Blind date turned proposal (Josie and Dexter)

The two men accepted the cigarettes and cautioned, "Mr. Bastille, please behave yourself."

Morgan acknowledged their warning with a nod, and Josie was granted access to the courtyard house.

Morgan gave the back of her neck a playful squeeze and said, "I knew you had ulterior motives."

Josie, tired of pretending, met his gaze and asked, "Morgan, you have a secret, don't you?"

After taking the last puff of his cigarette, Morgan said, "You know I'll sign the agreement one way or the other for you sake, so you don't have a reason to follow me all the way here. There is, of course, another possibility: you're in love with me. But of course, I dismissed that idea immediately."

Josie didn't know what to say. He sure is self-aware.

Josie glanced into the room. "Who's in there?"

"Stop asking," he said.

"Then I'll go in myself."

She was about to step inside when Morgan grabbed her. "Do you have a death wish?"

Is it that serious? Josie narrowed her eyes in confusion when a voice echoed from within. "Morgan, where are you? It's your turn."

The voice didn't sound young.

Morgan grabbed Josie's hand and led her inside. "I'm coming."

A wave of woody fragrance mingling with the scent of women's perfume that was slightly overpowering greeted them the moment Morgan opened the door.

People were seated on all four sides of a square table. An elderly bigwig held a deck of cards in his hand while the women sat aside quietly.

All eyes in the room focused on Josie. They were clearly surprised to see Morgan bring a woman in.

The elderly man with silver hair seated at the head of the table asked with a malicious smile, "Who's this?"

"My girlfriend. She's throwing a tantrum, and I had to appease her." Morgan, with his arm around Josie's shoulder, said, "Greet them.”

For a moment, Josie didn't know what to say.

A while later, she bowed respectfully. "I'm sorry for intruding."

Someone chuckled. "This girlfriend of yours seems innocent. So this is your type, huh? It's no wonder you're never interested in the ones I chose for you."

Morgan settled into his seat and signaled for Josie to draw cards for him.

"No, that's not it. I just feel like settling down as I grow older. I might as well choose someone whose family background matches mine. Don't you agree, Mr. Zabel?" said Morgan.

He drew the Ace of Hearts.

Josie stood behind Morgan and saw that he had a straight in his hand of cards, but instead of playing it, he broke it down into pairs.

The man known as Lionel Zabel glanced at Josie. "Indeed."

Morgan was implying that since Josie's status matched his, she deserved respect from everyone in this room.

Throughout the game, Morgan won

a few times, yet more frequently, he willingly relinquished the triumphs to the trio seated across the table. His manegyers were consistently calculated, never excessive, always precisely measured.

Josie took a seat at the women's table, giving them a nod as a form of greeting.

Lionel warned, "Stay alert. In a few days we'll have a surprise inspection from the higher-ups. It will last at least a month, so brace yourselves and tread carefully."

Morgan nodded. "In Wavery? Or the entire state?"

"The entire state."

Lionel paused for a moment before adding, "But Wavery is for sure their main focus."

Josie's heart clenched as she looked over at Morgan, who was tracing the surface of the cards with his fingertips. "Why?"

"You must be aware of what happened in Wavery. Dexter took the wrong side and messed with the Yowell family, resulting in a tremendous loss. He deserves a lesson," said Lionel.

Josie went stiff, recalling Dexter's words that day. They're targeting Dexter? So this is what he meant when he said it's almost Wavery's turn. I didn't really take it to heart because he sounded nonchalant that day. So it's this serious?