"Allison," Alexa greeted softly as she approached Allsion, as though they'd simply crossed paths by coincidence. Her voice was warm and shaded with the faintest note of surprise.
Allison's expression shifted when she drew close enough to see Alexa's face properly. Her eyes widened, scanning the purplish smudge half-hidden under cosmetics, then darting back up in a quick attempt to mask the reaction.
"What on earth—Alexa, what happened to you?" Allison asked in a sharp tone that was a mix of alarm and suspicion.
Alexa's smile was small but practised. "Oh, it's nothing you need to trouble yourself with. Just… an unfortunate incident."
"An incident?" Allison's brow furrowed. "If someone laid a hand on you..."
"The police are already involved," Alexa interrupted lightly, as though smoothing over a wrinkle in conversation. Her gaze held steady.
"The attacker's being looked for as we speak. There's no need to make it bigger than it already is."