He assumed that Isabelle wanted to get more details about the accident from him. Therefore, he checked the time and replied that he’d head over at noon. Then, he inquired with William about the situation at the Bailey Residence and was greeted with a sigh. “It’s chaotic here. Now, the elderly in the family are breaking down from the news. It’s a huge blow to them, so of course they couldn’t handle it.”
Mrs. Bailey had fainted a couple of times from crying, and Old Mr. Bailey slumped down defeatedly. Even though he refused to meet most people, he was open to meeting with William. From the morning, he pulled William to the side and started rambling about some recent happenings in Dexter’s life. He was probably baffled by the tragedy, and he more or less blamed Isabelle for the young man’s death.
Although John was unfamiliar with the dynamics of the Bailey Family, he thought of Dexter’s death as an accident, which was unfair to be pinned on Isabelle.
William did not elaborate more on the phone and told his son that more would be discussed when they met up at noon. At first, William had a bad impression of the Baileys. However, Dexter’s death was very upsetting, and he promptly put aside all his grudges from before.
After John was done with his work, he made a call to Sophia. At that time, she was up, had breakfast, and was taking a stroll in the garden. He reminded her to be careful on her walk because she was always rash, leaving him worried.
She agreed and sounded like she stretched her limbs. Next, she briefly asked about his work and wondered why he’d think of calling her in the middle of the day.
He sighed and could not bring himself to tell her that he was lamenting over Dexter’s passing, which evoked a yearning for the sound of her voice. Instead, he told her that he had been busy in the morning, and when he finally had some free time, boredom crept in, and he thought of calling her. She nodded at the response. “Okay. I’m doing fine over here. You should get busy.”
After hanging up, she took a seat at the bench in the garden, scrolling her phone mindlessly and checking some local news. She had not been checking the news for some time. Even as she dived back into it, it did not elicit any excitement for her anymore.
Within a few scrolls, she paused and frowned as she stared at one of the articles. Since the article mentioned the Baileys in its title, she became extra interested in it.
She tapped on the article and read it carefully, almost scrutinizing every word in it. After reading, she placed her phone beside her on the bench as she fell into a daze.
Last night, John said that Dexter would be fine. In just a day’s time, Dexter succumbed to his injuries. The report made her feel awful, and she disliked negative news, especially at this moment in time. He was so young and had a bright future with limitless possibilities ahead of him!
On the other side, Old Mrs. Constance waited for a while but did not see Sophia coming in. Hence, she asked a servant to help her to the garden, where she could see Sophia from far. Sophia sat on the bench with her head lifted toward the sky. For some reason, she looked melancholic. Seeing that, Old Mrs. Constance hurried over. “Sophia turns out that you’re sitting out here!”
Sophia straightened her back and looked at the old lady. “Oh, why are you out here?”
Old Mrs. Constance took a seat beside her. “What happened? I sense that you’re unhappy.”
Sophia laughed gently and explained, “I’m not unhappy. I saw a news article about the Baileys just now, and it made me a little sentimental.”
Old Mrs. Constance was still in the dark about Dexter’s death and simply assumed that Isabelle had caused some trouble again. She patted Sophia’s hand and comforted her, “Don’t upset yourself because of Isabelle. You’re fine with John, and that’s all that matters.”
Sophia stared at Old Mrs. Constance. Soon, she hugged the old lady’s arm and leaned against her. “Grandma, you have to stay safe and healthy.”
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