Chapter 839: Chapter 840 Exposed

“It doesn’t bite.”

Josie slowly crouched down, patting the head of the dog named Pepper, who surprisingly didn’t shy away. “For a dog, a decade or so is already a long life,” she said.

“Yes, indeed.”

Pepper patiently waited from its youth until its old age, all for the return of its owner.

It responded to Josie’s touch, rubbing against her palm with force, making a soft purring sound. Soon, the sound grew louder, eventually turning into a full-blown bark, startling even Claudia.

Josie remained still, letting it move. She wanted to hold it with both hands.

Just then, Heather’s voice came from outside. “Where is Mother?”

The housekeeper replied, “She’s inside.”

As Heather pushed the door open and stepped in, she was immediately greeted by the near-mad barking of a dog. Startled, she instinctively hid behind the housekeeper, exclaiming, “What? What is that? Where did this dog come from?”

The housekeeper quickly shielded her. “Ms. Olsen, it’s all right. It’s just Pepper!”

“What Pepper?”

Heather’s scream also frightened the dog, causing it to squirm in Josie’s arms. If she hadn’t been holding it. back, it would have dashed off long ago.

Pepper started barking at Heather.

“It’s okay. It’s okay! Pepper, everything’s fine now!” Josie held it, doing her best to soothe the dog’s emotions.

Heather’s face was as pale as a sheet. Seeing the dog gradually calm down, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, she still didn’t dare to get close. She asked Claudia, “Mother… where did this dog come from?”

Claudia looked at her, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “This is the dog you raised when you were a child,” she said.

Upon hearing those words, Heather’s face turned even paler. She looked somewhat at a loss. “When I was a child? I-I don’t remember.”

Josie could see clearly now. Heather’s confusion was mingled with panic and fear.

Claudia turned around, only to find Josie and Pepper snuggling up to each other.

At that moment, Heather hurriedly stepped forward, her hands trembling. “Mother, as you know, I’ve forgotten many things. I never thought that I would be afraid of dogs when I grew up.”

She attempted to approach Pepper, but it was extremely resistant as if it had seen an enemy.

“All right. It’s normal to be scared. People change.” Claudia spoke up, preventing her from coming any closer.

“How did you get here? Where is Dexter?”

Heather gradually returned to her senses. “He had an unexpected matter to attend to, so his secretary came to pick him up.”

Claudia nodded, and Heather gave a bitter smile. “I’ve even raised a dog. Why has no one ever told me?”

“Your father is allergic to dog hair, so after you got lost, we kept the dog in the backyard. Only a few elderly people know about this. Even Summer is not aware.”

Heather nodded slowly, her head lowereti as she tried hard to find a topic of conversation.

“Ms. Warren, you don’t seem to be afraid of dogs. Have you raised one before?”

“I’ve never raised one before.” Josie gently soothed Pepper before handing it back to the housekeeper.

“You’ve never raised one before, yet you were quite bold just now.”

Josie looked straight into Heather’s eyes, which were tinged with a hint of panic, and smiled. “Perhaps I was just born not afraid of dogs. But it’s strange, Ms. Olsen. You used to love dogs when you were little, but you don’t like them now as you’ve grown up. That’s quite unusual.”

A love for animals was innate and generally wouldn’t change.

It was evident that Heather was trying her best to stay calm. “I was scared just now, but perhaps with time, I’ll get used to Pepper.”

Josie constantly wore a gentle smile. She handed over the drawing she had been holding, “Your drawing skills are impressive. Here, this is yours.”

Heather was taken aback. Upon clearly seeing the content of the painting, she furrowed her brows noticeably. She managed to squeeze out a smile. “Thank you.”

Josie removed her gloves and bid farewell to Claudia. As she left the exhibition hall, Pepper kept watching her and making a whimpering sound.