Blind date turned proposal (Josie and Dexter)

A chill ran down Josie's spine. "And then?"

"Then, after what felt like an eternity, Daddy found me..." Grape didn't even dare to lift her head to look at Josie. She retreated further and further, seeking refuge in Mark's embrace. "The wolf you've been taking care of, you brought it back from there too, didn't you?" Josie asked.

Grape dared not lift her head. Her bowed stance was answer enough.

Josie was holding back her temper. She could roughly guess when it had happened, and all she felt now was a lingering fear. "Why didn't you tell me about something this serious?" Claudia stepped forward and urged, "Don't be too harsh."

Mark was protective as well. "It's all in the past, isn't it? She didn't tell you because she didn't want you to worry. The child was very brave. Anyone else would've bawled their eyes out. Grape, did you cry?"

"No..."

Mark gave a thumbs up.

"Brave? She was brave, all right. Didn't I tell you before not to follow a stranger?" Josie asked.

What upset her the most was that no one had bothered to tell her about the incident.

"But that young lady l-looked a lot like you, Mommy..."

The moment those words fell, a silence fell over the entire ward.

Josie cast a sidelong glance, locking eyes with Claudia. The latter also looked surprised. Mark frowned, asking, “How similar?" Cautiously, Grape answered, "Very similar... Extremely similar. The only difference was the difference in height."

Josie tilted her head back, taking a deep breath. She had a good idea of who it was.

She immediately wanted to reach for her phone to call Dexter, but Claudia stopped her, urging, "Hold on a moment."

"How could I? Now that things have come to this, I've finally understood what they mean by causality," Josie said.

Right then, Mark gently patted Grape's head and said in a suggestive tone, "Why don't you go out and play with your grandma for a while? I need to talk with your mommy."

Although Grape was scared of Claudia, her fear of Josie was even greater at the moment. She nodded in agreement, willingly letting Claudia carry her out of the ward.

Mark lifted the covers, beckoning

Josie to come closer and lend him a hand. "You must despise us, don't you? If it weren't for the incident two years ago, we wouldn't be dealing with such a huge mess named

Rachel."

"I do." She didn't deny it. "That's why I didn't want to stay in Clusia."

With her assistance, Mark made his way to the window. "Why didn't you leave?" he asked.

"Don't you all know?"

"Is there nothing else, apart from our bond, that makes you willingly stay?"

Aside from the matter concerning the child, Josie calmly stated, "I don't want those people to live happily."

Only then did Mark nod in satisfaction. "There are many things in this world, no matter how much you resist or concede, they will never let you go."

Josie didn't quite understand those words. "What they desire is what I don't want. Why must they harm my family?"

"Have you ever looked back at

history and noticed how emperors were always wary of those generals who had won countless battles? It's clear that without them, there would be no era of peace and prosperity." Mark's gaze was weary. "Because they held military power, they could overthrow the imperial authority whenever they desired."

"They have no ulterior motives, though.”

"That might be the case now, but who can assure that's going to be the case in the future? How about their descendants?" Mark asked.

Claudia led Grape to the back garden of the hospital. Under the setting sun, there was a profound sense of peaceful serenity.

Josie remained silent.

"You wonder why they wouldn't let you go, right? It's because even if you don't want to compete, you have the capacity to do so. What they fear is your potential and your blood ties with us. You're innocent now, but in their minds, you might be dangerous in the future."

I'm simply powerless... Josie couldn't alter the blood ties she was born with. At that moment, she began to regret revealing her true origins.