“Mrs. Carroll sent me to inform you guys the food is ready.” Josie mumbled sheepishly.
She was obviously lying.
Calvin laughed in his usual, unruly manner. “Ms. Warren–1 mean–my dear sister–in–law, were you cavesdropping?”
Startled by his address, Josie instinctively looked at Dexter, who remained silent.
“Don’t look at him. Dex almost tore down my turf, for your sake. I would be a fool if I couldn’t tell your relationship.” Calvin explained. Then, he cupped her face. “Besides you, I bet no one in Wavery dares to provoke Alex Lane. You’re famous now!”
Josie smiled ruefully, causing her wound to reopen. She grimaced in pain and said, “Thanks to you leaving me in the lurch, I’m disfigured now.”
Calvin laughed at her sarcastic remark. “Please don’t blame me. I need to run my business. I’m kind enough to get Dex there.”
Josie rolled her eyes and paused briefly. “I’m entrusting my brother to you. We’re even.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll discipline him properly and return an obedient brother to you in a few years.”
Calvin patted Josie’s shoulder and waved to Dexter. “I’m leaving first, then.” He closed the door thoughtfully when he left.
Josie overlapped her toes subconsciously as nervousness crept in. “Your friend is slick with words. It’s better to cut ties with him sooner.”
Dexter didn’t move but stared at her. “Does it still hurt?”
Stunned, Josie shook her head. “I’m just worried that it’ll leave a scar.”
“Yet, you had the guts to go to Heaven on Earth. Dexter commented indifferently while taking out a cigarette.
for
Josie was fearful of Dexter. She mustered her courage and walked up to him. “Mr. Hallway threatened me with Justin’s life. I had no choice.”
Dexter didn’t light up the cigarette but fidgeted with it. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“How could I?” Josie blurted.
Dexter shot a glare at her, which caused her to flinch. She bit the bullet and explained, “I mean… You’re not. obligated to help me. I shouldn’t trouble you all the time.”
Dexter smirked as if he had heard a joke. “You’ve already troubled me quite a bit.”
“But I figured out that we’re from different worlds. We should only take what we need from each other, but interactions more than that are inappropriate.” Josie straightforwardly conveyed her thoughts after pondering upon them for a few days.
Dexter’s gaze fell on her bruised knees. His craving for nicotine had passed, so he kept the cigarette back
in the box.
“You’re still angry about what happened in the meeting. Dexter made a statement.
So, he knows. Josie remained silent briefly before mumbling. “Not exactly
“What is it, then?” Dexter’s tone was tinged with coaxing
He gestured for Josie to come close. “Come here.”
Josie couldn’t tell what was on Dexter’s mind. She trotted slowly toward him. Suddenly, Dexter grasped her wrist and pulled her close. The faint smell of cigarettes wafted into Josie’s nose.
Dexter turned on his laptop. The footage of her and Alex in the private room was on the screen. Her voice emerged from the laptop.
“Please let me serve you and make you happy tonight.”
“You’re my first guest tonight.”
“I’ll do whatever you want tonight…”
Josie wanted to flee when she heard the first sentence but to no avail because Dexter seized her.
She slumped onto the ground in despair. “I was driven to the corner and had no choice. How are my acting skills? Pretty good, right?”
Dexter wore a half smile under the dim light. “I didn’t know you could be this flirty.”
