Rachel paused for a moment. âThe wedding is on the 15th. I donât want anything to go wrong.â
Arnoldâs enthusiasm plummeted as a result of the phone call. He pulled away from Josie, who quickly buttoned up her clothes.
âItâs already the 10th. Instead of preparing for your wedding, youâre here doing this. Do you have that much free time?â
Rachel was left speechless, perhaps due to a certain degree of apprehension she felt when facing Arnold.
âI just want to remind you not to let your personal feelings ruin our plan.â
As Rachel spoke, Arnold glanced at the flustered Josie, who was glaring back at him intently.
He rose and walked to the window. âBefore Dexter boarded the ship, did he tell you exactly what he planned to do?â
Rachel replied, âNo, he doesnât trust me much. He doesnât tell me many things. All I know is that he boarded the ship to conduct business.â
âBusiness,â Arnold savored the word. âQuite a significant business to discuss in international waters.â
âInternational waters?â Rachel was surprised. âHe hasnât left for international waters. Heâs still in Wavery. He just called me, saying heâll return in an hour.â
Upon hearing that, Arnoldâs expression changed abruptly. âWhat did you say?â
âHe⦠he didnât go out to the open sea.â
Josie pressed her back against the wall and rapidly processed the complexities of the situation as her heart pounded.
After Arnold hung up the phone, he stared at her for a second before scoffing, âYour ex-husband, heâs full of tricks.â
With that, he roughly grabbed Josieâs arm and strode out.
Josie wasnât sure what was happening. She was taken downstairs, where Arnold had her cleaned up and changed into a new set of clothes. Then, she was escorted into a car.
The vehicle moved along the road for some time before it stopped on the side of the road. Soon, a person from another car got in and reported cautiously, âMr. Carter, the batch of goods we were exporting has been intercepted by the police.â
Arnold, who had his eyes closed, abruptly opened them sharply. âWhich police force intercepted it?â
âThey are from another jurisdiction, not from Wavery.â
Arnold looked at him. âWhat about Dexter?â
âHe⦠He never actually went out to the open sea. The person who boarded the ship was a stand-inâ¦â
His voice trailed off as he spoke, losing confidence. Then, he lowered his head, not daring to look at Arnold.
âHe tricked us,â Arnold said as he sneered.
Josie hugged her arms, listening intently to their conversation. She glanced at the scenery outside in the dark night. There was a mist, and they had arrived at the seaside.
At the dock, the vehicle stopped, and Arnold closed his eyes to rest. Ten minutes later, another car arrived.
The car door swung open, and two people escorted a woman out. She was older but well-maintained.
Josie frowned as she recognized the struggling face of the woman.
It was Xanthe.
âArnold! What are you doing!â Xantheâs hands were tied behind her back as she hysterically shouted at him.
âMs. Quorn, Iâve helped you so many times. Itâs your turn to help me now,â Arnold said coldly.
Josie clenched her fist, recalling that Justin had discovered Arnold had always been assisting in Xantheâs business. Indeed, there was some connection between those two.
âWhat are you up toâ¦â Xantheâs hair fluttered in the wind, her well-maintained face faintly showing signs of aging.
âYour son has leverage over me, so naturally, I need to take you, his mother, as my bargaining chip.
What do you say?â
At this point, Arnold simply stopped pretending.
Josie speculated that the batch of goods that was intercepted must have reached a level of notoriety.
Otherwise, he wouldnât have taken this step.
âYouâre insane! You know how Dexter treats me. He would never give up for my sake!â Xanthe was very self-aware.