“What about Rachel? Don’t you want to see her?” he insisted.
“I don’t want to, at least not for now.”
“Mark is awake, and the two elders feel guilty towards you. They also wish to see you.”
“I don’t want to see them,” Josie coldly rejected him, then left his lounge and him behind.
Upon reaching the ground floor, she looked back up at the top of the building.
Once upon a time, she felt that he was standing up there all alone and she should keep him company, but in the end, she found herself badly hurt from doing so.
Josie returned home and tried to sleep. However, Dexter’s words echoed repeatedly in her mind, preventing her from getting a good night’s rest. When she was rudely awakened the next day, she felt somewhat irritable.
It was a call from Charles, the newly appointed mayor of Wavery. He had invited her out for a meal.
As Charles was an influential contact her grandfather had given her, there was no reason to refuse. Moreover, she still had to rely on the police regarding Paul’s disappearance, so she agreed to the meeting.
At that moment, Mallory had just arrived with breakfast when she overheard the conversation. “I’m bored. Take me with you.”
Josie slightly furrowed her brows but still agreed, “Sure.”
When they met, it was already noon. It was Charles’ lunchtime, so he didn’t bring any staff with him.
Upon entering the private room, Charles called for the waiter as he took a seat. “I’ve learned about the recent incident,” he said. “I know it’s been tough for you and it wasn’t your fault. Rachel, who previously worked as an assistant within the government, is quite skilled at deception.
When he brought up the topic, Josie made no comment in response to his assessment.
After waiting for a while, the waiter finally came in. He was tall, dressed in a uniform, and wore a baseball cap on his head. He also wore a face mask, maintaining a low profile as he bowed his head to present the menu.
Josie didn’t pay much attention, propping her head up as she said to Charles, “In the end, it was my failure in judging people that caused me to be tricked this way. I deserve it, so I don’t blame anyone.”
Her words were somewhat tinged with a hint of self-mockery. Charles, who was a decade or two older than her, was admiring her at that moment.
She was merely in her early twenties, yet she possessed an exceptionally composed demeanor.
Charles first handed the menu to Mallory, who was sitting next to him. “What are you planning next? Are you going back to the Olsen family?”
Upon inquiring about the Olsen family, Josie understood what Charles was looking for.
Upon assuming his new official position, Charles needed support, inevitably finding himself entangled in the web of personal favors.
Josie pursed her lips together. “May I refrain from answering?”
Charles was momentarily taken aback, but he continued, “Of course, let’s eat first.”
Meanwhile, Mallory had already buried her head in the menu for quite some time before she finally looked up to call the waiter. “Give us one seafood ceviche, one grilled pork ribs, one beef stroganoff, two lobster thermidors, and a bowl of minestrone. Hmm… Mr. Zimmerman, I hope I didn’t exceed your limit, did I?”
Charles chuckled. “If I pay out of my own pocket, it doesn’t count as a public expense.”
Josie’s mouth twitched. “Can you really finish all the food you’ve ordered?”
“I’m famished. Now that I’ve ordered, it’s your turn.”
Mallory lifted her head, only to be taken aback upon realizing that the waiter was merely listening. “Why didn’t you write down the orders?”
The waiter stood off to the side, in a spot where the lighting was somewhat dim, making it hard for anyone to see clearly. His voice was muffled as he said, “I can remember them.”
When Josie cast a casual glance at him, she suddenly found the waiter somewhat familiar, yet she couldn’t recall where she had seen him before.
Charles asked Josie about her dietary restrictions, then ordered two dishes.
The waiter seemed somewhat impatient, but as he stepped forward to retrieve the menu, he was abruptly halted by a stern command from Mallory.
“Wait a moment!”
She quickly walked up to the waiter, tilting her head as she asked, “Do all your uniforms look like this? Baseball caps and large masks? Aren’t these the standard accessories only used by celebrities?”
