Josie refused to admit to Dexter’s comment. “Not always.”
“No? You always clamored for raspberry roll cake from Orchid Bakery on our way home from school. Once, they were sold out, and you were so upset that you refused to eat. You ended up with gastritis and got hospitalized.” Dexter recounted the past in vivid detail, remembering it all too clearly.
Naturally, Josie remembered that as well and felt somewhat helpless. “That was an exception.”
She remembered after she was admitted to the hospital that time, she was still upset. No matter how much Mark and Claudia tried to coax her, it was all to no avail. Dexter then went to Orchid Bakery before the break of dawn and waited for it to open. Clutching a wad of bills, he declared he wanted to buy ten raspberry roll cakes.
The salesperson was utterly amused.
Nonetheless, Josie cheered up for real. She beamed from ear to ear at that time. “Only Dexter understands me. None of you do.”
At the side, Mark said teasingly, “Oh, since Dexter understands you best, how about marrying him when you grow up?”
At the time, she couldn’t grasp the concept of marriage. As she ate, she grinned. “That’d be wonderful!”
Everyone in the room burst into laughter. Only Dexter, who had just entered adolescence, silently blushed, his earlobes turning red.
Later, when many others repeated Mark’s words, his expression remained calm. He went along with the flow, his earlobes never red again.
During those years when Josie was lost, he often dreamed of her in the middle of the night, crying in frustration because she couldn’t get her hands on a raspberry roll cake. Yet, he was helpless to do anything about it. Each time, he would startle awake, wondering where she was then and if someone still indulged her and bought her raspberry roll cakes.
Just the mere thought of it distressed him to the core. Even now, as he recalled that time, there was still an uncomfortable twinge in his heart.
As the same memories flooded back, Josie felt somewhat uneasy. She clenched her fingers. “I… no longer like eating raspberry roll cakes now.”
Dexter paused slightly and simply responded with a noncommittal grunt in the end.
It was low and made Josie’s heart skip a beat.
She glanced at him, only to see him lowering his gaze to the locator.
It had lit up, and words appeared on it, one by one.
They read: At your service, Mr. Russell.
Dexter typed rapidly: Ten lifeboats. Follow my coordinates and send people to the bottom of the ship.
Josie parted her lips, but Dexter then said to her, “It’s about time.”
In the warehouse, the bodyguards were having a shift change. Looking down from the skylight, the couple saw them walking out in a line, leaving the door wide open.
Dexter quickly asked, “If I go down first, will you be scared?”
Josie shook her head. A ladder hung below the skylight, but it was vertical and looked intimidating. “Don’t worry. I can do it.”
Sure enough, Josie succeeded in keeping her word.
Dexter first stood in a corner in the shadows. Tilting his head back, he watched as Josie slowly climbed down and entered the warehouse just before the three-minute window was up.
He had skillfully set up a cover and securely caught Josie. The latter promptly bent over to move out of the bodyguards’ line of sight.
Dexter unlocked his phone, dimming the screen to its lowest brightness, and typed her a message that read: Starting now, don’t make a single sound.
Josie nodded.
The bodyguards on shift came in, and the warehouse door was shut once again..
Appearances were deceiving, for only upon entering would they understand the treasure within. The entire warehouse was filled to the brim with cash, turning one’s head.
Wayne’s accumulation of wealth was almost terrifying.
Dexter locked his phone and gradually sprawled on the ground. His movements were slow, his breathing deliberately paced. His hands groped the floor, searching for some mechanism or other.
Following his lead, Josie sprawled on the ground and joined him in the meticulous search.
It was a test of endurance. Under extreme tension, she could barely catch her breath. When she looked at Dexter, she saw that his expression was grim in the darkness, and he was equally worn out.
She parted her lips, intending to ask him if he could hold out. But as the words reached the tip of her tongue, she remembered his instructions and decided against it.
