SWNOVELS Chapter 1323 His Consolation
Dexter settled down beside her, effortlessly popping the cap off the bottle with a swift, sharp movement. The cap clattered onto the ground. He then handed her one of the bottles, saying, "It's Jägermeister. The alcohol content isn't high, so it won't get you drunk."
Without any hesitation, Josie took the bottle from him and immediately took a swig.
He was right about the alcohol content, but the taste was harsh, causing irritation in her throat and triggering a coughing fit that persisted for a while.
Dexter looked at her affectionately, as if observing his pet kitten throwing a tantrum.
"Why did you come here?" she asked.
Dexter, too, took a sip of wine. "You'd usually come looking for Grape first thing whenever you visit the Russell Mansion, but you didn't today. Also, you wouldn't drop by unless you were feeling down."
She had to admit he knew her like the back of his hand. "You already know, huh?"
"Mr. Peeple has always been fast when it comes to disseminating information."
The autumn night was cold, and they fell into momentary silence.
Josie had grown accustomed to the taste of the alcohol and took another sip. "Even I refuse to yield to the Olsen family. They can forget about letting my child continue the family bloodline. It's out of the question."
"In the current generation of the Olsen family, Zach is beyond saving, while Summer is a mess herself. As for Nathan, he settled overseas and the chances of him returning to Wavery are slim. It's no wonder that you're Claudia's only hope," said Dexter.
"Did they even bother asking about my opinion? I never even wanted to go back in the first place."
"Jo," said Dexter softly, soothing her agitation. "Two years ago, when you reclaimed your identity, you didn't seem so hostile toward the Olsen family. But now, you appear agitated. May I ask why?" Dexter was indeed impressive, able to pinpoint the crux of the matter right away.
Josie froze, instinctively wanting to evade the question, remaining silent for a long time.
Her silence was a way of admitting he was right about her change in attitude.
Dexter didn't press on further. He reached out, clinking his bottle against hers, and said half-jokingly, “I must be overthinking. Don't worry. No matter what happens, you have the Russell family as your support. You won't fall."
"It's because I realized their interest in me was purely for their own gain." Josie spoke up before Dexter could even finish his sentence.
He furrowed his brows slightly. "What?"
Josie took another sip of his wine and sat cross-legged on the bench, gazing up at the moonlight.
"No matter what happened in the past, even though they were kind to Rachel, I could always find an excuse for them, saying that they were deceived, that they had no other choice. But later, when I reclaimed my identity, I realized they really didn't love me at all. All they feel toward me is guilt, and they view me as a tool in exchange for interests."
Tears fell from her eyes as she recalled past memories.
She turned to meet Dexter's deep gaze, a bitter smile on her lips. "Ridiculous, right?"
Dexter remained frowning. "In exchange for interests?"
It seemed like he didn't understand what she was talking about.
Josie no longer wanted to keep that to herself and said, "Two years ago, when I was disheartened and decided to leave Wavery, I did consider giving the Olsens an explanation. So, I wrote them a letter, expressing that if they needed me, I could stay. But that day..."
Josie could still recall how devastated she had been back then.
"That day, I waited at the airport for a long time. I didn't see Claudia or Mark. Only Nathan showed up. He came to bring me a check for ten million on their behalf."
As she spoke, she chuckled out loud even as her tears kept rolling down her face.
"Isn't it funny? They used ten million to push me away. Were they unwilling to face me, or simply refuse to accept me?" she said.