The man’s eyes were moist, resembling those of a remorseful little boy who had done something wrong. They were filled with guilt and helplessness.
Josie remembered the last time she saw him like this. It was when she was about to leave Wavery to embark on a distant journey. At that time, he was also completely helpless.
Dexter gently placed his soup spoon down, struggling to speak as Grape looked on with confusion. “S-Sometimes, I can be too arrogant and end up hurting your feelings.”
Unbeknownst to them, the other people at the table had gradually left, leaving only the two of them in the private room.
Josie absorbed his words. With a fork in one hand and her face propped up by the other, she gazed out of the floor-to-ceiling window at the breathtaking view of the river. Suddenly, she said, “Dexter, look at that river.”
He looked up. “What about it?”
“It has existed for decades, even centuries. Compared to that, isn’t our affair trivial?” Josie spoke with a tone of acceptance. “I remember the pain, but it doesn’t matter anymore. I have made peace with the challenges we faced in the past.”
Her explanation did not bring Dexter any relief.
His brows furrowed even more tightly. “In the two years after you left, I often couldn’t sleep. I wondered if I had considered your feelings more in our plans, maybe we wouldn’t have ended up where we are today.”
After Josie finished eating, she picked up Grape. “There are no ‘what ifs’.”
The divide between the two of them extended far beyond just those issues.
She walked out without hesitation, but upon reflection, she felt something was wrong. She handed Grape to Dexter, gently coaxing her, “I’ll be back soon. Be a good girl, okay?”
Grape asked from Dexter’s arms, “Where are you going, Mommy?”
“Of course, I’m going home.”
However, explaining the situation to acquaintances while with a child could be quite troublesome. Josie would rather let Dexter handle that hassle.
She straightened up. “Don’t take Grape to red- light districts.”
“Okay”
As expected, when Josie left the restaurant, she indeed ran into someone she knew.
Morgan was only wearing a shirt, carrying a suit in his hand, as if he had just come out of a meeting. A thought struck Josie, and she quickly approached him. “Morgan!”
He abruptly stopped walking and turned around. In a matter of seconds, his face lit up with a smile. “Jo, what a coincidence!”
Naturally, Josie was skeptical. She gestured for him to follow her outside. “I need to ask you something.”
A subtle glimmer appeared in Morgan’s eyes. “I’ll answer any questions you have.”
“Your assistant, I remember his name is Ryan. Is he still working for you?”
Morgan’s smile slightly stiffened, and there was a hint of disbelief in his voice. “Why are you asking about that?”
“Can’t I ask?”
“No, you don’t even care about me, but you care about my assistant?” Morgan held the door open for her.
“Just tell me if he’s still working for you.”
Morgan’s expression became subtle. He lifted his chin slightly, gesturing towards a car. Josie was taken aback as she saw a man standing there. That person was none other than Ryan.
Josie nodded. “He’s married, isn’t he?”
Morgan understood her intention. “Why are you asking this? Are you trying to defend your ex- employee?”
Through the glass door, Josie could clearly see Dexter’s figure. He was coming down in the elevator, holding Grape in his arms. Even while carrying a child, his demeanor remained poised and elegant.
He was excessively showy, displaying no concern for his own reputation. Josie speculated that within a matter of days, the entire city would be aware that he had a daughter.
“I genuinely pity that girl. She is still very young.”
“You got married at a young age as well,” Morgan sarcastically remarked.
“That’s precisely why. You’ve witnessed the outcome for me, haven’t you?”
Morgan was at a loss for words. You know what? She is right.
No need to mention it, there is some truth to her statement.
