Josie panicked. âHave you heard of Wayneâs actions in the basement today?â
Arnold was shocked to hear that. âWhat do you mean?â
âI saw him in a mask today, with a young girl calling him âdaddy. Does he have a daughter?â She spilled the beans calmly, but it was Arnoldâs turn to lose his cool.
He grabbed her arms and carefully scrutinized her, only releasing her after no wounds were found.
âWayne usually dresses up as another person when he appears in public. Sometimes, he could be an old. man; sometimes, he would appear strong and young. Only Mr. Vipera knows what he looks like.â
Arnold leaned against the windows indifferently. âThe girl is his adopted daughter.â
âAdopted, huh?â Josie muttered. âWhy would he do that? Does this mean that sheâs his soft spot?â
The moment Arnold heard that, he shot a meaningful look at her. âYou learned quite a lot while you were with Dexter, didnât you?â
Josie froze upon hearing that. She didnât know that she had started resembling him.
âWhy do you send me away suddenly? I told you-Iâm not leaving with Pop.â She changed the topic.
âJosie, things were not as simple as you thought. After all that weâve been through, heâs still nowhere to be found. I donât think we can find him any time soon. Why donât you return to Wavery? At least Dexter is there he can protect you while you look for clues.â
He analyzed the situation for her thoroughly. Josie understood that staying alive was more important than anything else.
Butâ¦
âWhat about you? Are you leaving with me?â
âI canât. Now that Iâve arrived at this point, I have to go back and apologize to him.â
What?
what he did to his bodyguards today. Everyone lost a finger. If you go back after all youâve done to him, heâs going to kill you!â she exclaimed worriedly as she walked to him in an attempt to change his mind.
He took another puff of the cigarette. âIf that happens, will you take revenge for me?â he asked in his usual playful tone.
Josie nudged him anxiously. âIf you dare to go back, I wonât even collect your corpse back!â
He smiled chillingly. âTrust me, Josie. I wonât die so easily.â
She felt her heart tighten upon hearing that.
It seemed that Arnold had everything arranged. Once night had fallen, he disguised himself and took her across the busy streets to leave La Oriele.
The rain pelted down continuously. As they shared an umbrella, she said in a low voice, âArnold, you have to come back alive for me to repay this.â
Raindrops slipped through his fingers as he held the handle of the umbrella. âOf course. Iâm waiting for your divorce.â
This time around, Josie didnât chastise him anymore. She trudged ahead with a heavy feeling in her heart.
They reached the backdoor of La Oriele. A burly-looking bodyguard had been waiting for them. âMr.
Carter,â he greeted reverently when Arnold got closer.
âHugh, how have I been treating you?â Arnold asked.
âExtremely well, sir,â Hugh replied solemnly.
âI will remember the favor today.â
Hugh turned around and walked away. When he was some distance away, he waved to the rest of the bodyguards. âYou guys are hungry, arenât you? I ordered something for everyone. Find a place to rest.â
âThanks, sir!â They followed him under a shelter and started gobbling down the food.
Meanwhile, Arnold and Josie got into a car that drove away. âWhen we reach the highway, someone will pick you up.â