Dexter neither agreed nor disagreed.
Josie glanced at him. “Paul has dementia, you’re aware of this, right?”
He waited for her next words. She spoke hesitantly. “Once the hospital procedures are completed, I want to bring him home.”
After speaking, fearing his disagreement, she quickly added, “Of course, if you find it troublesome, I can take care of him and Grape on my own.”
Josie’s gaze fell upon the sleeping child. In truth, she could have done the same. The reason she was willing to fulfill that broken contract with Dexter was solely to find Paul. However, she hadn’t expected to find him so quickly, bypassing Arnold entirely.
With that, she had even lost the chance to change her mind. Upon hearing her words, Dexter immediately furrowed his brows. “Do you think I, Dexter, can’t afford to support an elderly person and a child?”
Quickly, Josie retorted, “Dexter, of course I didn’t mean that. What I meant was-”
“Stay by my side,” he interrupted.
Josie stared at him in surprise, only to see him clench his fist and cough lightly. “What I mean is, we’re still in Rivodia. If you undertake such a big task alone, you might not necessarily do well. Arnold is always watching. It’ll be much safer if you stay by my side.”
After some thought, Josie realized it was indeed true. She didn’t have such a significant presence in Rivodia.
However, Dexter did.
She fell silent for a moment, but soon turned her gaze toward the window, her voice light as a feather. “Will it really be safe to stay by your side? I’m not so sure about that.”
Dexter’s breathing fluctuated. He found himself unable to utter a word of rebuttal.
Josie toyed with Grape’s chubby fingers. “I don’t mean anything else by that. It’s true that I’ve never felt safe in the past.”
Her tone was rather casual, as if she wasn’t taking things seriously.
“Josie,” said Dexter.
“Yes?”
“Do you seek revenge?”
He suddenly uttered those words, leaving her stunned. “You heard that?”
Just as Dexter was about to speak, Grape suddenly woke up. She opened her eyes in a daze, neither crying nor making a fuss. After adjusting to the environment inside the car, she looked at Josie and called out, “Mommy.”
She smiled, lifting Grape up. “Awake now, piggy? How come you slept for so long? Didn’t you sleep well last night?”
Gently rubbing her eyes, Grape spoke with an adorable voice. “I missed Mommy.”
“Sorry. Who did you sleep with last night? Was it-”
“I slept with Mr. Russell!”
Josie raised her eyebrow in surprise, exchanging a glance with Dexter, who was busy tidying up Grape’s blanket. “I wouldn’t trust anyone else with this task.”
“I’m surprised. I never thought I’d see the day when you’d take care of a child,” said Josie. His movements paused slightly. “The experience was quite pleasant.”
She quickly composed herself.
Grape was still muttering, “Mommy, why did Mr. Russell bring me to find you? Where did you go?”
Upon returning to her residence, Grape was full of energy, running around causing a commotion. That day, she had met another man who seemed to be quite fond of her.
Moses was truly fond of her. He never imagined that after two years of not seeing each other, Josie would give them such a big surprise.
Thus, the task of taking care of Grape was entrusted to him.
Josie was summoned by Dexter to the study to continue the topic they were discussing in the car earlier.
Dexter expressed, “I didn’t intend to prevent you, but you lack complete knowledge about Arnold. It is crucial that you do not act impulsively.”
Josie frowned. “True, I don’t have a specific plan, but given sufficient time, I can always discover his vulnerability. Not only him, but I have also identified Mr. Dalton’s weaknesses.”
“What?” He became somewhat intrigued.
“He has a daughter whom I have encountered. Her name is Ruth.”
