Josefina couldn't shake the feeling that Oliver was nothing more than a big troublemaker.
Setting a glass of water beside him, she shot him a look loaded with silent frustration. "Drink it if you want, Oliver. If not, stay thirsty."
Oliver lay sprawled out on the couch, his face ghostly pale, looking utterly miserable and abandoned.
Meeting Josefina’s gaze with wounded eyes, his voice was thick with helplessness. "Josie, I'm really thirsty. A drink would be nice."
Seeing the state he was in, Josefina glanced at the water, then back at him, and finally gave in.
Just as Oliver eagerly awaited her helping hand, she stood up and walked away, returning a moment later with a clean syringe.
"I'm going to use this to give you water. It'll come out slowly, so you won't choke."
Oliver was left speechless.
In the end, Josefina managed to hydrate him with the syringe. All that effort had left her exhausted.
"Rest up, Oliver. I'm going to take a shower," she said, grabbing her pajamas and heading off.
Left alone, Oliver pulled out his phone to check his messages. He saw one from Asher that read, "Mr. Oliver, it's done."
A sly smile crept across Oliver's face, his eyes glinting with cold intensity. He had barely gotten home when he was ambushed. Three guys jumped him, and he couldn’t dodge in time—he got shot.
Lying in Josefina’s room, Oliver couldn’t help but admire how capable his Josie was.
...
After her shower, Josefina found Oliver sound asleep on the couch. She gently covered him with a thin blanket and then lay down to sleep herself.
Turning off the lights and leaving only a bedside lamp on, she grabbed her phone to send a message.
"Find out who hurt Oliver today."
Luke, the ever-teasing friend, replied, "You really care about Oliver, huh?"
Oliver, shirtless, had his bandages soaked through with blood, making Josefina want to knock some sense into him.
"Did I bandage you up just so you could act recklessly like this?"
Oliver put down his phone and reached for Josefina's hand, only to be sternly rebuffed.
"I refuse to hold hands with you, Oliver."
With a mix of laughter and tears, Oliver saw how adamant Josefina was and resignedly said, "Josie, I was just thirsty. You looked so peaceful sleeping; I didn’t want to disturb you."
"Fine," Josefina sighed, as if conceding it wasn’t entirely his fault. "Just lie down and don’t sit up again."
After he lay back down, Josefina stood. "Go to sleep. Let me know if you need anything."
She then turned on a small night light, casting a gentle glow in the room.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Miss Josefina: Nobody's Princess