Dexter’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he gazed at her. She firmly reiterated, “I want to restore my pure, unblemished self. I choose white, Dexter.”
Their eyes met, with life and death hanging in the balance of a single moment.
“You’re willing to die with me, aren’t you?”
As he slowly nodded, Josie closed her eyes in peace. With only one minute left, Dexter moved the scissors from the red line to the white line. If one were to observe closely, they could see that Dexter’s blood-covered hand was trembling slightly.
When he applied some force, the white line snapped. Without any hesitation, he tossed the scissors aside, stood up, and embraced Josie, shielding her beneath him.
Josie held her breath, closing her eyes as she awaited the impending explosion. Scott also immediately dove away to avoid the blast. One second, two seconds, three seconds…
The anticipated thunderous sound never came. Upon hearing Dexter’s thumping heartbeat, Josie slowly opened her eyes from within his arms. “We’re not dead…”
Dexter realized it before she did. He held her even tighter, panting heavily in her ear.
“I’m insane to have played this deadly game with you.”
Josie shut her eyes tightly, clutching Dexter’s waist. She couldn’t hold back her tears any longer now that all the pressure was gone.
Outside, chaos ensued.
Exhausted, Dexter sat down next to her, holding her hand with no intention of letting go. Once again, Scott stepped forward. Seeing that they were unharmed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He said to Dexter, “I must recommend you to the bomb disposal team.”
Dexter opened his eyes, a slight smirk appearing on his lips. “It wasn’t my choice. It was hers.”
After crying her heart out, Josie trembled slightly. When she made eye contact with him, her cheeks unexpectedly burned.
After a while, the bomb disposal experts arrived. Their equipment was highly professional, and they easily removed Josie’s handcuffs, allowing her to exit the car. Given the severity of the incident, everyone present was taken to the police station to provide their statements.
Scott handed Josie a cup of hot water. “Fortunately, I had someone keeping an eye on Arnold all along. That’s how I found out you were kidnapped. I sensed something was off and immediately gathered a group to follow.”
Only then did Josie remember she hadn’t yet thanked them. She expressed her gratitude, then asked, “Do you know about Xanthe’s situation?”
“It was only when we arrived that we learned about it. Initially, we didn’t dare to act for fear of causing alarm, but you were already in trouble, so we had to intervene.”
Josie thought of Arnold and sighed. “What should we do next?”
“Our people are doing everything they can to find Arnold. Once we locate him, we’ll make him suffer.”
However, Josie didn’t believe it would be that simple. Arnold was as cunning as a fox, capable of surviving against all odds. Scott understood what she meant. “At the very least, his businesses in Wavery are now finished.”
She watched as he built a towering empire, entertained glamorous guests, and ultimately fell from grace. Josie couldn’t help but sigh as she reflected on the various experiences of the past few years.
“By the way, what about my father? Have you found any trace of him?”
When asked, Scott showed some hesitation. “Well… we need to find Arnold before we can determine our next steps.”
Josie fell into silence. Scott sighed, patting her shoulder. “Dexter is tending to his wounds. Do you want to check on him?”
The look he gave her carried a sense of ambiguity. Josie was briefly stunned. Now that the life- and-death bond they had shared not long ago had cooled down, all that remained between the two of them was estrangement.
Seeing her hesitation, Scott said, “You should at least thank him. He was genuinely prepared to risk his life for you earlier.”
His actions were indeed beyond her expectations.
