Josiah—having had nothing to eat since noon—was utterly famished.
Hence, he was especially warmed by the sight of Xavier and Winnie’s arrival.
The moment they stepped out of the police station, Josiah leaned against Xavier.
“I’m so hungry that I’m going to faint. Also, the bench inside was so hard that my legs became numb after sitting on it.”
Faced with Josiah, who had his ID stolen by a monkey, Xavier harbored no sympathy at all.
“You’re oozing bad luck out of your ears, so please stay away from me.”
“F*ck!” Josiah’s eyes widened. “For whom did I come here in the first place? How shameless can you be?”
Xavier shoved him aside mercilessly. “Don’t make it sound like you’re doing it for free.”
“D*mn you!” Josiah was on the brink of spitting at Xavier’s face. “I did it because I treat you as my friend. Also, our families have known each other and collaborated for generations. What sort of person are you for behaving like this?”
“That’s enough,” Winnie interrupted Josiah. “It’s not like you’re not aware of the condition he’s currently in.”
“Fine, fine.” Josiah raised both his arms as a sign of surrender. “Both of you are united as a couple. At the end of the day, I’ll always end up at your mercy.”
“Cut the nonsense!” Winnie took two big steps forward and gently supported one of Josiah’s arms.
The moment Josiah felt her touch, his body stiffened.
“I… actually, I…” He wanted to state that he could still walk perfectly by himself even though his knees were wobbly from the numbness.
Nonetheless, Winnie spoke over him.
“Listen to me; there’s a cop behind us who’s behaving strangely. Ever since we left the police station, he has been keeping an eye on us. I noticed him working in front of his computer when we first arrived, but when he saw Xavier and I walk in, he dropped whatever he was doing and monitored us closely the entire time we were there.”
Josiah, who did not notice anything amiss, turned around once he heard her words.
“I know that officer. Back when Yolanda, Old Mr. Xander’s granddaughter, called the cops on me, I heard him greet her with respect. Therefore, both of them must know each other, and I’m sure he will report everything about us to her. All this while, I was wondering why the police had managed to arrive in such a short time. So it turns out that they are in cahoots together.”
“Now matter how strong we are in Avenport, it doesn’t pay to go against the local big shots here in Yaleview. From the looks of it, we have to proceed with caution.”
“Exactly. Even the monkeys here are smarter than usual. At that time—”
Before Josiah could finish, he lost his balance from a sudden tug.
Apparently, Xavier, who was standing on his left, was the culprit.
“What are you doing?” Josiah was puzzled. “Since when did I get on your nerves again?”
Xavier gave him the side eye. “Weren’t your legs numb? I’ll support you instead.”
At once, Josiah understood the underlying meaning of his words.
Obviously, he must be jealous to see Winnie helping me.
Josiah could not help but roll his eyes at Xavier. “Didn’t you accuse me of exuding bad luck?”
Xavier sneered. “My fate lies in my own two hands. Even if you pass your bad luck to me, it will not affect me in any way.”
“Yea, yea, you’re the greatest. Nevertheless, you’d better cure that cursed sickness of yours before making any more outlandish claims.”
Stumped, Xavier shot Josiah a frosty glare. Opening the car door with one hand, he shoved the latter into the car with the other.
As for Winnie, she could not help but laugh in amusement when she saw how both men interacted with each other.
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