nodded, though her suspicions lingered. She pressed further. "What client? You're the boss P. A., I don't think you had to see a client today on his behalf…"
"It was a last-minute situation," Carissa interjected.
Leaning closer, Louisa couldn't help but take a whiff of Carissa. "Why do you smell off?"
Carissa gulped, almost freezing as an unpleasant thought hit her.
"Why do you look like you just had a bath or something after a…" Louisa halted abruptly, not knowing what to conclude, but her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Taking sight of Carissa's wet hair, a feeling crept into Louisa, and she hurled a suspicious question. "Carissa, what were you doing in the past few hours?"
