At that moment, Josie wrestled with the feeling of being cherished versus being under surveillance. She managed a wry smile. “Thanks, I’ve made it inside.”
Then Dexter inquired, “What’s the purpose of your visit?”
Suddenly, Grape’s voice came from the other end of the line, and the arrival of an employee with reports was abruptly silenced by Dexter.
“Is that you, Mommy? I want to talk to her!” Grape interrupted.
As Josie was about to explain, Dexter swiftly commanded, “Escort her outside for a moment, give her some time to settle down.”
The employee hesitated before moving forward, gently coaxing Grape in a subdued tone.
It quickly became quiet.
“You were too harsh on her,” Josie said.
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
After a pause, she replied, “I brought a friend along, hoping it’ll help clear our minds.”
Dexter found it hard to believe that she would casually visit a place that had previously caused her pain, yet he chose not to delve further. “Today’s Monday, and Russell Group is holding a board meeting. Grape insists on tagging along, which means I have no other choice,” he explained.
Josie’s eyes widened in shock, “You’re not suggesting, you brought her to Russell Group, are you?”
The silence from the other end of the line was telling.
She nearly yelled out in frustration, but somehow managed to summon the man’s name in a whisper, “Dexter Russell!”
“It’s a confidential matter; she’s being taken care of by a select few and is adapting remarkably fast,” he tried to reassure her, sensing her lingering upset. He added, “Jo, it was something that was going to come to light sooner or later.”
At a loss for words, Josie simply ended the call, leaving him to ponder her sudden outburst.
The unexpected intimacy that surfaced in that moment of vulnerability wasn’t lost on anyone.
The manor’s beauty remained unchanged. Josie and Juliette reached what was known as the cliff gap, where they encountered many attendants along the way. Each attendant seemed surprised to see Josie, yet they all bowed in respect.
Juliette, finding amusement in the situation, teased, “Don’t tell me, this luxurious mansion belongs to you.”
“Had it been mine, we wouldn’t have been stopped at the gate,” Josie replied.
Juliette playfully put a hand on Josie’s shoulder, her tone teasing, “Belongs to a man, then?”
Caught off guard by Juliette’s directness, Josie blushed and responded with a playful jab of her elbow. Juliette laughed heartily, sprinting ahead with a joyful bounce in her step.
The cliff was decorated with a plethora of rhododendrons, and the sight, combined with the twilight’s approach, offered a breathtaking spectacle unmatched in the mortal realm.
Juliette recounted a tale of a time when the grand sun slowly dipped into the sea, leaving its lingering glow on an inaccessible cliff, against which waves tirelessly crashed. He was there alone, lost in the majestic solitude that the scene offered. “So, the stories were true, they didn’t lie to me,” Juliette spoke softly, her fingers mimicking the sun’s descent.
Standing behind her, Josie couldn’t pinpoint why, but she felt a deep sense of despair in her words.
It dawned on her that this despair was not hers but that of the narrator.
Her current emotional state eerily mirrored hers from years past.
Turning around, Josie caught sight of her former living quarters. The floor-to-ceiling windows stood as a stark reminder of the despair and agony she had once endured.
Yet, she realized some emotions were hard to empathize with, now that it was all in the past.
“Josie, why are you crying?” Juliette inquired suddenly.
It was only then that Josie became aware of the tears that had silently formed. She brushed them off with a laugh, “Caught something, did 1? Your friend has quite the story.”
“Yeah. Would you like to meet this friend of mine?”
“Huh?”
“I’ve made plans to see him today, though it’s always a bit tricky since he’s quite the busy man,” Juliette explained as she started walking, “Let’s go meet him together.”
“But he’s your friend. That hardly seems appropriate…”
“You can vouch for me that I did visit this place, felt what he felt. Let’s do this together, all right?” With a youthful charm, Juliette took her hand.
Josie truly wished to inquire if Juliette knew Dexter and the nature of their connection. Yet, when she was about to voice her question, she refrained.
